jesus
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On the 10th Day of Christmas
“Little is the Lord, and greatly to be loved.” –Bernard This is part of the reasonChristmas so appeals to me:God comes in complete innocence and purity,complete weakness and vulnerability. I might paraphrase Bernard and say:“Helpless is the Lordand gently to… Continue reading
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O Antiphons: Key of David
O come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home; make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery. The Key is on its way;hold on a… Continue reading
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The Point
Jesus never asked anyoneto be orthodox,but he repeatedly asked everyoneto serve, help and heal. Why our obsessionwith creed and confessionwhen Jesus, our brother,says, "Love one another"? Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Identity
"We're Christians,"she said,"not Jesusians." And a few more shinglesblew off my roof. Text and image © 2013 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. Continue reading
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Herod
He cursed the visitors from the East,the so-called wise menwith their outlandish robesand queer accentsand preposterous pronouncements. A week passed,and they had not returned. Stargazers, astrologers, bah!Why had he listened?They had betrayed him, yes?Or were they too stupid (too foreign)to… Continue reading
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Sermon in the Park, Part 2
The homeless guys,with their parked shopping cartsand scraggly, gray beards,nod as he speaks. "You can cling to the cross,with its dried blood and splinters,or you can come dancing with me." I feel safestwith my face pressed against rough wood,cheeks bleeding.When… Continue reading
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J.O.Y.
I was taughta three-part formulafor pleasing God,for achieving success,for finding happiness:J.O.Y: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last. For a child first forging identity,this is bad advice;developmentally,the child's primary taskis to put herself first.Forcing her to do… Continue reading
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The Confrontation
"Oh, my gawd!"she squealed."It's Jesus!" And it was,standing in the doorway,just as we'd finished another verse of"Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee." "What are you doing?" he asked. "We were just singing about you,"I said."Every week we…well, we praise you." He… Continue reading
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Parable
"And lo,"he said,"the kingdom of Godis like unto a bride, who,in the whisper of an evening breeze,suffused with the saffron of a setting sun,lets drop her robe and stands naked before her beloved,and in that moment claims herself,and in that… Continue reading