The central focus of Jesus’ message was to announce the imminent coming of the kingdom of God. This is what he was sent to do. (Luke 4: 43-44) This kingdom would be on earth for the people of Israel. (Matthew 10: 5-8) Although Jesus gives few details on how this kingdom would operate.
Fierce love pursues peace through nonviolence
If we want peace, it has to start with us. We must uproot violence from our language, in the ways we relate to one another.
but, like in a good way
The one thing that enraged most people about Jesus of Nazareth was that he had the gall to tell people that their sins were forgiven when clearly there were systems of civic and religious power that were set up to make sure people got what they deserved.
Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost do not form three seasons. The Easter season celebrates the three dimensions of the resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Spirit.
Dr. Martin Luther King, whose Feast Day we celebrate today, had his criticism of church and religion.
Join Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines for the highlights from his Sunday service on Reproductive Rights on June 26th, 2022!
Join Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines of University Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)/United Church of Christ, San Diego as he sits down with an indigenous leader to talk about sacred dance in indigenous traditions.
While it may look like there are individual trees in the above picture, quaking aspens grow in colonies of tens of thousands of trees, or stems, which are all connected by a single root system.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.’s history in the United Church of Christ and the Civil Rights Movement go back years and reflect a legacy of justice orientation and activism.
This isn’t an easy story — it is especially hard to avoid the pitfalls of any Christian preaching about the destruction of the Temple (I pray I didn’t contribute to those anti-Semitic interpretations!). But I think it is one of the most important stories in Mark, a short section of verses that help make sense of the entire gospel.
Worship Nov. 7, 2021
Sermon with Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines
This morning, I preached at Platte Woods United Methodist Church in Kansas City. They’ve been doing a sermon and education series on Freeing Jesus - and they asked me to come and finish up their study of the book.
This is a tribute to all healthcare workers battling the Covid-19 pandemic, sung by members from Canterbury & Coventry Choirs.
On Fraternity and Social Friendship
Fraternity and social friendship are the ways the Pontiff indicates to build a better, more just and peaceful world, with the contribution of all: people and institutions. With an emphatic confirmation of a ‘no’ to war and to globalized indifference.
Larry says that good people never think they are doing enough. Maybe you don’t have to be brilliant today, either.
As the Pope writes in his message, “In some ways, the current pandemic has led us to rediscover simpler and sustainable lifestyles. The crisis, in a sense, has given us a chance to develop new ways of living. Already we can see how the earth can recover if we allow it to rest: the air becomes cleaner, the waters clearer, and animals have returned to many places from where they had previously disappeared.
The Certificate in Community Chaplaincy Program is designed for any individual who desires to be an agent of healing in their local community.
20th Century Peace Maker and Christian Mystic
Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold, the United Nations Secretary-General, was awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. After his death, many were surprised at the content of Markings, a kind of personal diary and notebook now recognized as a twentieth century classic of Christian spirituality.
Scripture: Genesis 22: 1-14
Perhaps the story isn’t so much about God but about us. But if you accept that the Bible is the work of many authors, the story tells you nothing about God. Instead, it tells you what the various authors’ believed.
A statement on why the Bible isn't partisan but is inherently political.
When we realized because of COVID19 we couldn’t sing together, we refused to give up the use of music in our Gatherings; it is just too important. So we turned to the only source of music we thought could offer the same experience even if it didn’t involve singing along: YouTube.
As reactions to racial inequities have boiled over once again in recent days, the question is now repeatedly asked whether or not our country has at long last reached a tipping point? For those of us who are persons of white privilege, we are not guilty for the sins of our forebears, but we are responsible. We can’t change the past, but we can take hold of the present, and – for the sake of our national fabric that is so tattered and torn -- amend our lives and our social order, going forward. How?
Here are some of our resources about racism and the global protests in the wake of George Floyd's death while being restrained
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, "Everything is lawful, but not everything is beneficial." This was toward the end of a letter in which he had urged the members of the church in Corinth to follow a higher law -- to submit to the law of love. Later in the same letter, he said, "Don't look for your own advantage, but look out for one another."
"Searching for God" SCRIPTURE Acts 17.22-28 with Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft
WBGH Forum Network presents a lecture with Bishop Flunder on February 28, 2020
Taking a cue from “The Day the Crayons Quit” by Drew Daywalt we can learn what it takes to get through anything together, when we see that everyone brings their gifts to every situation. And by remembering that when lots of things change, there are a few things that never change: GOD, LOVE, JOY, GOODNESS and laughter!
What forms do your communion elements take during this time of Shelter In Place? See mine, below this entry... from Palm Sunday. Mt Hollywood Church is urging people to take pix of their home-made communion elements - whether wine and bread, milk and cookies, juice and cereal - and posting them on social media
It was almost five years ago now, and I can still see her smile. It was a beautiful smile; a smile
Created by Rev. Caleb J. Lines
It is extremely unfortunate that the coronavirus is negatively impacting so many (especially those who are elderly or living in poverty) and disrupting our day-to-day lives, however, one valuable insight that may result from this disastrous virus is congregational awareness about the necessity of technology.