Sometimes in my book, God Is Just Love, Building Spiritual Resilience for the Sake of Our Children and the Creation, I talk about preparing for the future. That has led to some readers asking me, “Are you a prophet?”
Schonfield, like so many teachers and authors I encountered a few years later in seminary, was convinced that he had to understand the Jesus story without looking through the lens of mystery, miracle, awe and wonder. A Jesus without miracles? What kind of crazy talk is that?
Some of the suffering within this covid crisis is visible to everyone; Some of the suffering is invisible to almost everyone; a mental health calamity, including the distress of thousands of moms.
Jesus overcame, overturned and overthrew most of the dominant cultural values of His world. He replaced them with the core values of the Kingdom of God. Children were among the first whose lives were transformed by this unconditional love. We all know how cruel life can be in a highly stratified society–for those on the bottom.
Why would anyone want to start all over again to know Jesus? Here are two answers.
If you think so, what is that message? If you think not, what do you view as the most common message of the Christmas movies you watched this year? If you did not watch any Christmas movies, why not?
To be a follower of Jesus is to see Christ everywhere, in everything, all the time, and on into eternity. To be a disciple of Jesus is be love here and now and to be transformed by love as Jesus enters our world again this advent season. To be a believer in Jesus is to know that nothing has, is now, or ever will delay His coming. No fear. Just hope. No despair. Just Love.
The First time Christ came into the world, Christ did not come into the world; Christ made a world. Ponder that for a moment.
Our family tradition includes a devotional gathering before the Thanksgiving Feast. This year that gathering will happen via Zoom. One blessing of this digital connection is that the oldest grandchild, Kasey, will be able to join us—wherever she happens to be. Kasey is a mental health officer in the US Army. She is on assignment with her unit, somewhere, assisting local medical resources overwhelmed by the current health crisis.
There are unfolding happenings in our world; damage that has happened (fiery California), is happening now (pandemic), and will happen in the future (population die off from famine), that you cannot possibly prepare for if you are deathly afraid of death. We must build spiritual resilience and learn to grieve.
