@WhiteHouse@karijobe@codycarnes Just curious how is separating families at the border, continually making racist and sexist statements, calling a city “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and calling Haiti and African nations “shithole countries” anyway caring about the marginalized? Or following Jesus?
Jesus loved children.
Blessed children.
Healed children.
Identified with children.
Highlighted their attributes.
Warned us not to hurt them.
And called them the owners of the Kingdom.
The way America is treating at the border is Anti-Christ.
It must stop, in Jesus name.
In our minds holiness is usually about what we abstain from.
But Jesus saw holiness as what you give yourself to. Namely, mercy, love & hospitality.
In the end, the holiest people are the ones who love well.
Privilege will deceive you.
It will minimize the pain of others.
It will tell you that your opinion is more important than their humanity.
It will make you feel righteous while you oppress and marginalize.
And it will lie to you about how God sees your privilege.
White Supremacy is to be confronted by denouncing its presence, followed by unapologetic solidarity with the objects of its wrath.
The gospel is at work in us when we do both of these things.
After shouts of Hosanna, Jesus enters the temple & clears out those who have used religion to exploit people.
He then welcomes the blind & lame in the temple & heals them.
Holy Week reminds us that Jesus has a furious & passionate love for those the world has little regard for.
Easter is about listening to women preach the resurrection.
Easter is about switching the sword for the cross.
Easter is about rejecting the ways of empire for sacrifice and humility.
Easter is about paradise for the rejected and power for the lowly.
Easter is hope.
In John 20, Jesus walks into the room & shows Thomas his wounds. In the process, Thomas comes to faith.
The church can win over a doubting world, but not by coercion, gifts, impressive programming, etc.
One of the ways we can win over a doubting world is through vulnerability.
Context is everything right...
“Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
Mercy and pardon are “God’s ways”
How have you heard this (mis)quoted?
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
In what context?
To what effect?
How do you think most people hear it?
What is this “higher” way & thought?
If a church can buy the pastor a new iPad, it can pay the babysitters for a single mom.
If a church can spend 10k on a new sound system, it can spend 10k on a community garden in the inner city.
"We don’t have a shortage of preachers who can preach with the best of them; we have a shortage of preachers who are in tune with the least of them. . . . Our theology must get low."
@stewartdantec