Keith Voets

One time when I was in Jerusalem, I was behind a woman in line at a snack stand in the old city where she was arguing with the guy behind the counter, who wouldn’t make her a cheeseburger.
I think about that moment a lot.

For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent,

Celebrating someone’s murder because you don’t think they respect the dignity of every human being shows that you don’t know what respecting the dignity of every human being means.

It’s always the right time to call for making healthcare a human right, but it’s never the right time to suggest that someone who profited from the broken system that is American healthcare deserved to die.

To be “poor in spirit” is to be aware that you “can’t be anything, or do anything or have anything without God.” To be aware that you are because God is. (Rowan Williams)

Some of these posts insinuating that the United Healthcare guy deserved it are ghoulish and evil. Doesn’t matter how wicked HMOs are, you don’t deserve to be executed on a public street at 7 in the morning.

Over the past four weeks I have seen news stories regarding…
1. The Menendez Brothers
2. Susan Smith
3. Elian Gonzalez

Am I back in high school again and no one told me? 

our common life depends upon each other's toil

The devil seems intent on testing the limits of my Christianity this morning. #traffic #learntodrive

We pray what we believe.
We become what we eat.
It’s an extraordinary privilege.

Every year I fall deeper in love with the Season of Advent.

We don’t want our faith to be dead, we also don’t want to think salvation is reliant on works. It’s a careful balance

I agree we participate in witnessing to a foretaste of the Kingdom but I worry we have convinced ourselves that somehow the kingdom to come is dependent on us to create it. It is not. No matter how hard we try, we’re going to screw it up anyway.

Jesus does not need our help in establishing a new heaven and a new earth. He’s got that covered. Advent is about waiting for all that to happen not about making it happen.

Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. We sure did!

22 years ago today I realized that I had become powerless over alcohol and chose grace over fear.
Thankful this day for the gift of sobriety.

Same place all the polling is done. And if it’s anything like the election polling it probably under represents his favorability. I think it’s important that we don’t dismiss the fact that people like him. Because if we do, we keep losing.

Interested to hear one of the more progressive lectionary podcasts I listen to warm to the language of Christ the King & kingdom of God, contra reign & kindom, which they’d previously leaned toward. They stated they were moved because of current events. Welcome to the pro king language camp.

If your loved one goes to church, please call that church when they go into hospital or pass away. In many cases, they have friends who’ve loved them for decades who would appreciate knowing - and we might could be helpful!

My guess is because as much as we might dismiss the idea of earthly kings with all of their bells and whistles, we are actually drawn to them for all the wrong reasons. The fancy and fabulous grab our attention while we take for granted the plain and the ordinary.
It should be the other way

It’s not the online churches and TV clergy that are visiting people in the hospitals, burying the dead, marrying people who are in love, and walking the faithful through the different stages of life. That is local neighborhood clergy doing those things.

In my sermon today, I pondered a little bit about why TV evangelists and Internet religious celebrities are able to have all the resources they need. In some cases they even have jets, fancy cars, and the clergy have multiple homes while those of us at the local level struggle to keep the lights on.

Advent is near. I argue in my book (second-best selling of all my books, but not very influential so far!) that it is the duty of the church to resist premature Christmas promotion, 99% commercial in its origin and power. A rigorous Advent can be our liturgical and personal resistance.

and dost assure us thereby of thy favor and goodness towards us;

I hate when Fraser writes something and I agree with him!

I’m not generally a fan of much in the church that was invented after the year 1890, but Christ the King is an exception.
Good hymns, good theology, great way to finish the church year!
Crown him with many crowns! 

Donald Trump is naming a married gay man with 2 kids as Secretary of the Treasury. I’m sure I’m going to hate every policy he will enact but I do hope it calms the wailing and gnashing of teeth about DT trying to take away our marriage and parental rights.

He is gay though