Locs, Heels, and the Bible

 “O Lord, our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8 I learned Psalm 8 when I was 5 years old and can still remember the awe I felt (though at the time, I did not know that the emotion I felt was awe). When I am caught in the throes of a work of art that transports me to places of deep joy, I often think of this Psalm, and imagine the Psalmist’s emotional high as he proclaimed, “O Lord, our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth!” God, the artist created this cosmological masterpiece that we call the universe and loaned it to us unspoiled.  When the Psalmist crafted his statement about God’s majesty, he may have just read the creation account and sketched a visual of this beauty that left him lost for words that he began and ended the Psalm with the same words! This chiastic style of writing includes a sense of awe that God would include us humans into this work of art.  Whether paintings, sculptures, music, graffiti, jewelry, literatur...

What's happening? The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are events central to Christian theology and to the Christian faith. Here's some context for the important political dimensions of these events. In the first century, the Roman Empire ruled over much of the Mediterranean world, including the region of Palestine where Jesus lived and ministered. The political context of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection cannot be understood and should not be discussed without considering the relationship between the Jewish people and the Roman Empire.  At the time of Jesus' ministry, Palestine was a province of the Roman Empire, and the Jewish people lived under Roman occupation. While some Jews - including the Chief Priests - collaborated with the Romans, many others chafed under their rule and longed for a more human alternative and freedom. Some believed that a Messiah would come to overthrow the Roman occupiers and establish a Jewish kingdom.  Thus, Jesus' teaching...

Palm Sunday kicks off what within the church is called Holy Week. And Holy Week leads up to the church's "Super Bowl Sunday" which we know as Easter. Palm Sunday commemorates what Matthew 21:1-11 calls Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. I call it Jesus' counter-hegemonic donkey ride. A hegemony refers to the dominance of a particular group or ideology over others, and Palm Sunday challenges the hegemonic power of the Roman Empire and the religious authorities of Jesus' time. Palm Sunday is a whole vibe! Check out Jesus!  At the time of Jesus, the Roman Empire was the dominant political and military power in the region, and the Jewish religious leaders had a great deal of authority over the people. The people of Jerusalem, particularly the poor and oppressed, yearned for a leader who would challenge the status quo, relieve them from Roman rule, and offer them a more hopeful future. They got the right one in Jesus the Disrupter! So, when Jesus entered Jerusa...

  Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus challenged the religious and political authorities of his time and called for a radical reimagining of society and human relationships. One of the ways that Jesus disrupted the status quo was through his teachings. He challenged the traditional beliefs and practices of the Jewish religious leaders, calling for a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of God's kingdom. He emphasized love, mercy, and justice, rather than strict adherence to religious laws and rituals. We hear this more clearly in the portion of his sermon in Matthew 5 when he taught, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” (Matthew 5) Jesus also disrupted the status quo through his actions. He regularly associated with marginalized and outcast members of society, such as tax collectors, women, and lepers. He challenged social norms by treating women and children as equals, and by eating with those who are labeled sinners and outcasts. He also challenged the politi...