Waving or Drowning?

Today is Hidden Christmas

This is almost too beautiful for words, but Father Richard does a good job:

MARY, MODEL OF RECEPTIVITY
March 25
Feast of the Annunciation

The Annunciation story (Luke 1:26-38) is the crescendo point of the Biblical theme of grace. Did you ever notice that Mary does not say she’s “not worthy”? She just asks for clarification. She only asks “How” because that might ask something more of her. She never asks if, whether or why!

That is quite extraordinary and reveals her lack of ego. She becomes the archetype of perfect receptivity. It takes the entire Bible to work up to one perfect vessel that knows how to say an unquestioning yes to an utterly free gift. She does it alone, quietly, and with courage, which makes this the real day of the Incarnation.

We could call today, “Hidden Christmas,” nine months before the visible birth, but that secret day when all is conceived inside the human heart and soul—and body.

(Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, pp. 31-32)

Slavery, as Opposed to "Slavery"

Just saw this brief piece on the Beeb's web site (emphasis mine):

Police rescue 'trafficked slave' from Harrow home

A woman who was allegedly trafficked into the country to work as a "slave" has been rescued by police.

The 46-year-old, who is believed to have been smuggled into the UK from Tanzania, worked round-the-clock doing domestic chores, police said.

Officers freed her from the home in Harrow, north-west London, in February after being alerted by a charity.

A 67-year-old woman has been arrested on trafficking charges and has been released on police bail.

Link

Here's my question to the BBC: Why is the word slave in the first sentence in quotation marks?

Let me take a shot at answering my own question. If we use the word in quotes, then we're not saying it's "real" slavery. It's kind of like slavery, but not really. Because we know real slavery is wrong, and we use the word in quotes so we don't have to admit that real slavery is alive and well in our world today.

Just a thought.

Shedding a Little Dark

Working away here in Parker, CO at Wes and Judy's, getting the next few years of my life sorted out. Which makes this morning's Story of the Day all the better:

Opening a door to the mysteries, hoping to shed a little dark on all the stuff we think we know
Brian Andreas, StoryPeople.com

The Voice of Psalms

About 10 weeks ago I raved about the New Testament offering from the ongoing biblical series The Voice. Well, if it's possible, I love The Voice of Psalms even more. This series is phenomenal.

As a reminder, four key characteristics describe The Voice project:

1. Holistic: Considers heart, soul and mind
2. Beautiful: Achieves literary and artistic excellence
3. Sensitive: Respects cultural shifts and the need for accuracy
4. Balanced: Includes theologically diverse scholars and writers

This book is gorgeous.When it first arrived I opened it at random, and found verses 7 and 8 of Psalm 57:

My heart is ready, O God;
    my heart is ready,
And I will sing! Yes, I will sing praise!
    Wake up, my glory!
Wake up, harp and lyre;
    I will stir the sleepy dawn with praise!

Praise, wisdom, comfort, and sorrow. You'll find it here, beautifully presented. Features of this addition to the series include:

• The entire book of The Psalms The Voice translation
• 75 reflections on selected passages
• Four suggested reading plans for Advent, Lent, comfort and guidance, and praise

I'm not sure what the gang at the Ecclesia Bible Society have planned next, but I suspect you'll eventually find a response to it here. This volume belongs in your biblical collection.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book as a freebie from Thomas Nelson Publishers as a participant in their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. As part of that program I commit to a review, positive, negative or indifferent. This one is decidedly positive!

Tell the Truth

Seth Godin quoting George Orwell this morning:

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Viva la revolution.

What is the difference between Jesus and the Christ?

A great quote from an amazing book:

To understand Jesus in a whole new way, we must first know that Christ is not his last name, but his transformed identity after the Resurrection—which takes humanity and all of creation along in its sweet path. Jesus became the Christ, which existed from the moment of the Big Bang (John 1:2, Colossians 1:17-20) and included us in this divine identity (Ephesians 1:4-11). This is pretty amazing stuff, unappreciated by most Christians, it seems to me.

That’s why Paul will create the new term “the body of Christ,” which clearly includes all of us. So think of the good Jesus, who has to die to what seems like him—so that he can rise as the Christ. It is not a “bad” man who must die on the cross, but a good man (“false self”)—so that he can be a much larger man (“True Self”). Jesus dies, Christ rises. The false self is not the bad self; it is just not the true self. It is inadequate, and thus needy and small, symbolized by Jesus’ human body, which he let go of.

Richard Rohr, Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p. 191

The Evolving Church: Kingdom Economy

The good news is Chris Seay has been added to the line up for the Kingdom Economy gathering. The bad news is Brennan Manning won't be there in person, but the good news is he'll be dialing in via video.

I'll be in Toronto in April for this one.

Stop Smiling and Do Something

Last month I posted briefly about the Israeli Refusnik movement, based on a meeting we had during our recent trip to the Occupied Territories, with Peretz Kidron of Yesh Gvul. My friend (and West Bank roomie) Greg Barrett has a good and direct editorial in this morning's HuffPost on the recent blustering over the expansion of East Jerusalem settlements, where he connects the dots back to the same meeting. He gives it to us straight.

Greg also has some video of our articulate Israeli friend.

Progress

Saw this on Twitter, figured it bears repeating...

The moment everyone figures out that something is important all progress stops.
From @cshirky, rt by @kbodnar32 and @davidfinch and so on, and so on...

Anti-Justice

I've avoided commenting on Glenn Beck's latest blasphemy because, frankly, the whole thing is too ridiculous for words. But, as usual, the Slacktivist has some lucid thoughts on the subject.

Glenn Beck continued his attack on "social justice" today, arguing that it entails "a perversion of the gospel" and is "not what Jesus would say."

This is an astonishing claim to anyone who's ever had a Bible and their eyes open at the same time. Justice is an inescapable, relentless, pervasive, nearly omnipresent theme of that entire volume. It is impossible to read the law and the prophets, the Gospels and epistles, the histories, wisdom literature and apocalypse without being confronted incessantly with the theme of justice, justice, justice, justice, justice, justice, justice.

Read the rest here.