“The fruits of the inner man begin only with the shedding of tears. When you reach the place of tears, then know that your spirit has come out from the prison of this world and has set its foot upon the path that leads towards the new age.”
~St. Isaac of Nineveh
Finding our Voice
Today on the Feast of Magdalene, we continue our biblical women series. This time with a male voice. But here Bill Wylie-Kellermann offers a sermon with Peter apologizing to Mary Magdalene.
John 20:1-18
There is a sweet irony, perhaps several, in St Peter’s hosting this service for the Feast of Mary Magdalene, one which makes this traditional gospel for the day more than appropriate.
John’s gospel is among the later to be written. The footrace, on the one hand so exuberant and on the other, so competitive, between Peter and John (or the other disciple) reflects within the text a certain struggle for leadership. Between Mary’s discovery of the empty tomb and her encounter with the Risen Lord, it poses the question: Who got there first? Well, John is fleeter and arrives first, but Peter entered in first, but then John looked around and was first to believe. Is this a carefully negotiated settlement or what? Continue reading “Finding our Voice”
Imploring God: Black Lives Matter!
By Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson
A fascinating narrative sequence sets up Luke’s version of “the Lord’s prayer” (11.1-4). Chapter 10 began with the commissioning of the Seventy as laborers in the harvest, seeing cities and houses of “peace” that will provide them hospitality. It continues with Jesus’ powerful condemnation of cities that refuse hospitality. After this, when the Seventy return joyously celebrating their power over demons, Jesus responds with an apocalyptic image of Satan’s fall from heaven and his own rejoicing over the revealing of God’s Way to the “simple” (Gk, nepioi) while it remains hidden from the intellectual elite. Next we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan in response to a lawyer’s attempt to justify himself. Finally, we have the story of Mary and Martha, from which the Lord’s prayer follows immediately. Continue reading “Imploring God: Black Lives Matter!”
Trauma and Memory
From the conclusion of Elaine Enns’ recent piece “Trauma and Memory: Challenges to Settler Solidarity” in the recent edition of Consensus: A Canadian Journal of Public Theology. Click on to read the full article HERE:
Faith communities among Settlers need to create safe spaces to give testimony about intergenerational trauma, but also provide opportunities for privileged people to face our culpability, and build courage and skill to engage in justice-work. Over the last year I have engaged a variety of groups to do this work. Continue reading “Trauma and Memory”
Deer- Mentors
By Nancy Canon, from Frogs and other Soul Friends: Reflections from the Forest
You ask my ancestry?
German, maybe Irish,
I don’t know, but
This I do know.
I am part deer! Continue reading “Deer- Mentors”
Dialoguing Race and Police Brutality
From equity and racial justice expert and consultant Jyarland Daniels, MBA, JD, President & Founder, Better World Branding Solutions & Consulting (right: with son Malcolm), in the wake of continued police brutality (if you want to receive a copy of the entire 8-page resource, click on the Harriet Speaks website or email Jyarland at betterworldbrandsolutions@gmail.com):
WHAT IF THEY SAY? (Frequently Made Comments)
When talking about race, racism, and police brutality, a few comments often come up. Many of us don’t engage in these discussions because we don’t know how to respond if questioned. First of all, you might consider responding to an individual via inbox (or privately) if that makes you feel more comfortable. Often times this will eliminate embarrassment and make the recipient more open to the point you are trying to convey. But following are the comments along with responses you might consider.
1. But if X had just done what police suggested then this would not have happened. Continue reading “Dialoguing Race and Police Brutality”
How Can You Be Objective?
From Chris Hedges in The World As It Is: Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress (2013):
I have never sought to be objective. How can you be objective about death squads in El Salvador, massacres in Iraq, or Serbian sniper fire that gunned down unarmed civilians, including children, in Sarajevo? How can you be neutral about the masters and profiteers of war who lie and dissemble to hide the crimes they commit and the profits they make? How can you be objective about human pain? And finally, how can you be objective about those responsible for this suffering? I am not neutral about rape, torture, or murder. I am not neutral about rapists, torturers, or murderers. I am not neutral about George W. Bush or Barack Obama, who under international law are war criminals. And if you had to see the butchery of war up close, as I did for nearly two decades, you would not be neutral either.
Communion
The universe is composed of subjects to be communed with, not objects to be exploited. Everything has its own voice. Thunder and lighting and stars and planets, flowers, birds, animals, trees- all these have voices, and they constitute a community of existence that is profoundly related. – Thomas Berry
Mary and Martha
By Laurel Dykstra
Luke 10. 38-42
I don’t like the story of Mary and Martha.
Most of us already know if we are more like Mary, who sits at Jesus’ feet, or more like Martha, who is distracted by her many tasks. And it seems to me that no matter how nice they try to be about it, most of the sermons and commentaries on this passage seem to say, “Yay Mary and Boo Martha” Continue reading “Mary and Martha”
Embracing the Personalist Approach
By Wes Howard-Brook and Sue Ferguson Johnson
“Some people are Marys, and some are Marthas.”
Uh, no.
The little story of Mary and Martha in Luke’s Gospel is one that we regularly hear interpreted as a choice between two lifestyles, the “active” and the “contemplative.” Read in context, though, Luke’s message is not that at all. Let’s try to listen to this familiar story with fresh ears. Continue reading “Embracing the Personalist Approach”
Radical Discipleship 