“The people sit in darkness.” A tyrant, aligned with another more tyrannical ruler, controls the darkness. He’s entombing a challenger in his darkness. The people need someone to step forth as a light. Someone does and offers a vision into the darkness and, more importantly, a vision beyond it. With this Sunday’s Gospel in…
Jesus initiates a radical paradigm shift for humanity when he teaches and gives witness to the Community of God, sometimes translated as the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ Kingdom of God shifts humanity to communion, love, and creative healing power thus transforming the kingdom of Caesar’s domination, suffering, and violence. Unfortunately, institutional christianity hinders that…
Pentecost for peacemakers is easily contrasted with Militarism’s Memorial Day for citizens. On Pentecost, peacemakers remember Jesus was always bringing people together; sharing diversity, compassion, and friendship with people. On Memorial Day, citizens remember warriors who are always being pitted against other people; coercing tribalism, fighting, and being killed and/or killing opponents. Citizens are…
Rulers are interrogating John the Baptist. Why would members of the ruling class “from Jerusalem send priests and Levites to” interrogate a somewhat obscure man? Perhaps they are disturbed by his nonconformity. Nonconformity, no matter how seemingly small, could be reason enough for the rulers to interrogate him. John’s nonconformity is personal and social.…
What are the responsibilities of an Old Testament prophet? Overall it was to call people to convert back to Yahweh. Old Testament prophets could fulfill their responsibilities by lording sinner’s guilt over them. They could threaten doom until offenders repented. Jesus’ witness was not centered on guilt or doom or harm of any type.…
The story is told of a man driving a winding country road. He is almost run off it by a woman who rounds a curve too wide. As she gets back onto her side she yells at him, “Pig!” He promptly responds, “Idiot!” only to round the bend and crash into a pig. We…
People’s movements often start in someone’s house, usually around the kitchen table. They tend to bubble up with free flowing conversations and a vision for change. Little by little such movements spread. They can spread so far and wide and deep as to diminish empire. Protectors of empire, really they are imprisoned by it,…
God really is not a father that lives in the sky, though John’s Gospel imagines it in today’s reading. This father God does not grant salvation to those who believe in him and obey him. Neither does this imagined deity condemn those who do not. All of that is just a projection put onto…