The election is over and the deciding vote has been cast. It was bloody, the Opposition was strong, but it is clear, at least to most of us here, who the winner is. The problem is that though the election was some time back, there are many who still don’t accept the results. Some are hedging their bets; some are afraid of the Opposition. They don’t realize that the only power he has is the power they give him. The Opposition’s power can’t create or make or do anything, in the end. It can only destroy, undo and unravel. Still, he is noisy. Even if powerless, he can make himself seen. It’s easy to get distracted in all the busy hubbub he weaves.
Read MoreThe master praises two slaves for doing well in an exploitative system, which ultimately makes him richer. Does that sound like the Jesus you know?
Read MoreWe are in a pivotal moment in our life together as a faith community. For some of us it is a moment of immense joy, relief, and celebration, while for others it is full of frustration, disappointment, and fear. However you find yourself feeling here at the end this crazy, stressful week, your Christ Church family is with you in prayer.
Read MoreWe sometimes worry about finding our way to God, or worse, wether we’ll be worthy to enter the heavenly dwelling places once we do. This is where Joe’s good life can guide us. He knew the way because he paid attention and loved the details God placed on the path in front of him
Read MoreIn the hills of East Oakland there is a 500 year-old redwood that has survived the Spanish conquistadors, the Gold Rush, earthquakes and storms, the booms and busts of a world always hungry for resources. The tree is the only old growth redwood in the city and its is something of a miracle that it is still alive. Locals call it, “Old Survivor.” The tree is located on a steep rocky slope and the trunk is twisted, misshapen by the standards of timber mills. And so it has stayed, marginal and strangely formed, witnessing a world in flux as a rooted grace, contrasting with the vagaries of human ambition. “Old Survivor still stands,” wrote a pair of Oakland residents, “as a sentinel to remind us to make our choices wisely.”
Read MoreIt seems to me that heaven is not only a future hope but also an earthly one. Blessedness in Hebrew has the sense of being on the right path. Jesus invites us onto a path that points toward heaven, a path full of peace, healing, righteousness, comfort, and mercy. This is especially poignant for a quieter All Saints’ in 2020.
Read MoreEven in hospice care, Louise was doing cheers with the chaplain, also a Central High Tiger. “Hail to the old gold, hail to the black,” they would sing, much to Louise’s delight. A cheer could always point her in the right direction, even at the end of life. She was a natural cheerleader back in the day. It suited her personality to a tee. That kind of natural enthusiasm is a gift, which Louise used well throughout her long life. She could flash that smile of hers and make anyone feel welcome. And it was contagious.
Read MoreIn planting oaks, storing acorns across the forest floor, these creatures are, from a theological view, giving glory to God. This glory stems in part from their obedience to God, for they are fulfilling their purpose, they are doing what they were created for. In reflecting on the question of obedience and disobedience, the monastic writer Thomas Merton once wrote: “A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means for it to be is obeying Him.” Squirrels and jays are obedient to God by living into the fullness of their nature and answering its call. They work toward the future, but do not think about it. They simply do the work of the season, living the lives that they were given.
Read MoreIn today’s passage from Exodus, God tells Moses that an angel, or messenger, will accompany the Israelites on their journey. To twenty-first Century Christians familiar with the Holy Spirit, this sounds like the ultimate comfort. To the Israelites, it sounded like abandonment. They did not yet understand their God as one who could transcend time and space, and they were not interested in a long-distance relationship.
Read MoreI have the dubious honor of welcoming you to what is quite possibly the worst parable in the Bible, the king’s ominous wedding banquet. It’s the story of a disastrous party, hosted by a murderous king who rages, and attended by a poor guy who gets tied up and thrown out into the street. Really great material for a sermon, said no preacher ever. But I promise we can find some light shining in the story, and it might be just what we need these days.
Read MoreI recently found myself on TheKnot.com’s list of the greatest love songs of all time. Like many such lists, its contents are easily contended, but I was surprised to find that even with my limited knowledge of pop, there were plenty of tunes I could easily hum. First was Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” followed shortly after by “Time After Time” by Cindy Lauper. Celine Dion was the only artist with two songs in the top ten with her “The Power of Love” and “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song to the movie Titanic. And of course songs by Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Whitney Houston all had their representation along with some more surprising picks further down the list by bands such as the Foo Fighters and Radiohead.
Read MoreSo here’s to a new week of watching electoral politics, catching up on the news of a troubled world, wearing masks, and zooming through more meetings. In all of our endeavors during this strange time, let’s be mindful of the earthly authorities that demand our allegiance and make more room for the authority of Christ in our lives.
Read MoreTrusting that God will solve all of our problems in mystical ways is not the kind of faith that God asks of us. God did not promise the Israelites that they would never have to think about food again. God simply took away the hunger they felt right then, allowing them to rest and enjoy their Sabbath. Thus, the critical mistake came not in caring about their future, but in letting that worry destroy their Sabbath.
Read MoreAs Jesus knew we would be, we are in need of today’s refresher on conflict resolution in the Kingdom. A reminder to focus on relationships, utilize unbiased perspectives, when in doubt, turn to your Church family, and remember that letting go can be an act of love.
Read MoreHow do we live now? It’s a question that comes each day, but in a time when our routines are unsettled and our habits out of sync, the burden of decision is even greater. We have to find an ethic, a guide to living that will help us move toward goodness and flourishing, even with all the evil in the world—the abductors and Pharaohs and automated systems of oppression. From Shiphra and Puah we can find some guidance. We need to live like subversives.
Read More2020 is rough, there’s no denying it. This year is testing our fortitude and our faith. It would be easy to get hooked by it all and table our spiritual growth until things get easier. But it is also very possible to be present to the challenge and to come out of this spiritually stronger and more compassionate.
Read MoreI have long been a fan of the church marquee, those roadside signs with messages offered to the passing cars. I don’t generally pay attention to the service times or the pastor’s name written large; what I look for is a good word, a funny saying, some pithy call to the Christian life.
Here are a few examples: “Honk if you love Jesus, text if you want to meet him.” Or “Adam and Eve, the first people to not read the Apple terms and conditions.” Or “This too shall pass, it might pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.”
Read MoreWhether in a physical challenge, the throes of grief, or a global pandemic, when we cry out to God for a blessing, God gives us our name. We are Israel and we have been changed. We have struggled, and yet we persevere. We are a people coming into our true identity as God’s children through a painful struggle. This is who we are now.
Read MoreTruth be told, we kind of fancy ourselves the soil police, eager to categorize people into one of the four types listed in the story. Take, for example, someone who is wearing a mask over their mouth but below their nose. This offends those who are pro mask and those who are anti mask, and it gives us satisfaction to asses exactly which category Jesus would put them in in the parable. We want to read this parable as a parable of judgment, especially if we get to be the judge. But the parable is not about the four types of ground, or four types of people, not really anyway. It’s about the sower.
Read MoreWho knows, maybe Sam and St. Paul are arguing about the finer points in heaven as we speak, much to Sam’s delight. He certainly argued the finer points with all of us in this life, showing us in real time how the grace of God can take root and grow in one man’s life.
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