An Open Letter to Survivors

This letter is dedicated to all those who in the last year have shared with me their stories. To those of you that have trusted me with some of the deepest hurts in your life. To those of you who years later are now able to look back and find something redeeming about your story. To those of you who are still in the midst of confusion about what the future holds. I have heard you. And I'm sorry.

Our Father

Our Father. These are the first two words of the Lord's Prayer. At first glance they don't seem to mean much. They are just an address to God and yet this address brings with it some rich theology. In these two words we find hope, community, belonging, identity. In these two words is a deep understanding of who we are as a people of God and who God is for us. These first two words set the stage for understanding the rest of the Lord's Prayer.

Advent: Scandal

It's the fourth week of Advent. This week people are getting ready for Christmas. Children are home from school (I know parents love this.) People are frantically trying to get their last minute shopping done. And in the midst of it all I think we forget the exact circumstances of the birth of Jesus. I think we forget that Jesus' birth was a scandal.