The time is right for a better social standard to be put into practice. Many people are yearning for a freer existence that allows those who wish to, each have the ability to experience this world with none of the hindrances that the stereotypes, labels, bigotry, and hatred that so many people have suffered under and which has diminished our collective humanity from time immemorial.
The idea of how we address those who are reduced to the lowest rung of this society is a constant concern for everyone from the President to Congress and law enforcement and especially, to the faith-based leadership of this country. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government, both nationally and locally, are constantly working to remedy this overwhelming problem.
How do we know when God is leading us to something that will be a blessing? We do want God's blessings but what can we do to keep our minds and hearts in tune to not only receiving God's blessings but becoming a blessing to others in return?
The imparting of a divine gift or favor is one definition for blessing. With that acting as our working definition, we may need to adjust our idea of what a blessing from God means. It's an extraordinary gift because it comes from God, and not always a material gift necessarily.
What does it mean to live by the words of Jesus? I want to be a follower of God's word as spoken and taught by Jesus. For the most part, that once meant to take care of the people who needed care and to treat people like you would like to be treated on a daily basis.
One of my favorite theologians, church leaders, and all together world changers is Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I believe his anti-apartheid work changed the course of history and helped make possible a future of togetherness in South Africa and beyond that was highly unlikely. Much of what he does and who he is is influenced by Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a philosophy, a way of life, acknowledging that "I am who I am because of who you are." Ubuntu celebrates and acknowledges the way that our humanity is intertwined.
Weddings are opportunities to witness God's love and divine authority manifest themselves in how God relates to humanity. Weddings serve as signs of how God cares for the people who believe that God is their only source of joy and contentment and who wants that relationship to never end. The lives of the couples that come together at a wedding are reshaped because the love they freely give to each other has its origins in the only love that is unconditional and has no beginning and no end, God's love.
As a child, I once sang a well-known Christmas song's verse like this, "Deck the halls with balls of bolly fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la." At the time that I misguidedly sung that verse, I was sure that the words were all correct. But when somebody explained to me that I was singing the wrong words, I listened to them as they sung them correctly, "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la."
How do we acknowledge the appearance of God in our lives? This question may seem redundant especially after we have, not long ago, finished the introspective period of Advent, where we pondered the ways that we can live better lives as God's children before the second coming of Christ in divine glory and then joyously celebrated the blessing of the first coming of the Christ child at Christmas only 10 days ago.
The Advent Season is coming to its' end in a few days. Yet, we are always living in the promise of Christ's return at anytime. And in that light, we are looking to prepare ourselves to live as children of the One who loves all people equally and follow God's teachings as true believers in loving obedience. Do the words loving and obedience seem incompatible to you? Or, do they flock together like birds of a feather?
Gladness and joy are similar emotions - contentment and delight on the one hand and praise and cheerfulness on the other. We have these sibling emotions in each of us in varying degrees, depending on the effects of outward circumstances that are hard on us and our capacity to achieve a state of genuine well-being despite internal conflict.
The season of Advent is the time for waiting, preparing, and introspection. Waiting for the return of Christ to gather up the Church into God's realm. Preparing our minds and spirits, as well as those around us, to be changed into the godly people that God created us to be. Introspection means to examine ourselves to see if we have within us a real desire to allow God to show us our true selves and thus our need for repentance and to seek forgiveness for our sins.
Power. Authority. Rules. For many, it's hard to think objectively about any of these words. Our experience with each impacts how we respond when we talk about them. As people who are members of communities from families to congregations to workplaces, we navigate power, authority, and rules each and every day of our lives. Who has authority in your life and how did they get it? Is that authority based on title? Is it based on action? What positions of authority do you hold and how do you feel about them?