on the Pilgrimage

Substitutionary Atonement  or Participatory Redemption? A couple of things before I reflect on this day: 1) What follows is not actually written on Good Friday. I chose to fast and pray yesterday, the actual Good Friday. In a Talking Circle on Thursday, we were asked by the elder to take the day for fasting and prayer. As I had joined them for a 3-4 day fast a few years ago (see  here ) and it was a profound experience, I figured it was time to do it again. I considered doing it for 3 days again, but chose instead, for one day. Good Friday. No food, no technology - only a book and prayer. 2) To be clear, I was raised in a Christian family - my parents were, their parents were, and so and back. Therefore, I am not a 'new Christian' and I am captivated by the history, the line of the faithful. As I continue to live, I have come to a point where I am embracing more of life and living, and my beliefs are a part of that. I believe God is where God will be, and not where I say tha...

Expectations Still in the middle of the COVID-19 worldwide shutdown. Life moves ahead, and not. What a strange time to be alive! Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week in the traditional, Christian calendar. Palm Sunday - a day steeped in Christian History, a detailed story about this day in the life of Jesus.  I was reading about the historical context, about what was going on in Jerusalem at this time. The Roman control, the temple politics, the leaders, and the oppression of the people. How they had lost their land, how they were - for centuries, a displaced people. I get how angry and frustrated they must have been. I get that they were ready for someone connected to their historical King David, a wonderful, prosperous time, to bring it back again. Kind of reminds me of the people from the USA - how they heard someone hoping for leadership who said, "I will make this country great again!" That's what these people wanted, that's what they longed for.  So...