The moment we Christians start looking for an authoritarian "strongman" to lead us is the moment we stop looking for the One who leads by washing feet, who rides a donkey instead of a warhorse, and who tells his followers to put away their swords and take up their...
02746 – Our Wants vs. God’s Wants
We want the war horse.Jesus rides a donkey. We want the eagle.The Holy Spirit descends as a dove. We want to take up swords.Jesus takes up a cross. We want the roaring lion.God comes as a slaughtered lamb. We keep trying to arm God.God keeps trying to disarm...
02395 – New Paradigm of Imagery for God
The God imaged by Jesus exerts no dominating supremacy. In Christ, we see an image of a God who is not armed with lightning bolts but with basin and towel, who spewed not threats but good news for all, who rode not a warhorse but a donkey, weeping in compassion for...
01616 – You Coming?
I reject the version of Jesus who would have told the rich young ruler, “you are blessed” instead of, “give everything to the poor and follow me.” Who would have pushed women to the fringes of the narrative, instead of empowering Mary to be the first preacher of...
00668 – What Manner of King Was This?
In Jesus’ triumphal entry, the adoring crowd makes up the ragtag procession: the lame, the blind, the children, the peasants from Galilee and Bethany. When the officer looks for the object of their attention he spies a forlorn figure, weeping, riding…on the back of a...