Category: Kim’s Blog

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He was the full embodiment of the universal love and grace of God. No services planned.

A free obituary in the Tampa Bay Times includes 7 lines. What would you say in a free obituary for Jesus? While it is a common high school creative writing assignment to write your own obituary, have you ever thought about writing an obituary for Jesus? And since Jesus was poor, we can assume his obituary would be restricted to the free 7 lines.

In addition to the person’s name, date of death, place of death, and age, most obituaries include family members, and often lots of family members. There is sometimes mention of the person’s job, interests, or activities. But how much can you say in 7 lines? In Jesus’ case, we don’t know a whole lot about his biological family. So, we might have room to mention other things, like activities and interests and involvements.

So, I encourage you to have a go at writing a 7 line obituary for Jesus. Here are a few more of my attempts:

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He had compassion for all people and helped all people especially those who were poor or sick.

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He showed what the world can be like when divine justice and peace reign. No services planned.

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He lived the fullness and joy of human life which can only be experienced through service and self giving. No services planned.

Jesus of Nazareth, 33, died Good Friday in Jerusalem. Survived by loving family and countless devoted friends. He loved everyone. No exceptions. Even his enemies. No services planned.

So, what would you say about Jesus in an obituary? How would you say in a brief manner that Jesus is glad tidings of great joy to ALL people? It’s hard to limit yourself to 7 lines because there is so much good to say about Jesus. And then there is the matter of our obituaries. Jesus came to inspire followers. People who would carry on his mission and ministry. We are those people. So, what can be said in our obituaries?

Please feel free to post your sample obits for Jesus below.

Prayer: God, we are grateful that Jesus is glad tidings of great joy for ALL people. Help us to truly appreciate his teaching and to live in his way. May it be hard to write our obituaries, too, because there is so much good to say! Amen.

12/12/12. This date is surely a feast day for numerologists! It is also the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. If you have been to Mexico, you know that she is the most prominent religious figure in the country, seemingly ahead of Jesus and God! It is not unusual to see an altar piece with the Virgin of Guadalupe at the top then God under her and Jesus below God. The Virgin of Guadalupe is popular not only in Mexico, but throughout Latin America, North America, and the world. She may be the most well-known non-Biblical Christian figure in the world.

When the Spanish/Europeans came to the New World they brought their religion with them. And they used Catholicism as a tool of intimidation to subdue the indigenous people. It was a way of imposing European culture on the people of the Americas. In their eyes, however, the Europeans were offering the native peoples salvation and eternity in heaven.

The appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, a poor Indian peasant is a story of Catholicism taking on an indigenous expression. The Virgin herself appears as an Indian and she offers encouragement to Juan Diego. She has him implore the bishop on her behalf to build a church where she appeared to Juan Diego. She brings an Indian image to Catholicism and a female image to people who were accustomed to worshipping gods and goddesses and missed having an image of the feminine divine in this new European religion.

With the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Christianity could be more accessible to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, and the Europeans incorporated a native indigenous figure into their panoply of saints. So the Virgin of Guadalupe extends the conveyance of the Gospel. She expresses the glad tidings of great joy to ALL people to a new population in a way that truly is life-giving and joyful.

Prayer: We are grateful that God comes to us with glad tidings whatever our life’s circumstances. The gospel is transcultural and timeless. It is good news to all people in all places and times. May we celebrate divine love in all of its many manifestations. Amen.

Yesterday we reflected on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is an inspiring statement. But I was surprised that the US, which likes to think of itself as a champion of human rights, is not living up to this vision of human rights in our life together as a country.

Here are a few of the articles that I think are not being fulfilled in the US:

Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. [Here I thought of the killings at the Dozier School in Florida which has been in the news again recently.]

Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.
Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

I hope that the US will continue to grow in its acceptance and enforcement of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within our borders as well as around the world.

Prayer: This Advent season, we think of the story of Jesus, born poor and oppressed under the Roman Empire. We think of the rights that he promoted and that we would wish for him. May those glad tidings of great joy to ALL people resound in our affirmation and protection of the human rights of all people. Amen.

December 9 is Human Rights Day. On December 9, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt was instrumental in the creation of the Declaration. Hernán Santa Cruz of Chile, member of the drafting sub-Committee, wrote:



“I perceived clearly that I was participating in a truly significant historic event in which a consensus had been reached as to the supreme value of the human person, a value that did not originate in the decision of a worldly power, but rather in the fact of existing—which gave rise to the inalienable right to live free from want and oppression and to fully develop one’s personality.  In the Great Hall…there was an atmosphere of genuine solidarity and brotherhood among men and women from all latitudes, the like of which I have not seen again in any international setting.”

While it is lengthy, I am including the text of the Declaration here because it’s scope is really quite breathtaking! I hope you will be surprised and impressed by this amazing statement:

PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
 
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

It is so inspiring to think that there was international consensus on the basic worth and rights of each and every single human being. The Declaration is certainly glad tidings of great joy to all people. I wonder if a Universal Declaration of Human Rights could be ratified today?

Prayer: May the church of Jesus Christ remain committed to the full human rights of each and every person as Jesus was. Amen.

[Apologies for the late post of this devotion. A family emergency prevented its posting yesterday.]

Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes –
He comes from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray,
And on the eyes oppress’d with night
To pour celestial day.

These are words to what was once a commonly sung Christmas carol. The language seems archaic and irrelevant. It isn’t just quaint but it is difficult to understand given today’s contemporary English usage. These lyrics are interesting from a historical perspective but are hardly inviting or compelling for today.

Some people feel that way about church in general. They feel that it is old fashioned and quaint. Interesting from a historical perspective but hardly relevant and with little meaning for today.

I think the song of the angels celebrating glad tidings of great joy to ALL people is meant to speak to all ages and eras. The gospel of Jesus Christ is as relevant and meaningful and needed today as it was in the first century. So it is continuously incumbent upon the church to present the gospel in ways that speak to each age and every circumstance. It is the responsibility of the church, the living body of Christ, to contextualize the gospel so that it speaks to people where they are. The church should prevent the message of Jesus from becoming irrelevant or archaic.

And sometimes this means using new music and changing the words of hymns and carols which are familiar to make sure the glad tidings get across to ALL people. To be faithful, the church must embrace change. If the church were shirking its calling, we would still be singing about the “thickest films of vice” – and there would be very few of us doing it. Enjoy the music of the season and celebrate the glad tidings to all people!

Prayer: We are so grateful for the gospel with its glad tidings of great joy to ALL people. May our hearts be open to new ways to share the good news of Jesus Christ that speak to people today. May we appreciate what the church has been, what it is to us, and what it can be for others, especially those who are new to the church. May we not let our love of tradition stifle the future life of the church. Amen.