Across Church Street
Accept It
On earth as it is in heaven.
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. — Deuteronomy 15:11
Jesus also said the poor would always be with us. So, is God saying, Just accept it and move on? World systems make poor people. Like Jesus, we accept the truth of that, but we don't accept Sin, its source. Instead, we resist and rectify all that we can until Jesus returns and finally sets everything right.
Corrosion
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9a
If I am being corroded by the environment, I have three options:
Apply paint. Guard myself against the elements and live a shielded life.
Go inside. Withdraw and live a solitary life.
Be made of better stuff. Show up ready and be who I've been made to be, completed by God's grace.
A Pointing Finger
"They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” ⏤ Mark 12:44
Not an accusatory finger. But a pointing finger. I remember when my grandfather would put his left hand on my shoulder while he pointed at something with his right, helping me to see what he saw. Maybe a bird, a squirrel, or a particular tree. The Mosaic Law, parables, the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus's royal law are all ways God helps us to see what he sees. Then suddenly, "There! I see it!"
- love
- Holy Spirit
- humility
- church
- poverty & mercy
- politics & society
- mission & witness
- holiness
- parable & metaphor
- identity
- eternal life
- doubt & deconstruction
- leadership
- grace
- justice
- scripture
- spiritual life
- advent & christmas
- imagination & creativity
- technology & AI
- knowing God
- human dignity
- faith & trust
- incarnation & cross
- kingdom of God
- community
- reconciliation
- spiritual formation
- epistemology
- prayer
- gratitude
- culture
- creation & nature
- discipleship
I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.