"They saw something in Jesus – something powerful and glorious and very, very good, something that they wouldn’t really understand for a long time after this – that just drew them right out of themselves and into a life of discipleship to Jesus." (For full post, click link below.)
Tag: Jesus Christ
Pastor Note #146: “One of ours; All of yours”
“One of ours; All of yours” is the very essence of the spirit of Lamech. It is not the path to greatness. It is the path to degenerateness and degradation. “One of ours; All of yours” is the very antithesis of Jesus. And so, it is no surprise that the MAGA love of the Lamech spirit would make that movement pretty much allergic to Jesus." (For the full post, click the link below.)
Pastor Note #145: What Makes for the Blessed Life?
"Blessed are those who force their way to the front of the line; they will get to run things their own way." (For full post, click link below.)
Pastor Note #143: Coercion & the Kingdom of God
Here’s an important diagnostic question for American Christians to ask themselves: “Does my vision for the kingdom of God rely on coercively imposing righteousness on my neighbors?” Said another way, “Do I see the kingdom of God as something that should be forced upon people against their will? Are people coerced into the kingdom of God or invited into it?”
Pastor Note #142: Violence & Cruelty in America: Who Is My Neighbor?
"This is a time when followers of Jesus must unwaveringly insist on love of neighbor as a core social value, a value that requires action. Followers of Jesus in America must assert themselves in making love of neighbor, with its firm rejection of cruelty and violence, the centerpiece of our engagement with the wider society." (click link to read the full essay)
Prayer Note #69: A Prayer (Drawn from Colossians 3:12-14)
Grant that I might be a living embodiment of Christ’s saving, healing, redeeming love in this broken world.
Quote of Note #214: The Superficial Faith of Christian Nationalism
"[Christian Nationalism] leads to superficial Christianity rather than to sincere faith and deep discipleship." Wright & Bird
Quote of Note #211: Humble and Audacious Prayer
"And it is in prayer thus understood that we are invited to participate, alone with God and in community. This prayer is at once an act of humility and an act of triumph." K. Barth
Quote of Note #210: We Will Still Love You
"Do what you will, and we shall still love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws, because noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good." MLK, Jr.
Quote of Note #208: Compassion as Social Critique
"Thus the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context." W. Brueggemann
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 