There is nothing wrong with worshiping and serving God in a particular house, in a particular tradition. But when we start thinking that our house is the only house where God can dwell, then we severely limit our understanding and experience of God.
Do universalists evangelize?
I am a hopeful universalist. I believe that all persons will eventually be healed, liberated and transformed by the unconditional love of God. And yet, I must concede that given the nature of human freedom there is no way to…
Where is God?
John’s prologue is actually a poem that introduces major themes that will be developed in the unfolding of the story that follows. It is a beautiful poem about the mystery of incarnation. I love the story about two mischievous boys,…
God’s Bet on Humanity and Creation
“Our world is in need of a savior!” A line we might expect to come right out of a sermon in a church. But, it’s not. If we are paying attention, we can hear it being whispered from different corners…
Important origins
Important Origins (Part 2 in the series, How God changes our neighborhood) In the first part of this series I set up this idea that the key theological concept of Christmas, the Incarnation, can be boiled down into a simple…
How God changes our neighborhood
Have you ever driven through an old neighborhood and thought, “Why haven’t they just bulldozed this whole place? This is a mess! This is an eyesore! The people still living here should get a medal.” How do we respond to a…
When God moved into the neighborhood
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. – John 1:14a MSG Occasionally called the “forgotten Christmas story,” the first chapter of John describes the incarnation of Christ in philosophical prose. In contrast Matthew and Luke give…
Christmas is where I believe again
Last year I realized that Christmas had become the crux of my faith. I was leading worship wondering if all this faith stuff was all it’s cracked up to be, and I found myself in a puddle of tears. I…
A Blue Christmas Service to grieve together
Life. Death. Birth. Two years ago I went on a forestry tour. I hated it. It was cold, damp, and painfully forgettable – until the end. The forester came out of his professorial role and said, “The reason why forests…