Liminality

For too long churches have paraded around speaking Micah 6:8 as if it is a lullaby: Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God. We say these words as if they carry little significance if not followed. We say these words as if they are simply guidelines for how life should be governed. But no. This is not the context of Micah 6. Rather God is saying, “You’ve seen what is right, Judah. You know how to act. We’ve been over this before. Yet you still fail. I require justice, mercy and humility. And you don’t do any of these.” For churches that come together and worship and offer proverbial sacrifices to God but do not do justice, love mercy and walk humbly are falling into the same patterned lifestyle that Judah fell into. Micah 6:8 is not a lullaby, it is an indictment. It is a verdict. It is the theme in which life must be lived by or God will see this as a breach in covenant. We must be people who look out into the world through the eyes of justi...

Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3 has nothing to do with his salvation; it has nothing to do with soul’s resting place. It’s rather a sign: a roaring symbol that has stood the test of 2000 years of debate, criticism, and skepticism. Jesus’ baptism is not a desperate, salvific attempt to catch a piece of the divine but rather an announcement, a holy summons, a proclamation that there is a God over this universe that loves all humankind and Jesus is choosing to abide with that love. Jesus is claiming that which God tells us in scripture, “I am a child of God.” Jesus’ didn’t get baptized to save his soul. We already knew that Jesus was the son of God. We were told in Matthew 1 with the Genealogy, we were told in Matthew 2 with the fulfillment of scripture, being born in Bethlehem, being visited by the angel, being visited by the Magi. Time and time again the readers of Matthew knew Jesus was divine, holy, set apart, a child of God . . . and so for Jesus to go into the murky wat...

After winning the BCS National Championship game, Gene Chizik, head coach of the Auburn Tigers, said in his post game field interview, “God was with us . . .” Immediately I was saddened. I realize Gene Chizik is not trying to create a controversial statement or start a theological debate. I’m aware that January 10 will be one of the greatest days of his life, and in the moment of one of the biggest accomplishments of his career, he had the presence of mind to recognize the interplay between divinity and humanity. On one level I’m impressed by this attempt at humility, yet theologically speaking, I balk at it too. Coach Chizik is correct in that God was with him and his team. We worship a God who is both transcendent and immanent. Transcendence is the attribute given to God which refers to God being wholly other, separate from creation, constantly ‘above’ the universe. Immanence is the attribute given to God which refers to God being wholly present, fully invol...

This Thursday we celebrate the Day of Epiphany – a set Christian holiday that remembers an actual epiphany had by a few wise men (kings?) from a far off land about the birth of our savior. What I find peculiar about this story is the way in which the Magi find baby Jesus. They travel from afar to walk across the Jordanian desert. They caravan after viewing a star in the sky. They bring their most expensive gifts, pay homage to the baby king, and then leave. Am I the only one that thinks these wise men are going overboard following what they consider to be an encounter with the holy? Regardless, what I love about this story is it carries the majesty of an appointed epiphany. Webster defines epiphany as a “Sudden Realization.” The Magi suddenly realize the interplay between God and the world. They suddenly realize their need for a savior. They suddenly realize the king of all kings is being born in Bethlehem’s barns. This is a detail we need to see. The stor...