Pastor Elisabeth discuses the backstory of John 21, the last story of Jesus when He directs the disciples to fish the other side of the boat, then shares the meal from the large catch, and tells Peter to “feed my sheep.” This is an act of defiance to the Empire because at the time Caesar…
God’s breath which resurrected Jesus can move through the smallest of openings including the seemingly hopeless efforts to protect the earth. Pastor Elisabeth quotes Pope France’s encyclical which asserted that love of neighbor includes love of the earth, and protecting the earth is a high virtue.
God’s power of transformation so experienced in the resurrection of Jesus has been in the universe from the very beginning. This transformative power exists today in those caring for others, building community, organizing, protecting the earth and like the disciples, not accepting the hopelessness of the empire’s viewpoint. She quotes Dr. Willa Gaffney. “Listen for…
Pastor Elisabeth describes the background to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem when the people shouted “Hosana”— save us from the cruelty of the evil empire. Rather than the violent overthrow the people expected, Jesus taught that “the greatness of God is expressed in serving life, serving people. It is expressed in love, a love that disrupts…
Pastor Elisabeth explains the Parable of the Fig tree as a reaction to Rome’s Pontius Pilate’s brutal suppression and calls for more violent resistance to the empire. The gardener resists the landowners order to eliminate the unproductive fig tree, but the gardener advocates to care for it longer. So too, we care for each other…
Pastor Elisabeth asks, “Is it possible to be so consumed by God’s love that the worries and fears that we have take a back seat?” She describes Jesus becoming transformative light during the Transfiguration, and soon after telling people they are the light of the world. Keeping in touch with this burning, transformative light restores…
Does loving our enemies mean we love the oppressor and ignore injustice? Perhaps our understanding of love should include restorative justice for the victims and the oppressors.
Dr Cindy Acker describes Coretta Scott King’s work for justice as based on a a deep sense of being called to work for justice as a spiritual life. She advocated for civil rights, peace, economic justice, LGBQ+ rights, women’s rights, and other issues, all based on an understanding of God’s love for all.
Pastor Elisabeth is home sick with a respiratory illness. Member David Santschi recounts the story of the other magi by Van Dyke and offers some reflections.
Pastor Elizabeth invites us to ponder as Mary must have pondered, and wonder what this experience of the Holy must have meant for her and for us each Christmas. This humble birth of a Savior, at a time when only Emperor Augustus was allowed to be called Savior must have been deeply unsettling. How can…