Theology

1. Do not be afraid.
2. Love one another.
3. Stand firm.

Each one is short and to the point. Lay these three on top of each other, and a powerfully rich framework for seeking justice takes shape. 

Discount? Why, yes please! A friend asked if I was interested in attending the Courageous Conversations Conference, with her to be a part of a group rate. Courageous Conversations is “an annual gathering that unites Black voices from both conservative and progressive spaces and believes in the power of diverse thought to foster growth and understanding.” Get a discount? To attend a conference I already planned on attending? Yes, Ma’am! The conference, organized by Jude 3, had already been on my radar since I saw some of their content on social media.

The Bible is bookended with trees. In Genesis, the tree of life stands in for the Garden of Eden. In Revelation, the tree represents the restored New Jerusalem, a tree whose leaves “are for the healing of nations.”

The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

We (Paul and Barnabas) tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.

It is very easy to be hard on the Jonah of the Bible. It seems so obvious to us what he ought to do. However, I believe that each of us has a Nineveh we brush aside as quickly as Jonah does. When God calls Jonah eastward, Jonah goes as far as humanly possible westward. Of all things he goes on a boat. Israelites were not seafaring people. Jonah probably did not know how to swim and in Israelite culture the sea was used to describe chaos, danger and evil, where monsters dwell. Jonah also paid the fare for the ship. Commentators believe that during this time money was rare.

In this episode we discuss the 'elephants' of church renewal. Rev. Dr. Elaine May discusses her work in church renewal and leadership development within the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She highlights the importance of shifting from ownership to stewardship, aligning church ministry with God's mission, and the challenges and blessings of navigating change and discernment in congregational contexts.

What images and associations come to mind when you ponder the phrase, “Survival of the fittest?”

All my life I have assumed that the phrase meant the strongest ones become stronger and more numerous while the weakest ones diminish and eventually die out. I picture ads for fitness clubs showcased by hyper-muscled super-humans. I’ve also assumed that this summary of Darwinianism undermined biblical notions of justice; thus, my calling as a Christian was to defend and support those weaker ones. Survival of the fittest? NO! That’s not the “Jesus way.

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  - Luke 12:4-7, NIV

What does it mean to live inside Jesus’ story?  The novelist Margaret Atwood has said that in the end, we will all end up as stories.  For those of us claimed by the love of God made flesh in Jesus, it is Jesus’ story that determines and guides our own. 

In a sermon titled ‘Life Draped in Hope’, the Rev. Dr. Willie James Jennings offers helpful insights into what it means to live inside the story of Jesus.  

He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?   (Micah 6.8)