One of the fascinating things about how the first Christians understood what had happened in the world in and through Jesus is just how topsy-turvy, unexpected, and ironic it all was. As they read their Scriptures, they suddenly saw Jesus everywhere in them, even if this caused them to read those Scriptures from a different … Continue reading Palms and Crosses: A Reflection for Palm Sunday 2023
As we saw in yesterday’s post, when her visions were over, Julian of Norwich was left wondering two things: how she was supposed to respond to it, and what it all meant. We looked at the first of these questions yesterday, and saw that the message was just like that of the Scriptures’ summaries of … Continue reading Love is the Meaning of it All
Overall, Julian of Norwich’s theology and spirituality are remarkably positive. She filters everything through the greatness of God’s love, which creates, sustains, and provides for all things and against which sin can be “no deed” (Ch 11). But God’s goodness and love are no excuse for complacency. There are still things that can get us … Continue reading On Spiritual Sickness
One of the common stereotypes often leveled against the younger generations raised in more supportive environments is that we are “precious snowflakes” — so confident in our uniqueness that we have come into the world feeling entitled to greatness. Silly and harmful generational stereotypes aside, both sides of this generalization hold some truth: We are, … Continue reading God’s Work for Me (And for You)
One of the major roadblocks LGBTQ2S+ people experience in finding acceptance and welcome within their communities of faith is simply the perception that tradition is set in stone and cannot change. It’s that difficult combination of inertia and ‘case-law’ I talked about last post again. But as we saw with the case of eunuchs the … Continue reading Welcoming the Outcasts: Acts 10-11 as a Blueprint for Change
