Sunday Stretch: Vol. 20

Start off your week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Recently I got a message from a writer and thinker who I admire deeply. He is deep into the excitement and challenge of promoting his latest book, one of several that he has written, and he was sharing about how hard this whole business of writing and truth-telling can be.

From the outside, people probably think it’s harmless to criticize or even say awful things to a writer of his stature, because he has such a large following and seems so wise and impervious. But the truth is, we are every single one of us human beings - and writing talent or fame or courage does not exempt you from the real challenges and meaning-makers of life, like safety, relationships, fulfillment, paying bills, and managing stress and anxiety.

One of the reasons I write and speak and minister is because I’m struck by a sense that social media and maybe the pandemic has increased a growing sense of un-humanity in our world. It’s so easy to think of one another as images on a screen, or numbers and entries on a spreadsheet - rather than complex living organisms who share the same basic needs. In this rise of un-humanity, we’ve lost empathy for one another. We think nothing of cruel words or casual hatred. But the cumulative effect of all this coarseness and anger dehumanizes us all.

What it can do to the best among us, the truth-tellers and workers and caregivers and lovers and creators (by which I mean YOU reading this newsletter today) is it can make you really tired, exhausted, and discouraged. But that’s why this month’s Bible texts have been so powerful. In their reiterating the persecution faced by the Old Testament prophets, by Jesus himself, and by the Apostle Paul, we’re reminded that the Way of Jesus is not the easy or powerful way of the world. In reading and studying these texts to share with you, I’m encouraged to remember: Jesus walks down the road of struggle and pain with us. And we will find hope and encouragement in the places we least expect. That is the theology of the Cross. That is the resurrection of a faith that can counter Christian Nationalism and the Theology of Glory.

Let’s get to the texts.

Bible Stories