This change — this transformation from heat wave to cold snap… from flourishing to dormancy, from ripple, to ice…is a seasonal reminder that we must learn to be good at letting go; a reassurance, built into the cycle of our lives, that there is no such thing as sadness without beauty…
Prayer does not take away our responsibility.
Because prayer is not simply a speaking outwards toward God.
Prayer is more than that. Prayer is an acting inward toward God.
Climate change is not going to go away if we ignore it.
We are confronted with the singular concern of our time.
The singular problem that faces not only our community, but our species.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
The other day my son Silas came up to me.
“You want 50 cents?” he asked.
“Uh, sure,” I said.
He handed me what looked like a one-dollar bill. I was about to protest, and tell him that it wasn’t 50 cents, when I realized that the bill in my hand was half of a one-dollar bill.
He laughed.
“Get it?”
An article by Reverend Mark appearing in the Fall 2017 issue of Reflections, Yale Divinity School’s magazine of Theological and Ethical Inquiry.
None of us like being confused. Confusion, for most of us, is a state of anxiety, that we like to abolish with the appearance of certainty. But perhaps there is a kind of confusion – a glorious confusion, that helps us to get close to God.
It would be a lot more convenient for everyone involved if the chaotic, ugly, and frustrating could be safely stowed in a box in the basement while the transcendent, beautiful and adorable could be displayed prominently on the dining room table – never the twain shall meet!
But, unfortunately, that’s not the case. Opposites may be opposite, but they are not separate.
My friends, you may recall on a recent Sunday (September 3rd) the scripture lessons steered me, as they often do,to waxing a bit about church. In the Epistle that morning, Paul comforted us, saying “love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.”(Romans 12:9-10).The gospel lesson from Matthew, though, gave us a more challenging message: If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)…
Being chosen by God is generally considered to be a good thing.
After all, when God is on your side, you must be pretty powerful, right?
But as these stories suggest, it is not that simple.
