The 2011 move “Season of the Witch” co-stars Nicholas Cage and Ron Pearlman as 13th century Crusaders battling the enemies of God (as determined by the Pope). Opening scenes shift the action from… — anonymous
by Ken Sehested
Today’s text is the brutal story of the mighty warrior, Jephthah, whose bloody victory entails the sacrifice of his only child, a daughter, whose name is lost to history. Hear now and testify your resolve to Heaven’s intent:
Oh you, dear unnamed daughter, pawn of warrior’s reckless vow,
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Men: Our hearts sag with sorrow when the history of such misery is unveiled.
Women: Such truthfulness comes at a cost. But worthy is the truth.
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Introduction: To “steal away to Jesus” is not submission to injustice or passivity in the face of evil. Rather, it represents a strategic retreat to gather the weapons of the Spirit needed to reengage enemies in ways they fail to fathom and ultimately cannot thwart. Enemies are destroyed, by and by, when enmity itself is swallowed in death.
§ § §
Read more ›Signs of the Times • 2 June 2016 • No. 75
¶ Processional. “Get Right With God,” Lucinda Williams.
Above: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, VirginiaFellow citizens (in the US): We need to talk. Not just about Memorial Day but about an annual holiday calendar that includes no less than 13 days celebrating (directly or indirectly) a militarized history of our nation. (The annotated list is printed below.)
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
Does the Lamb of God truly take away
the sins of the world? The question is
more than a forensic exercise. The
question brings us to a momentous
fork in the road.
§ If so, then how can we who affirm this
conviction fail to live into its consequences—
promised though not yet prospered—of
withdrawing from and standing against
the logic of retaliation and every
bloodletting endeavor. It is not
JUST WAR.
It is
just war.
by Ken Sehested
“We’ll worship the hind legs off Jesus but never do a thing he says.” —Clarence Jordan
Let’s be honest. Jesus’ command to “love your enemies” is likely the New Testament’s most memorable yet most effectively ignored directive.
Read more ›Text: 1 Kings 18:20-39
29 May 2016
Circle of Mercy Congregation, Asheville NC
by Ken Sehested
A week ago I was coming up with ideas to share with Brian about music appropriate for today’s service. I sent a note to Larry Wilson who, as a life-long Mennonite pastor, would surely know the Mennonite hymnal and might have some Memorial Day music suggestions for worship.
Read more ›by Hillary Brownsmith
The Body of Christ has seen queer folks angry. That anger is warranted. The church as the purveyor of a lot of violence against the queer community should witness that anger and make efforts to understand it. But I think the church also needs to see queer folks in our grief for the loss we experienced when we learned that the church is rarely the safe space it should be. The church may not have earned our vulnerability but it needs to bear witness to our grief for there to be true reconciliation.
That being said, I want to share with you my personal story of grief and then, in the spirit of this month, I want to talk to you about pride.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
A decade or so ago I served on the board of an organization connecting the work of the several “welcoming and affirming” organizations within various denominations. At one meeting, as part of a self-assessment of the movement, one admitted that the “t” in “lgbt” was still not exactly welcomed at the table. The admission brought nods of acknowledgment around the room.
Going further back in time, partly for personal confession, when in the early ‘90s the Baptist Peace Fellowship board first began intentional conversation on questions of sexual orientation, an initial draft of a resolution used the word transgendered and I, among others, had never heard it before.
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