Why do we settle for less? September 25, 2018 Which version of Jesus do we settle for? A wise philosopher? A meek and mild but constant caregiver? A macho conqueror?… Read more »
Which version of Jesus do we settle for? A wise philosopher? A meek and mild but constant caregiver? A macho conqueror? A divine butler? It’s challenging to resist the impulse to settle for a Jesus who does not fully represent the Lord and Savior presented in the New Testament. Challenging, of course, but not new. Looking at John 6:35, 41–51, we see Jesus’ followers missing the boat as they long to settle for a miraculous baker rather than the Bread of Life.
The season of Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and contemplation of the power and promise of the paschal mystery. Perhaps there are no better models of how to live Lent than the prophets. Designed for congregational, family and individual use, the 2018 Presbyterians Today Lenten devotional is now available for ordering.
The announcement of a baby’s birth can tell you a lot about the parents.
Techy parents send out emails. Photographer parents send beautiful pictures. Artistic parents send out creative announcements. Traditionalist parents send out formal announcements on card stock. Royals like Prince William and Kate Middleton waited a few months before landing their son, Prince George, on the cover of celebrity gossip glossy Vanity Fair a few years ago.
At this year’s Big Tent, General Assembly Co-Moderators Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston recommended Always with Us? What Jesus Really Said about the Poor for their “One Church, One Book” discussion. The author, the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, offers her thoughts and questions here: What does the Bible say about poverty? Is it an unfortunate but inevitable reality? Is it the fault of the poor themselves? Is it a way to get close to God? Is it a curse from God?
The announcement of a baby’s birth can tell you a lot about the parents. Techy parents send out emails. Photographer parents send beautiful pictures. Artistic parents send out creative announcements. Traditionalist parents send out formal announcements on card stock. Royals like Prince William and Kate Middleton waited a few months before landing their son, Prince George, on the cover of celebrity gossip glossy Vanity Fair a few years ago. Then there’s Jesus.
Westminster John Knox Press (WJK) will release the first in a brand new line of children’s books this May. Who Counts? 100 Sheep, 10 Coins, and 2 Sons by Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is a creative retelling of three popular Jesus parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son.
This afternoon, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), issued a statement opposing President Trump’s executive action on immigration.
My Father’s Affairs
In Luke 2:41-52, Joseph and Mary search desperately for their young son Jesus. There is a certain irony here: Jesus’ parents think he is lost, when at a deeper level he has found his calling, which is “to be about his father’s affairs.”
In Luke’s Gospel, the “father’s affairs” entail expanding people’s understanding of family and community. It starts in this story itself. Jesus’ parents have a particular understanding of his place in the family, and he challenges that notion by envisioning for himself an identity that reaches beyond his family. Throughout the third Gospel, Jesus subverts the narrow identities attributed to him and claims for himself a more expansive identity.
“When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.” Luke 23:33
Even in today’s era of constitutional monarchies, royalty look to project power. They seek to rise above political skirmishes and to stay above the fray. Their thrones and crowns remind us commoners that we do not live in their rarified world. Kings and queens strive to project a non-anxious, detached calm from whatever troubles might be assailing their subjects.
