I take so much delight in the silence of the men in the Christmas story. Zechariah can't speak. Joseph doesn't speak. While the words and emotions of Mary and Elizabeth are unapologetically centered. The sound of Advent is the voice of women.
Because of the gap between an infinite God and finite people, and because human beings are both willfully sinful and unconsciously misdirected, there is no perfect or risk-free method when humans listen for God’s voice. There is no foolproof formula, no guaranteed...
The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime" that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in...
If America’s original sin is slavery, the original sin of the church is anti-Judaism and antisemitism. Before the New Testament was fully written. we see evidence of it... If you look at the passion accounts in the four Gospels in chronological order, you see Rome...
If you have this idea (even if the voice speaking to you is very small and quiet) that there might be another way to life: listen.
He did not wait till the world was readytill men and nations were at peace.He came when the Heavens were unsteadyand prisoners cried out for release.He did not wait for the perfect time.He came when the need was deep and great.He dined with sinners in all their...
When you listen to and read one thinker, you become a clone; Two different thinkers, you become confused; Ten thinkers, you’ll begin developing your own voice; Two or three hundred thinkers, you become wise.
The reality of Advent isn't that we are waiting for the birth of the Christ-Child. The Christ-Child is here and is waiting for us to come. He is crying out to us from the border. He is calling to us from the voices of the poor. He is shouting out to us from prison.
For any of us feeling longing in Advent: Even though Jesus’ experience in the wilderness wasn’t easy—he fasted for forty days and forty nights and was confronted by the devil—the devil was not the only one he encountered there. The spirit sent Jesus into the...
Don't confuse being a fast talker with being a deep thinker. Speaking quickly signals confidence, not complexity. Don't mistake volume for expertise. Speaking loudly reflects conviction, not credibility. Sometimes the best ideas come from the least assertive voice in...