To announce…that the Liberator is sitting among the poorand that the wounds are signs of hopeand that today is the day of liberation,is a step very few can take. But this is exactlythe announcement of the wounded healer:”The master is coming—not tomorrow, but...
Popular music is engineered by people in the entertainment industry, and sales are the arbiter of success (hence the enormous sums earned by the writers of often-played commercials)… At the other end of the power spectrum is great religious music. Here the texts deal...
Ministry can indeed be a witness to the living truth that the wound, which causes us to suffer now, will be revealed to us later as the place where God intimated his new creation. ———————————————Gender-neutral version: Ministry can indeed be a witness to the living...
We must not worship without study, for ignorant worship is of limited value and can be very dangerous. We may develop “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom.10:2) and do great harm to ourselves and others. But worship must be added to study to complete...
It is obvious that it is not enough to say: Love one another. That has been said for centuries, and has been repeated ad nauseam, in all tones, from all platforms, religious and secular. And yet we continue to war instead of love one another. Why is this? No one can...
Jay hugged me hard when I left. He was going back to Colorado in a few days. “I don’t believe in God,” he said. “But sometimes when I’m up in the mountains above the tree line, it’s like whoa, you know: There’s a big, big love.” “I know,” I said. Christianity wasn’t...
We need Lent! Our forebears were wise to put its 40 days into the calendar to keep us mindful of the great sacrifice of Christ and the immense love of the Father, the overwhelming grace-full—and grotesque—suffering of the Trinity. In these post-modern times, sin and...
Why did Jesus keep the scars from his crucifixion? …The scars are, to him, an emblem of life on our planet, a permanent reminder of those days of confinement and suffering. …I take hope in Jesus’ scars. …They represent the most horrible event that has ever happened....
To keep Lent is to discover and remember who in heaven’s name we are, as person and community. We pray against all confusers and confusions for our true identity and vocation. We know that means standing before the cross and making some choices. The grace of this...
Jesus has many who love his kingdom in heaven, but few who bear his cross. He has many who desire comfort, but few who desire suffering. He finds many to share his feast, but few his fasting. All desire to rejoice with him, but few are willing to suffer for his sake....