When I graduated from divinity school, I was homeless. Not in a literal kind of way but a spiritual one. I had been living in the same city for two years without a church to call my own. Sure, I had dated a few congregations on and off but nothing serious developed. The only names I remembered were the ones printed in the bulletin and if anyone remembered mine, well, I didn’t give them a lot of chances to prove... Read more
Have you ever felt like God was hiding from you? Have you ever wondered how you’re supposed to be a faithful Christian when God feels absent so much of the time? If you’ve ever asked these questions or others related to God’s presence or absence, author and speaker Tony Kriz wants you to know you’re not alone. “It’s a fairly universal experience of everybody,” Kriz says. “Some of us are more attuned to the divine than others, but almost all of us have had seasons... Read more
America is coming apart at the seams. Greed, corruption, fear, and violence are among our defining qualities. We Christians must confront the fact that we have done a poor job of proclaiming Good News in America. As such, there are two conversations we must have in 2015. This first is, “what is sin?” The second is, “what is the purpose of the church?” The opening verses of John’s Gospel provide a biblical basis for such conversations. Paraphrasing, they say that... Read more
On January 11, I drove down the hill to the Musicians Union hall at 817 Vine Street to attend the monthly Sunday Assembly Los Angeles, described at its website as “a godless community that meets monthly to hear great talks, connect for service projects, sing songs and generally celebrate life. Assemblies are free to attend, and everyone is welcome.” At USC, through our new humanist chaplain, Bart Campolo, I recently made the acquaintance of Ian Dodd, the founder of the Sunday Assembly. It was time to take... Read more
In my search for a church home during graduate school, I attended over ten churches in two years, each with their own different style of communication. Some handed out a tan, tri-fold piece of paper by which I could follow along, nose down, during the service. Others projected announcements on movie screens that required thick-rimmed glasses to read. My favorite bulletin was at an Anglican church who footnoted each part of the service so as to explain its theological significance.... Read more
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said to myself as the storm door pumped behind me to a close. I carried the day’s mail in on the flat of my forearm, like a waiter bussing dirty dishes. A letter from my former church lay on top of the junk addressed to “The Beam Family.” I took a deep breath. It was a small betrayal, to be sure, but the kind that erodes trust drip by drip until there’s nothing... Read more
John’s prologue is actually a poem that introduces major themes that will be developed in the unfolding of the story that follows. It is a beautiful poem about the mystery of incarnation. I love the story about two mischievous boys, Tommy the oldest, Jimmy his little brother. One summer the two boys became quite popular in their community, but not in a good way. Families were waking up to lawns covered in toilet paper. One lady who liked to hang... Read more
I never had children; never wanted to. So I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about my womb. I never really had to keep track of its schedule, so I just let it do its thing, tended it as necessary without giving a lot of thought to what it was there for. I don’t even like the word “womb,” which the Online Etymology Dictionary tells me is from the Old English wamb, meaning “belly, bowels, heart, uterus.” Now, uterus... Read more
By the Rev. Jude Harmon Chartbusting this holiday season is Pentatonix’s cover of “Mary Did You Know?” Rich vocal harmonies fused with the group’s fresh, dynamic flavor make this version really pop. It has rightly been hailed as “haunting,” “breathtaking” and goosebump-inducing. Written by Mark Lowry, the song has been covered by the likes of Cee Lo, Clay Aiken, and Wynonna Judd. Exceeding the ephemeral ranks of ‘holiday hits’ the song is rapidly becoming a ‘holiday classic.’ Many of my... Read more
The day after the first Shabbat in Advent, Mary and Joseph took Jesus, who was eight years old, To the Great Mall of Bethlehem. There, in the middle of the huge indoor shopping complex, Was a stately Christmas tree surrounded by wrapped gifts. “I don’t believe in Santa anymore,” Jesus announced. Joseph, startled, asked why. “He’s too fat to get down the chimneys,” Jesus answered, “And there are too many chimneys for him to go down, all on the same... Read more
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