Christ is everywhere. God, help us see!
Holidays can be hard for lots of people for lots of reasons. The long memory of the church recognizes this, even if the current incarnation of the church falls short of this at times. In songs and days of remembrance, the church attends to the reality of our lives when culture would otherwise pretend that all should be well even though it isn't.
Read MoreFirst off, this post has nothing to do with the Dr. Who anniversary, which I am celebrating, just not here. This blog post is about the one nationally recognized holiday in the United States about which many families experience the reality of the ambiguity of national celebrations, many pastors have become particularly defensive, and marketing companies have decided to skip entirely.
Read MoreFor those who blinked or got caught up in the celebrations around the election of the ELCA's first female presiding bishop, we also decided to start a conversation about communion. It should be obvious that this conversation interests me.
Read MoreAs I finish this series on marriage, I want to look at how it relates to other sacramental practices, but to do this, I'm going to use a metaphor. One metaphor that makes sense of the relationship between marriage and the other sacraments is the metaphor to the relationship between Jesus and the church--his bride.
Read MoreI've put off substantial biblical discussion thus far, limiting my biblical references to was of raising up issues around marriage not typically associated with a faith approach. Hopefully I've made some room for sociological and eschatological reflection in this theological thought exercise, but you'll have to tell me.
Read MoreNo hate yet, so its time to start at the end and work from there. This approach will probably be less helpful than with other topics, but moving quickly to an eschatological vision in theological reflection is a helpful approach.
Read MoreIts probably time for me to open up to the hating. I'm going to reflect on marriage. Regardless of your opinion, you probably won't like what I write unless we've already had conversations about marriage. I do not mean to offend you.
Read More