The Play and Law-fulfillment of Jesus
Jesus’ fulfillment of the law transforms what once seemed like an impossible, constraining list of prohibitions and commandments to a simple framework for living a life characterized by freedom.
Salt and Light and Riddles
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do…
A Theology of Play and the Persecuted
Blessed are you when they reproach you and do all evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven: for they did the same thing to the prophets before you. -Matthew 5:11-12 A year or so ago, I started to go through the Sermon on the Mount…
The Blessed Persecuted
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus started out his inaugural sermon in Matthew’s retelling with a promise that those we know as poor are the ones who possess the kingdom of heaven. The crowd immediately knew that this was a different type of teacher…
A Promise For Those Who Mourn
We are in desperate need of Jesus’ words, spoken long ago to a crowd gathered on a hillside. While we may not be able to connect to all that the divine teacher had to say, at least on this point, little translation is necessary. This past week, the nation has mourned the death of an…
Playing in the Hills with God Incarnate
Up to this point, Jesus was on pace to be an A-List celebrity in no time. Not more than a few months into his public ministry, he already has a solid inner circle of loyal followers. Even if you account for the unusual choices among them. More impressively, he had already preached in the synagogues…
Playful and Abundant Life: Play and the Sermon on the Mount
Over the years one sermon (titled, Learning to Die) from the pen of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has inspired nearly everything I’ve written. There have been numerous direct references to his works on this blog, in my book, and in my various and sundry publications scattered in magazines, but there is one paragraph in particular that has…
