Paradise. A loan word from the Persian picture of an enclosed park or garden. This picture, of course, calls to mind something familiar: The Garden of Eden. The word Luke uses is the same word used in the Septuagint referring to Eden. And what was Eden? It spoke of radical union with God, the other and one’s self. But that’s not the end of the story of Eden. The story unravels and speaks of disintegration, splitting, conflict and banishment. What was once a place for humans to grow and flourish and employ their calling is now a distant memory. And should one want to find their way back, the entrance is guarded by an angel with a flaming sword.
This story is echoed in other places and other wisdom traditions. It speaks of the universal longing to enjoy the union with God and with all things. The sort of union manifested in Paradise. This is the picture John offers in Revelation when he refers to the “paradise of God” (Revelation 2.7). And this is the same word-picture Jesus offers the rebel dying with him on the cross. Which is an interesting moment. For it is there, being crucified with Christ, that the rebel understands who Jesus is. And there, dying next to a rebel, Jesus says, “You will be with me …” And what does Jesus invite his followers to? To be crucified. Perhaps, this rebel, is in many ways the first disciple. And in picking up his cross, in losing his life, he finds it in Jesus - in Paradise.
December 24, 2023 (Christmas Eve): Right Where You Cannot See It - Michael Hidalgo.
December 17, 2023: The Lack of Denial - Michael Hidalgo
December 10, 2023: And Then I See a Darkness - Hannah Thom
December 3, 2023: The Name of the Moment - Michael Hidalgo
November 19, 2023: Ravens and a Suggestion of Wild Flower - Maggie Knight
November 12, 2023: Saving, Storing and Dying - Michael Hidalgo
November 5, 2023: The Inside on the Outside - Hannah Thom
October 29, 2023: A Not So Lovely Dinner Conversation - Michael Hidalgo
October 22, 2023: Baptism - Michael Hidalgo
October 15, 2023: This is a Movement - Michael Hidalgo
October 8, 2023: Parts of a Whole - Jonathan Merritt
October 1, 2023: Hand It Over - Michael Hidalgo
September 24, 2023: Eyes Wide Open - Keri Ladoucer
September 17, 2023: The Only Sign - Michael Hidalgo
September 10, 2023: Who is the Enemy? - Michael Hidalgo
September 3, 2023: That Sounds Like a Guarantee - Michael Hidalgo
August 27, 2023: How Do We Pray? - Keri Ladoucer
August 20, 2023: Sitting Down in the Busyness - Michael Hidalgo
August 13, 2023: Guest Teacher - Jason Miller
August 6, 2023: Guest Teacher - Michelle Warren
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