We at EDN are in a period of reflection and contemplation for the important season of Christmas. Our attention will be on raising certain questions that we invite you to comment on. We will return to our series probing controversial issues on January 4th.
TODAY’S QUESTION: Which story surrounding the birth of Jesus in the Gospels most informs the meaning of Christmas for you?
Chapter 7 Maria de Magdala, warm russet tones was her hair cascading in swirls to her waist as her crown of femininity. She often wore it loose to cover her shoulders and shade her curious eyes. Clear brown with a sparkle of intelligence and trained to explore everything within their reach. She had a semi-full…
by Dr. Robert D. Cornwall, pastor and author, from his blog, Ponderings on a Faith Journey. Author of Faith in the Public Square, Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord’s Prayer, Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening, Marriage in Interesting Times: A Pariticipatory Study Guide,and more! On the evening of March 21st, I had the privilege…
by Chris Surber The most dangerous thing you can ever do is take Jesus seriously. If you like your life the way it is, then don’t do it. If you are comfortable and want things to stay the same, take Jesus teaching as mere metaphors and nice ideas, but don’t ever, ever, take Him…
by Joel Watts [ene_ptp]Growing up, we were told to read Scripture via the plain sense model. The words on the page contained no mystery and were to be received exactly as we understood them. There was limited allegory (usually one instance, Galatians 4.24), but otherwise, things we didn’t understand (Revelation) became “prophecy.” You understand…
by Shauna Marie Hyde (For the complete post, click here) Recently I lost someone who I never dreamed would be someone I would ever meet much less deeply love. Our story is told in the book, “The Vicar of Tent Town.” One day a few years ago I heard about some people living off the…
by Edward W. H. Vick The Word ‘Canon’ [ene_ptp]First, a brief comment about the word canon. This word, kanon in Greek, had a variety of meanings, and was rather loosely used in early times. It meant a carpenter’s measure or rule (like a row of numbers on a measure), or a list. A canon was…
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It may seem odd, but for me it is probably the story of the flight into Egypt, complete with the problematic quotation of Hosea 11:1 as a prophecy, which, in context, it clearly is not.
The reason the story is so meaningful to me, however, is that through it and that very problematic quotation, Matthew links this saving act with God’s saving acts in the history of Israel. It is not a sudden change in who God is or how God acts. Rather, it is an act of salvation by One for whom that is the norm.
It also highlights God’s persistence. Hosea 11 is actually somewhat of an indictment of Israel. Yet throughout Israel’s history, God doesn’t give up.
Perhaps we can hope that in spite of our many failings, God is not yet done with us. God’s saving work continues!
For me, it is the angelic announcement to the shepherds. Not only did God bypass Rome for Bethlehem, but God ignored the imperial court in favor of the lowliest folk in the most despised province of the empire. Coupled with Mary’s Song in Luke 1, we see a God who works for justice in an unjust world.
BTW, Henry–this is my idea of what salvation is all about; a thorough “this-worldy” cleanup of oppression so that humans may one day live in shalom.
That’s a good point. I’m really looking at this material with my plans to restart my eschatology series in January. The impact of one’s view of eschatology can be interesting!