Contemplating Grace

An Extraordinary, Ordinary Christmas Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Luke 12:6 Our challenge at Christmas, as every day, is to stop discounting the ordinary in search of the miraculous so we can see the miraculous in the ordinary. The Christmas stories of … Continue reading An Extraordinary, Ordinary Christmas

The Church vs The Christ, Part 4 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. John 1:18 The words in today’s epigraph close what is known as the Prologue to the Gospel of John. The verse is often mistakenly … Continue reading The Church vs the Christ, Part 4

The Church vs The Christ, Part 3 So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another. Romans 12:5 In last week’s Life Note I attempted to clarify that Jesus and the Christ are one, but not the same. This is difficult to understand and accept because … Continue reading The Church vs The Christ, Part 3

The Church vs The Christ, Part 2 “Christ is not Jesus’s last name.” Richard Rohr[1] Assuming the church to be synonymous with God has led to a deceptively limited perception and portrayal of God, both for church and non-church people. When our pastors remind us of the importance of supporting the “work of God,” it … Continue reading The Church vs the Christ, Part 2

The Church vs The Christ “In the first century in Palestine, Christianity was a community of believers. Then Christianity moved to Greece and became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome and became an institution. Then it moved to Europe and became a culture. And then it moved to America and became a business.” Priscilla … Continue reading The Church vs the Christ