Making Justice in the Midst of Chaos (Isaiah 65:17-25)

November 7, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Onleilove Alston. This election cycle has uncovered the racism, sexism, and nativism that has always been present in American society but was hidden under the covers of political correctness and multiculturalism. For many of us Election Day and what happens after fills us with dread and frankly I would categorize this election cycle as one word: chaotic. The interesting thing about being a person of faith is that when circumstances look the bleakest in the natural world, spiritually... Read more

A Work in Progress (Haggai 1:15b-2:9)

October 31, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Jacqui Lewis. As we stand on the precipice of a new presidential administration; as the discourse in the public square is mired in vitriol and violence; as the lack of value of the lives of Black folk, immigrant folk, and queer folk is plainly demonstrated by the piling-up of dead bodies; as women are characterized Mr. Trump either nasty or as objects to be rated for their looks, berated for their weight or grabbed by their vaginas; as too... Read more

From a Tree to a Throne: The Story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)

October 24, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Johnny Ramirez-Johnson. How would you feel today if you discovered that the credit card and bank account with all the fees involved you have been paying for some time, after all, was not opened by your spouse, it was a fraud committed by employees of Wells Fargo Bank? Experiencing being taken advantage of is not fun, it’s a bummer! In every neighborhood of Palestine they had their local abuser in situ. They were called Tax Collectors. Appointed and exercising... Read more

Election Confession: Divided We Stand (Luke 18:9-14)

October 24, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Casey FitzGerald. Last Sunday I came home from a long day at church to find my family watching the second presidential debate. It is a favorite family pastime that debates on screen are accompanied by debates on the couch. On that particular night, voices were raised a little louder than usual. Accusations flew across the room. Hyperbolic statements were plentiful. Steam may have actually come out of my ears. I think we spent ten minutes arguing about who... Read more

No Justice, No Peace (Luke 18:1-8)

October 10, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Matthew L. Skinner. The system is rigged. It always has been. Prosecutors manipulate grand juries. Rapists from elite families get special leniency. Laws that stipulate minimum sentences for certain crimes prey on people of color. Greedy bankers dupe their clients then detonate the economy for their own gain and hardly receive a slap on the wrist. Sometimes a reason for hope breaks through. Sometimes a president commutes unfair prison sentences. Sometimes someone says “Enough!” regarding private prisons and... Read more

Except This Foreigner (Luke 17:11-19)

October 3, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Eric D. Barreto. If Jesus’ words never strike me as strange, if Jesus’ words never cause me some sense of unrest, if Jesus’ words never trouble me, then I can be sure of one thing: I can be sure that I am missing something important. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus heals ten lepers who beg for his mercy. Having healed them, Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests. As they go and discover that they have been... Read more

Ah, Jesus, I Get It Now! (Luke 17:5-10)

September 27, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Jacqui Lewis. No wonder we don’t talk about verses 7-10 of this text. Faith the size of a mustard seed. Great. Love it. Tiny seed. Lofty idea. Preachable. Even tweetable. But the rest? Say you have a servant (not even an employee, but a slave) and they are plowing the field or tending the sheep and they come in tired. Do you say, “Take a load off and have a bite to eat?” Or rather, don’t you insist... Read more

Hope: The Call to Action (Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15)

September 19, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Valerie Bridgeman. “We are obligated to hope.” ~ Bishop Yvette Flunder, The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries and pastor of City of Refuge UCC I have watched with dread as a drama plays out in North Dakota. Thousands of Native Americans and their co-conspirators have taken a stand to try to stop the company, ironically named Dakota Access Pipeline, from drilling for crude oil on land sacred to the Standing Rock Sioux nation. The company received approval to drill... Read more

Uber and Amos: Economic Justice in the Gig Economy (Luke 16:1-13)

September 12, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Keith Anderson. The curbside at Atlanta airport’s Terminal South is a strange place to have a moral crisis, but there I was. I had just arrived and in town and I needed a ride to my final destination. As I exited through the sliding glass door outside to the ground transportation area, on my right was the taxi stand. In my left hand was my iPhone open to the Uber app, which told me the nearest Uber car was... Read more

Lost and Found: Depression and Isolation (Luke 15.1-10)

September 9, 2016 By Odyssey Networks

By Karyn L. Wiseman. I went to Junior High and High School in the West Texas community of Andrews. It was a loving and vibrant community where high school football and marching band were important. I was a band geek and loved working with our band director, Jim Harvey. In 1984, Jim and his family went to their usual Colorado vacation spot to spend part of the summer. On July 11, their 14-year-old son, Chris, went for a walk with... Read more