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A version of this appeared in a sermon I gave over the beatitudes. For more on the beatitudes visit majorfury.wordpress.com. Best Practice One: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Being poor in spirit is to be dependent on God and God alone. It is to recognize that God’s movement, God’s kingdom, can only be ushered in by relying on God’s strength, and we give ourselves over to God. In other words: Blessed are the humble before God, who cares for the poor and humble. (Stassen, Glen H. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary

https://vimeo.com/792249952 Why a wedding? Let me explain. No, there’s too much. Let me sum up. Why does the Gospel of John begin Jesus’ ministry at a wedding? Matthew begins Jesus’ ministry with preaching and healing. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ ministry begins with an epic confrontation with the forces of darkness as he drives out an evil spirit from its host. Luke begins Jesus’ ministry in Jesus’ hometown and a confrontation ensues in which the people try to throw Jesus off a cliff, but he walks on by and goes to the next town and drives out an evil spirit. In

https://vimeo.com/789780976 In Matthew’s telling of the temptation, the devil tempts Jesus three different times. He tempts him to quench his hunger by showing how powerful he is by turning the stones into bread. He tempts him to prove his invincibility and claim as the Son of God, to throw himself down from the highest point of the temple in the holy city. Until finally, the devil takes him to a high mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world. The devil tells Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me.” Three tests

Today’s Monday Morning Joe falls on a hollowed day for me, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Today is a day, we all collectively around the United States, honor the life and legacy of Dr. King. Dr. King’s sermons highly influenced my theology and spiritual growth. He left a unique legacy built on challenging systems that kept people from advancing. He spoke out for worker’s rights, civil rights, human rights, voting rights, racial equity, financial equity, and for peace. Dr. King became publicly known for his “I Have a Dream”speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on

There is an epilogue in the Christmas story that leads us into the life of Jesus. It is the visit of the magi or the visit of the wise men.  The wise men, or magi, are priestly sages from Persia. They are not kings, they are astrologers, watchers of the stars. They were familiar with the stars, and they knew that stars are predictable, forming constant patterns that never change. Because of their familiarity, it was obvious to them when something didn’t fit the pattern, a falling star, a meteor streaking across the sky, or a star rising out of

During my third advent season as a pastor, Disney announced the release of a new Star Wars trilogy. It was a dangerous thing to do for a Star Wars fan like myself right before Advent was to begin. I felt like I was left with no other choice but to create an Advent theme around the new trilogy’s first release: The Force Awakens. I found my notes from that year the other day and I must admit that I had a good laugh. All four messages were borrowed from the original series from a New Hope Discovered to Joy in

Christmas is the most joyful time of the year, we are told. I know for some; Christmas can be a difficult time of the year filled with loneliness, depression, isolation, cold days, long nights, trauma, missing loved ones. It may seem strange think to take a moment and think about the theme of joy during difficult circumstances; but my memories tell me that joy can be found in the midst of suffering. Memories are a big part of Christmas for me. I have been fortunate enough to have wonderful memories of Christmas and one of my dearest memories takes places

The second week of Advent in the Christian church usually centers around the theme of peace. Peace on earth and goodwill towards all. As the old hymn proclaims, “Peace on earth, can it be? Years from, perhaps we’ll see the day of glory, the day when men of goodwill live in peace again.” Peace is a hard concept to talk about because peace carries different connotations for different people. Peace for most, peace is the absence of conflict, war, strife, and noise. Peace is quiet and renewing. It is gentle knowing that all will be well. A friend of mine

This week in my faith tradition, we make a turn towards Christmas and enter a season of waiting called Advent. In the Christian tradition, Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day, followed by the 12 days of Christmas. It is a time of preparation, a time in which those who believe prepare themselves for the birth of Jesus.We wait at the manger with the shepherds, waiting for the arrival of this little one that will bring light into the world. During this time, we focus on four specific themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. Churches

We all have a movie scene, lyric, quote, or something similar that lives rent free in our heads. For me there are two: One is from Casablanca, and the other from the LOTR Two Towers. As the uruk-hai descend on Helms Deep, Theoden falls into hopelessness. He had hoped the stronghold would hold out and not fall, but as the hoard beats down the door, and death’s stench fills the room, he cannot help but let his hope fall into despair. He says, perhaps to know one, “So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?”  Aragorn responds,