People even brought babies to him, for him to touch them; but when the disciples saw this they scolded them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. In truth I tell you, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ Luke 18: 15–17
Category: Quote
Hope Is Not Optimism
“Hope” and “optimism” are not the same thing. The optimist looks at the world and feels good about the way it’s going. Things are looking up! Everything is going to be all right! But hope, at least as conceived within the Jewish and then the early Christian world, was quite different. Hope could be, and often was, a dogged and deliberate choice when the world seemed dark. It depended not on a feeling about the way things were or the way they were moving, but on faith, faith in the One God.
Paul’s Sin Was Egotism
For Paul, the “sin” that had made him persecute the Messiah’s community was egotism, a desire to assert his own desires and boost his own status at the expense of others.
Body, Not Limb
Because faith in Christ was not a private quest but an experiment in living together, Paul passionately opposed the individualism promoted by the “spirituals,” urging them instead to focus on the unity and integrity of the whole ekklesia.
Jesus’ Anger
Seldom do we find Jesus angry in the Gospels, but when Jesus is angry it is always at hypocrisy in the name of religion.
Good Works
There are several Greek words for “good,” but the word used in “good deeds” is kallos. More than just “good,” this word means “beautiful” or “winsome.” Our deeds are meant be so attractive that others are naturally drawn to the God we serve.
Who Are You?
We Have But Life
Beneath all our achievements, plans, travels, and conquests we have but life. When we drink water, when we silently watch children play, when we walk in the cold and feel cold, we are in life, one with it and hence one with God. And so no matter what we have it is always enough, for nothing is enough. No matter where we are we are no-where. No matter who we become we are nobody. For in the ground of our being we live Christ’s life. In the foundations of the heart, God is present in our simple presence to life.
Love
The stirring of leaves in the wind makes the wind visible. Their stirring is the wind’s stirring, their whisper is the wind’s whisper. And so with love. Our actions of love make the invisible visible. Our actions of love make love present to ourselves and to others. And as we go out of ourselves in love, and become, as it were, lost in those we love, we discover a self-greater than our isolated ego. We discover the birth of that self born of the death to self-centeredness.
Seek God’s Love Through Others
The love we speak of unites us not only with God but to our brothers and sisters as well. Indeed, the incarnation of Jesus teaches us that we must search for God’s love in human flesh and weakness.
Learning From Others, Seeking The Way 