The Word

Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:11b-32

Quotable Words

"...it may that this psalm [32] is not about a sin-punishment dyad but instead a sin-alienation-grief triad. It may be that we have here a very realistic depiction of an experience that probably all of us have had. We have done something constituting ''a breach of friendship with God and others,'' in Gustavo Gutierrez's deceptively simple definition of sin. The result of our sin is estrangement and alienation from God and others." ~~ David Gushee, in Christian Century March 9, 2010

"...the Christian life leaders from sin to salvation--from living within our predicament to living in a transforming relationship with God." ~~Marcus Borg, in The Heart of Christianity

Headline Words

Time for a Vote on Health Care Reform

Preachable Words

A few thoughts heading toward Sunday on the intersection of the Word and the Headlines:

Rather than being a story about a prodigal son, Luke's parable can be seen as a metaphor for the wideness in God's mercy, as the father's extrvagant love shows us the depth and width of forgiveness. And that of course doesn't let us off the hook on the topic of sin, but calls us to address it head on.

This Sunday gives us an opportunity to give some depth and breadth to the reality of sin. The stories of our ancestors tell of alienation, exile and bondage, giving us a far greater understanding of both sin and salvation than most doctrinal language. Imagine preaching the prodigal father as a story that shows God's desire to bring us home after exile, God's desire to broach alienation with forgiveness and acceptance, God's willingness to liberate us from all that keeps us in bondage. Each one of us can imagine what that would look like in our personal lives, when we turn toward God. What does salvation look like in the public realm? 

I am reading the stories about the health care debate thinking about the Christian notion of repentence, following the way of Jesus, "going beyond the mind that you have," as Marcus Borg translates the Greek. "Go beyond the mind that you have been given and acquired. Go beyond the mind shaped by culture to the mind that you have in Christ."

As Jesus said in the Galilee, "the time is at hand."