Finding Stability in Uncertain Times. Ron Higdon

asked Jesus if he wanted them to call down fire on a Samaritan village that had refused him hospitality, it was a simple knee-jerk reaction. (I always wondered if this was in their power to accomplish). Jesus’ response was a thoughtful, “Let’s just go on to another village” (Luke 9:51f.).

      The nickname “Sons of Thunder” already told us much about James and John. They had no idea that Jesus’ ministry was eventually going to include these despised Samaritans. You wonder why their listening to Jesus’ teaching had not brought them any further along. It is evident they had a long way to go. Question: Can I see myself in James and John? You know the answer to that!

      Questions for Reflection and Discussion

      1 What disturbed you most in this chapter and why do you think this was so?

      2 Do you think that most of us have any idea of just how much more truth the Spirit of Jesus has for us?

      3 Why do you think most of us are so uncomfortable with diversity, conflict, ambiguity, conflict, and paradox?

      20 Tia Powell, Dementia Reimagined: Building a Life of Joy and Dignity from Beginning to End (New York: Avery, 2019), 2.

      21 Ibid, 5.

      22 Ibid, 138.

      23 Ibid, 156.

      24 Ibid, 172.

      25 Ibid, 222.

      26 Parker J. Palmer, To Know As We Are Known (New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993), xviii.

      27 Richard Rohr, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011), 119.

      28 Parker Palmer, To Know As We Are Known, xi.

      29 Neale Donald Walsch, When Everything Changes Change Everything (Ashland, OR: EmNin Books, 2009), 84-85.

      Chapter 4:

       Our Humanity

       May Not Be Such

       A Bad Thing

       After All

      Nothing is more incredible than the incarnation.

      John 1:14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

      The most incredible story in the history of religion is simply stated in these few words from the Gospel of John. It marks the beginning of the Christian calendar. It marks the beginning of God’s most strategic move in his plan of salvation, redemption, and reconciliation with his creation. It is a miracle story at the highest level. It is not the miracle of our becoming like God but of God becoming a human being, becoming one of us. When I am asked if I believe the miracle stories in the Bible, my response is, “Well, once you accept the miracle of the Incarnation, all the others are a piece of cake.” This is the miracle in the New Testament.

      The earliest heresy the church confronted was the belief that Jesus did not become a real human being — he only appeared to be one. The earliest of the Gospels, Mark, goes out of its way to picture Jesus as fully human. The big debate during Jesus’ lifetime was not about his humanity, it was about his divinity. The final “solution” offered by church councils was that Jesus was fully human and fully divine. No one has yet explained just how this works. Ink and blood have both been spilt in attempts to defend this faith assertion but it remains just that — our faith assertion.