“Abide With Us” Means Building Deeper Relationships”

An excerpt: "We are called to “abide” with each other, and not just our family and friends and those who think and act and look like us. I believe that God becoming flesh and dwelling amongst humanity in significant ways, even when it wasn’t always fully understood and even when it engendered antipathy, misunderstanding, and violence, God still felt moved to abide with us and for us to abide with God – and each other. This momentous act puts relationship and relationship building at the center of what the Divine does and expects us to do the same."

Drunk With The Wine Of The World?

I think the church has become “drunk with the wine of the world” in looking at and trying to emulate other churches and denominations who are bigger, flashier, more hip, and therefore are at great risk of losing our sense of covenantal values.

Caution: Bringing Blessing May Cause Chaos

Yes, the blessings of God are abundant, far more abundant than we usually give God credit for, but they also bring complexity, challenges, and chaos into our lives.  But Mary doesn’t simply “get it,” she names it with exquisite clarity and painful honesty.  The question is therefore not whether or not an abundant life is also chaotic, but rather how we will understand and respond to that chaos.

God Is Weary Of Our Thoughts And Prayers

So I want to urge my white friends, family, and neighbors to simply stop calling ourselves allies and do the hard and demanding work to be co-conspirators in the work for racial justice. We white people must no longer view ourselves as “allies,” as nice and comfortable as this term is, for it truly assumes that we have the luxury of supporting someone else who is oppressed, under attack, or being killed, when and how we want. It allows us to be “armchair activists” from the comfort of our own home or smart phone, which completely distances ourselves from the radical urgency – the life-threatening danger – that our Black and Brown family, friends, and neighbors are experiencing.