Trees and High Places

40 Essays in around 100 words #35

Throughout the Bible sacrifices happen around trees and high places. Noah gets out of a boat made of wood and does a sacrifice on a mountain. Abraham takes his son up a mountain to sacrifice him and then a ram is caught in some bushy trees and they sacrifice that instead. God’s people distort their worship to Him by worshipping sex, power, and wealth at the altars of trees in high places. The Psalms have songs of ascent as everyone approaches Jerusalem where a wooden ark of the covenant sits in the temple. Who cares? I do. Because themes are important. They help us remember.

It's a tree in a high place. But where's the sacrifice?

In the Beginning was the Imagination?

40 Essays in around 100 words #34

What if, in the beginning was the Word, were said, in the beginning was the imagination? Stick with me here. The greek word Logos (the word for Word) is a complicated one, which I will certainly not summarize here. One short summary: logos constitutes the being of the cosmos and of man and provides a bridge between man and God (TDNT). Ibn Al-Arabi also talks about the imagination as the liminal space between God and man. Imagination is the fuel for creation. Imagination brings new confusing ideas together. What if Jesus is the incarnation of the imagination of God?

The Divine imagination at work

From Chaos to Peace

40 Essays in Around 100 Words

The past couple of years I have hosted a party for passover, because I like the concept of a dinner party centered around kids learning an important Bible story. Last year, I was drawn to the theme of Peace arising from Chaos. Here is how I ended the feast: We have this feast to remember that our God is the One who wants to be known to everyone. So He comes into chaos, confusion, hurt, and He brings His peace. It is available for everyone. God gave the Egyptians a way to be safe in the houses covered by blood–In the same way He gives us all a way of protection by the blood of Jesus.

Clearly committed to traditional seder food