Beyond the ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field. I'll meet you there.-- Rumi
Rumi describes exactly what Jesus did as he welcomed tax collectors and sinners into his company. He did not define them by what they had done, rightly or wrongly. He defined them in terms of how God saw them. In doing that, Jesus created a field, a wide open space for people to be united and integrated into each other and God.
Whenever we believe God is on "our side" (ala Pharisees), we might discover that God is out in the field, beyond our categories of right and wrong, reclining and eating with "tax collectors" and "sinners" right under our collective noses.
Douglas Hoag
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About this blog
Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, New Lenox, Illinois.
I'm married with two children.
My MBTI type is E/INFP, in case that means anything to you.
My prayer: Lord, help me finish everything I sta
Most importantly, I believe that the reality and personage of God was uniquely and fully realized in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. No one else comes close.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for the seizures and/or convulsions you may experience while reading this blog.
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I'm married with two children.
My MBTI type is E/INFP, in case that means anything to you.
My prayer: Lord, help me finish everything I sta
Most importantly, I believe that the reality and personage of God was uniquely and fully realized in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. No one else comes close.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for the seizures and/or convulsions you may experience while reading this blog.
Doug Hoag's Profile
Create Your Badge
1 comment:
I enjoyed your last two posts, and they did help give me a frame work for a sermon illustration yesterday I spoke mostly of how Jesus became one with those whom society ignores so well. Just as Jesus headled the woman and the girl, he healed Matthew from sinfulness and restored Matthew to communion with God. Christ also restores us from our sinfulness thereby healing us from sin. Our faithful response is to thnakfully go proclaim God's love and grace, and become one with those who long to be received into this same communion.
Thanks for the posts!
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