The four Gospels all tell the story of Jesus in different ways: for Matthew Jesus is primarily a teacher, extending and enriching the Law; for Mark he is an apocalyptic figure, ushering in a new age (just don't tell anyone about it); for Luke he is a prophet with deep concern for the marginalized; and … Continue reading Sight to the Blind: A Reflection on Mark 10.46-52
One of the reasons I wanted to tackle this series looking at different Biblical metaphors for sin and salvation is that Western Christianity has, over the past thousand years, come to ignore a lot of this diversity. The ancient abundance of images has been replaced with an almost singular focus on a criminal justice metaphor … Continue reading Bondage and Freedom
Last week, I wrote about what I see as a need to normalize sin without minimizing it. If we want to have better relationships with ourselves, creation, each other, and God, we need to be able to talk about the ways in which we harm those relationships, 'in thought, word, and deed,' 'by what we … Continue reading Debt and Forgiveness
Over the past few weeks, the Sunday Gospel readings have taken a turn. The late Summer's general theme of opening up our hearts and minds to others has transitioned to the challenging specifics of what that looks like in practice. So far we've had warnings not to trip other people up and to take responsibility … Continue reading Money Problems: A Reflection on Mark 10.17-31
I once worked with a woman who was, let's say, 'challenging' to be around. She was brusque and impatient, and never had a kind word to say about anyone. Every day at lunch, she told us stories of an estranged relative, an unreasonable neighbour, or a friend with whom she was on the outs. The … Continue reading On Normalizing Sin (Without Minimizing it)
