A few years ago, I sent out Christmas cards with a Meister Eckhart* quote on the front: “What good is it that Christ was born in a stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago if he is not also born in me?” Inside, the card read: “How is God being born in you this Christmas?” The Advent season is always a time, for me, of making space for God — making space for God to be born in me. Quieting... Read more
A predominant message of this holiday season seems to be both loud and clear: Our value as human beings is often dictated by our capacity to consume. Read more
Why did the birth of Jesus matter to the early church? What did they think was the salvific power of the incarnation? And how might mimetic theory help us understand the relationship between incarnation and salvation? Those are a few questions subscribers to the Teaching Nonviolent Atonement live video chat will discuss this Thursday at 11:00 central with early church historian the Rev. Dr. Stephanie VanSlyke. Stephanie will introduce us to some of the thinkers of the early church, their... Read more
By Sea Raven Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; Luke 1:47-55; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11; Thomas 78 The third Sunday in Advent is full of familiar themes: John the Baptist, acknowledged by Jesus himself as the messenger who prepares the way for the coming of the Messiah; Mary’s Magnificat, put into exquisite musical format by C.P.E. Bach: “My soul does magnify the Lord for he has done great things for me” – chosen to be the Mother of the Messiah; Isaiah promises,... Read more
Christianity 21 is just a month away, and we continue to highlight some of the voices that wil be coming to Denver to be part of this exciting event on the future of Christianity and faith. Here, Jesus Benyosef, one of C21’s 7-minute presenters, offers an introduction from his “character” who is coming to speak. Blessed Are the Poorly Adapted Blessed are those poorly adapted to their environment. Blessed are the scrawny, slow, and sick members of the herd. Blessed are... Read more
“From Pope Francis to Jefferson Bethke, folks are tired of the trappings of religion – and particularly the divisive politics too often associated with religion – and want to talk about Jesus again.” — Joshua DuBois Next month, Christianity 21 comes to Denver, bringing three days of exciting and provocative speakers to muse on the future of faith. One of those speakers is Joshua DuBois, former Spiritual Advisor to President Obama and author of the gorgeous new book, The President’s Devotional. DuBois served as... Read more
When I was in college, one of my best friends had a poster in his room that said, “Stay awake! Jesus is coming.” I hated that poster. The words come from both of our New Testament readings this morning. (Matthew 24:36-44 and Romans 13: 11-14.) Both readings admonish people to stay awake, and the fact that I hated my friend’s poster might give you a sense about my feelings for how these passages are usually interpreted. I hated that poster for two... Read more
I invite you to consider how your preaching through this season invites us to dwell in the mood of each season, first anticipating, then celebrating, and finally reveling in the story of the God who forsook glory and power to take on our lot and our life that we might live with hope. Read more
The antidote to feel-good history is not feel-bad history but honest and inclusive history. James Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me, 92. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving, as we take turns around the dinner table sharing why we are thankful, a sense of awkwardness settles in. The awkwardness is not only due to the “forced family fun” of having to quickly think of something profound to be thankful for. (Oh the pressure!) The growing awkwardness... Read more
This week as part of our 7 Questions Before C21 (that’s Christianity 21 for those of you who are just tuning in), we’re talking with Ani Zonneveld, singer, speaker, activist and co-founder of Muslims for Progressive Values. Zonneveld is one of the 21 provocative thought-leaders coming to Denver January 9-11, 2014 to share their “big ideas” on the future of faith. (See the special C21 conference $50 discount for Patheos readers here.) I first met Ani at the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina last summer,... Read more
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