What do you think when you hear the word ‘reparations’? A political movement? A threat to the status quo? As God outlines in the book of Numbers, reparations are an integral part of the process of forgiveness and reconciliation. What do reparations look like in our individual lives? And how can we be a voice for just reparations in our culture?
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US economics is based on principles of making profit and supply and demand. But does the invisible hand that guides the market belong to God? Elijah’s encounter with a widow illustrates that God does not live in a world of scarcity. So as God’s people, we can reject any system that insists on my success over your failure.
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There are few things we value more than our individualism. But the early church identified pride as the root sin. Why is individualism so dangerous? And how can we resist the temptation to set ourselves up as gods?
Continue readingWho ever wants to come back from vacation? Or go to the office on Monday? Or leave any of those places where we feel free to be most fully ourselves? Jesus shows us that God invites us into these spaces not to hide, but to receive strength and courage to take Jesus’ love to the world.
Continue readingOver the last several years, we’ve all experienced strained and broken relationships. What is the faith-filled path forward in these relationships? How do we create space for forgiveness and reconciliation? Joseph’s reunion with his brothers illustrates how we can seek real healing.
Continue readingHow do we prepare for the work God calls us to? Spiritual practices create space for the Holy Spirit to work in us. They are not self-care, but joining with God for healing and restoration!
Continue readingOne of the biggest complaints about churches today is that we’re too political. What we mean though, is that churches are too partisan. Because God calls us to love our neighbors the same way we love ourselves and our families – and that’s a political act. So how can we be political without becoming partisan? Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne room is good news for anyone who’s sick and tired of politics as usual.
Continue readingMost of us struggle to hear God’s call. Isn’t that something reserved for preachers and prophets? But God calls each of us. And God calls ALL of us. Our calling is something for good – not just our own good, but the good of our community, and of the world around us. So what is God’s call for us?
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We might be forgiven for thinking Christmas is all about the big, elaborate celebrations. But the prophet Micha reminds us that Christmas affirms God is at work in the small, overlooked and out of the way. How can we find God with us this tiny Christmas?
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The Christmas BranchJR. Forasteros - November 28, 2021 |
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Christmas LightsJR. Forasteros - December 5, 2021 |
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The Bright SadnessTom Fuerst - December 12, 2021 |
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TIME magazine just announced its annual Person of the Year to be Elon Musk, which sparked outrage. Musk, as head of Tesla, is one of the billionaires in the last year who, in large part because they don’t pay taxes, has invested in sending himself into space. The discourse around his award as Person of the Year is, “Should we really be celebrating such narcissism?”
But TIME has long held that their award isn’t necessarily a positive thing. Person of the Year is more about who is shaping history – good or bad. It’s a concrete embodiment of the Great Man of History theory.
You’ve heard of the ‘Great Man of History’ theory even if you don’t think you have. It’s the idea that history is made by a few exceptional, powerful people who rise up and seize the reins of the human story. So we learn about Alexander the Great and Napoleon and Lincoln and Dr. King, and we’re taught they’re great. They’re exceptional. The reason they were able to accomplish what they did is because there was something special about them.
The Great Man of History theory sounds good. It even feels good because it feels like hope. That’s why every election year, we look for a candidate to embody all our hopes and dreams. We feel powerless. We don’t feel great by any measure. So we look for someone great to come along and fix things for us.
There’s something of the Great Man theory in the Christmas story, too. After all, what is Jesus if not the Greatest Man?
But as we’ll see today, Jesus doesn’t really qualify as a Great Man. He definitely wouldn’t have made the cover of TIME magazine when he was alive. And that matters. Because the revolution of the Christmas story is not that Jesus was a Great Man… but that God doesn’t need Great Men. God works through the small, the overlooked, the powerless and the ignored.
It can be hard for us to know how to navigate the complex experiences of the holidays. For some, it’s a time of great joy; for others, struggle and sadness. Advent offers us a unique avenue into these spaces by inviting us to confront pain and disillusionment with hope. How can we wait in the bright sadness for God’s arrival?
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