Dear Friends,

On Thursday evening at our Taizé service, I was once again reminded of the importance of Christian unity through the prayers prepared by our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters at the Begijnhofkapel: 

“God our Father, accept our praise and thanksgiving for what unites Christians in the confession of and witness to Jesus the Lord.

Hasten the hour when all churches will recognize each other in the one communion you willed and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever.

Amen.”

The service marked the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity—a week in which, as the World Council of Churches states, we are “praying for togetherness to a God of togetherness.” This year…..

Dear Friends

As the new year progresses, Ive noticed through my conversations this week that the pace of life has picked up significantly. This might be a good moment to take a break, make yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy some momentary sunshine. 

This week, I was inspired by the PhD defence of an old friend at Vrije Universiteit. He wrote about the language of violence and war, comparing the imagery in the Book of Lamentations with contemporary Glavda accounts of violence. He discovered that, although these contexts are vastly different, people facing…

Dear Friends,

New King. New Kingdom. New Life. Happy New Year!

As we enter a new year, we are presented with the opportunity to reset, reevaluate, and restart. For some, 2024 may have been a wonderful year that you wish could last a bit longer. For others, it might be time to embrace fresh beginnings and let go of the past. This year can bring new habits, dreams, goals, and aspirations. However, some may approach a new year with scepticism, having experienced enough New Year celebrations to know that a new year does not always bring real change.

Wherever you find yourself on this spectrum, one thing is certain: time waits for no one. Research indicates that…

Dear Friends,

In Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to Mr. Fezziwig’s home for an annual Christmas ball. This scene exemplifies everything that Christmas represents, or has come to represent, through music, dancing, feasting, drinking, decoration, and celebration. Just by looking at the famous illustration by John Leech, one can sense the joy of Christmas, along with the warmth, togetherness, and opulence we associate with this time of year. 

However, A Christmas Carol was not the only Christmas story that Dickens published.  In a recent article, the BBC reminded readers…

Dear Friends

I am, in many ways, the product of three Marys. This is our family name, and so my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all bear the name Mary. My brother and I used to joke that we only knew women in our family—women who were divorced or widowed. They were by far the greatest influence in my life.

The advantage of growing up with these three Marys was that, despite Protestant apprehensions, God’s grace was mediated to me through Mary. Today, I am grateful that I never got to know the meek, mild, and silenced Mary often portrayed throughout history. The Marys I knew spoke up (as in Luke 1:46-55), pondered often (as in Luke 1:29, 2:29, and  2:51), and consented to be channels of God’s grace (as in Luke 1:38). They embodied, in many ways, the triptych often attributed to their namesake: disciple, prophet, and mother….

The phrase “Slechte mensen zingen niet” has perplexed me since I first heard it in an Afrikaans song. The full version of the old Dutch proverb is: “Vrees niet waar weerklinkt het lied, slechte mensen zingen niet,” which translates to, “Fear not, where the song resounds, evil people do not sing.”

As we enter a season of singing—filled with carols and joyous celebrations—it’s worth re-evaluating this old saying, especially amidst the ongoing uncertainty of global conflicts.The prophet Amos presents a different perspective on this matter: “Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; nor will I even look at the offerings of your well-fed animals. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

From Amos’ perspective, singing can also serve to mask pain, injustice, and suffering. He warns against singing if it becomes a cover-up. As theologian Dirkie Smith reminds us, history shows that evil people do indeed sing. In Elmina, Ghana…

Dear Friends,

“What would it take to satisfy human desire?”

This was a question once posed by the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas.

His answer was short and simple: “Everything.” It would take everything to be truly satisfied.

Advent is a time of waiting and longing, but it also challenges us to consider what we are really waiting for or hoping to attain. In what directions are our hearts being pulled? As another medieval theologian, Augustine, asked, what is our telos—the ultimate goal of our existence?

This question may become even more complex when we think about the impact of one of the biggest secular holy-days: Black Friday. According to the good folks at Practicing the Way, the average American sees upward of 4,000 (yes, four thousand!) advertisements per day. Initially, when I saw this figure, I was surprised and shrugged it off in disbelief. 

Dear Friends,

“I feel that my mission is about to begin: my mission of making others love God as I love Him, my mission of teaching my little way to souls. If God answers my requests, my heaven will be spent on earth until the end of the world. Yes, I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth.”

These are the well-known words of St. Therese of Lisieux, who passed away at the tragic age…..