The Threshold of Joy – Eric H Janzen
The Threshold of Joy
It was night, but they dared not sleep In the starlit darkness, they watched The wind caught the sound of their sheep Resting as though the world were at peace
These soul-weary shepherds all wondered Would the blind ever see once more? Would the deaf ear ever open? Would a broken body ever leap with joy? Would the mute ever sing a song?
We wait like shepherds for heralds Watching for bright angels in the dark Whose voices our despair destroy We stand in the threshold of joy
—eric h Janzen
In Matthew 11, John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the One. John is part of a long tradition of prophets who have carried the burden of waiting for the Messiah’s arrival. It has been so long, and so agonizing, that while hopeful, Jesus is the One, he can’t allow himself the joy of fully believing it lest his heart be broken. Jesus, a fellow prophet, does not answer straightforwardly, such as: “Yep, tell him I am indeed the One.” That’s not the way prophets talk to each other.Instead, Jesus gives John a far more profound confirmation: he sends the message that he is the long-awaited One because he is fulfilling prophecy. read more…
The Death of John the Baptist… and the Rest of the Story – Lazar Puhalo
Mark 6:14-29 14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others...
Beyond Fight-Mode Entrenchment with St Teresa — Chuck DeGroat
There was another one of those predictable dustups this week, I heard, where someone from a particular tribe of Christianity was grumpy that women had become too empowered and that Christianity had become too empathic. You know, the kind of piece that only further...
A Pseudo-Psalm, by a Pseudo-Jonah: Jessica Boudreaux
A Pseudo-Psalm, by a Pseudo-Jonah:Jessica Boudreaux Destroy them Lord -And then destroy me, tooFor i have also done evilBefore Your ever-searching eyesAnd am no longer worthyTo be called Your childBut unlike Nineveh that Great City,I kick and fight and...
Lament is Not Enough: Evangelicals offer “Thoughts and Prayers” for Gaza – Bruce Fisk
“I've seen the flame of hope among the hopelessAnd that was truly the biggest heartbreak of all.” Bruce Cockburn, Last Night of the World (1999) Permission: Omar Esstar October 7, 2023: a dark day that changed everything. Ever since, a nation of traumatized,...
Steve Bell – Refugee (on the Slaughter of Innocents)
Lyrics (from the Keening for the Bell album) We think of him as safe beneath the steepleOr cozy in a crib beside the fontBut he is with a million displaced peopleOn the long road of weariness and wantFor even as we sing our final carolThe hounded child is up and on...
The Slaughter of the Innocents: Then and Now – Ron Dart
We should, rightly so, meditate on the slaughter of the innocents at the birth of Christ. But, we are living through a much greater and more brutal slaughter of the innocents at the present time – such crude and vindictive brutality makes the Roman killing of innocent children pale in comparison – then was tragic, now raises the meaning of barbarism to a new level.
Christmas Homily: Jesus’ Birth in Extra-Biblical Sources — Sarah Pickering
This Christmas, I am not going to retell the same old story we tell every year. I am not going to tell the whole Mary and Joseph, donkey ride to Bethlehem, inn keeper, shepherds, sheep etc. It is a good story, but this year, we are telling another. The stories of...
How Still We See Thee Lie? Bethlehem Then and Now – Bradley Jersak
The stubborn fact is that the birth of Christ did not end hostility the David’s birthplace or across our world to this day. Even the traditional site of Christ’s birth has seen waves of repeated violence since Herod’s famous crime against humanity. If Jesus was indeed the promised Prince of Peace, where is the peace?
Peri Zahnd’s Top 5 Books of 2023
My five favorite books of 2023, ranked chronologically as I read them: one fiction, two memoirs, one theology, and one historical fiction: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a 2023 Pulitzer Prize winner. It is as good as her classic from 25 years ago, The...
The Impure Spirit? Jared Robinson
The impure spirit? When Jesus showed up on the scene, people were trying to decipher if he was the Messiah they were expecting. The question of how he was going to redeem was also on the table. Imagine being at church …WITH the one you came to learn about. But then a...