Norman Viss

If something hard has gone on too long for you this Christmastime, perhaps this message will help.
It helped me as I prepared and delivered it.

The well-known parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, from Luke 16:19-31, does not teach us about what heaven and hell will be like. It shows that there is hope for both rich people and Lazaruses in Jesus' Good News.

"Lord have mercy...." prayed the sinner in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. A parable of personal forgiveness and kingdom reversal. And a challenge to take these words on our lips every day. Luke 18:9-14.

Jesus taught that we should include those whom we would normally not include. Yet history shows that we (Christians) pretty much ignore Jesus' teaching. For example, undocumented immigrants. The passage is Luke 14:1;7-14.

Much of our Christian teaching and experience focuses on how to keep the law to get/stay in God's good graces. Not this story: this woman was bent and bound. Jesus unbent and unbound her. That's good news! Lk 13:10-17.

Jesus frees us from fear and gives us freedom and joy as we use our resources for the betterment of God's world.

Wow. Trump is needed to achieve Russia's conditions.
Trump will fold like a cheap suit.
“'Putin wants to keep Trump as a resource for a possible transition to peace,' said Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst in Moscow. 'Trump is needed to achieve Russia’s conditions.'”

Today we ask ourselves what it might look like to live the life that we could call "God's life".

Our marginalization of people and destruction of creation is our middle finger to the God who made it all.

We live in a culture that wants to "get over" or "fix" suffering asap. We have lost the ability to experience Jesus' presence in suffering. It is part of the good news of the Gospel that we are never alone, especially not in our deepest suffering.

The church has acknowledged Jesus as King throughout the centuries, but has often used the tools of Empire to build His Kingdom. How did Jesus set up God's Kingdom and what does that teach us?

Jesus rescues all of creation - from the intensely personal level to cosmos-wide.

The white evangelical church has not helped us grapple with the questions of our modern world or led us down a fruitful path. We need more soul searching.

Of course they’re going back to Biden’s plan….lol

FEMA scraps new hurricane plan and reverts to last year’s - The Wall Street Journal

Jesus has come to earth to show us God's love. What is God's love? And what about God's wrath? And what do you do if things are pretty bad and God's love seems far away?
www.justbeing.one/post/jesus-s...

What is the Gospel? Part 1 I am currently doing a 6-part sermon series entitled "What is the Gospel?"Many of us who identify as Christians have a unclear view of the gospel or one that is too narrow.In the times in which we liv...

The first of a 6-part series on "What is the Gospel?". In the times in which we live, a robust and rich understanding of what God has done for all of creation in Jesus may provide purpose and hope. Here is part 1:
www.justbeing.one/post/what-is...

Well it seems my prediction yesterday was pretty much correct.
Except I missed the concept that Trump would pass the buck to others when/if the going gets tough.
"I'm just going to back away. This is not my war."
Then he suggested that perhaps Pope Leo XIV could broker peace.

Prediction - and I’m happy to be shown/proven wrong:
Trump will speak with Putin and Zelenskyy today by phone.
He will use superlatives to claim that the talks were very successful and praise his role.
There will be no details given on what was discussed.
Nothing will change.

The DJT administration has suspended funds designed to assist older youth in the Foster Care system transition to adulthood. I have volunteered for 7 years with this group. Xians voted for this. I am furious. Program description:

"Whenever the church has gained power and wealth throughout history, corruption and exploitation follow. From the time of Constantine, church leaders sidle up to candidates with whom they share nothing in common except the hunger for power.”

Oh my..."Today’s builders of Babel tell us that there is no room for losers, and that those who fall along the way are losers. Theirs is the construction site of Hell. God’s economy...does not kill, discard or crush. It is lowly, faithful to the earth."
Pope Francis, 18/4/25

“May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions.”
Among Pope Francis’ last public words.
May our leaders take them seriously.
RIP and well done, faithful servant.

Mr. Trump’s promise to end the war in 24 hours was, of course, empty air.
Now we are abandoning Ukraine to Russia.
“The United States will abandon efforts to end the war in Ukraine if it proves impossible to broker meaningful progress in the next several days.” Marco Rubio

The Chinese culture is over 5000 years old.
They are more than a match for the United States.
And especially DJT. He doesn’t stand a chance against the Chinese.

An EO signed this week designed to "Drill, Baby, Drill" and destroy the sovereignty of individual States if necessary to make that possible. No limits to fossil fuel pollutants that can find their way into our lungs and bloodstream. And your children’s.

David Brooks: "Maybe the best description for what I’m feeling is moral shame: To watch the loss of your nation’s honor is embarrassing and painful."

Stations of the Cross Bruce[i] Onobrakpeya (b. 1936) is a celebrated Nigerian painter and printmaker. Onobrakpeya pioneered bronzed lino relief and metal foil deep etching in bold patterns and colors to explore Nigerian fo...

Stations of the Cross by Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya. Depicting African identification with the suffering Christ under (colonial) oppression.

Media

I might be available Tuesday also.

Friday night also, and Saturday night.