“Isaiah 53, especially verses 4-10, lays bare the prophecy of the Suffering Servant who dies for our sins, who is an innocent to be led like a lamb to the slaughter and in silence. It is from this that commentators have dubbed Jesus’ silence as the Majestic Silence, the fulfillment of prophecy and proof of his status as Son of God.”
“If you are looking to be strong, powerful, the kind of person everyone pays attention to then you are going to have to work very hard to get your needs met by other people. That’s one way…”
“The wind is not always a gentle thing, particularly in cases of natural disasters like cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, and the like. Neither is the Spirit always a soft, guiding and sustaining image that we often consider.”
“In our Gospel reading today, Jesus asked the disciples to stay awake while he prayed in the garden at Gethsemane…and of course, we all know how that played out. They couldn’t manage it…and when they woke up, it was too late. They had missed their opportunity to be with Jesus, unbothered, one last time.”
“The light of Christ is love. As we move into love we move into God. As you go out into the world today, remember to listen to where you are drawn through your compassion. Let Jesus Christ be alive within you, shining from your heart into the dark places of the world.”
“But while we’re accepting that love and that freedom that pours over us like a balm, we are also called to ourselves embody the generosity and empathy that Jesus does. That’s the privilege and essence of discipleship. Our healing NEVER stops with us. Our healing empowers us to be agents of healing in the name of Jesus for the sake of the entire world—no exceptions.”
“A host of weeds have cropped up so that in many places I can’t see the soil anymore, but I know the vegetable plants are growing. I see red tomatoes and large zucchinis surrounded by red, orange, and yellow marigolds. A few sunflowers loom overhead and I spot a bumble bee searching for nectar. Pouring out of the hose, water fills the garden and in the growing garden, I find rest.”
“Christ gave us all this and yet we are called to follow him into a world of death because his Father’s Kingdom has not yet come, and we are the ones sent out to bring it. Sometimes faith is a hard thing, but we can’t be filled with the presence of our saving God by trivializing evil, pretending spirituality is all rainbows and unicorns. Or by torturing ourselves with the Bad News, when the Good News is so close.”
“[Jesus] said this because the sabbath day was a day to remember that they had once been slaves, in bondage, and now they were free. It was necessary for her to be healed, released from bondage, on a sabbath. In that way she became a living reminder, a sign, that God is still delivering his people from all kinds of bondage.”
“Humility is a quiet virtue. It is difficult and not always seen as a popular position, but it is what Jesus consistently taught as the path that we need to follow.”