REV. DR. MICHELLE J. MORRIS HAS A MASTER OF DIVINITY DEGREE AND A PH.D. IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES BOTH FROM SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY. SHE ALSO SERVES AS A UNITED METHODIST PASTOR IN ARKANSAS. SHE STARTED THIS BLOG BECAUSE SHE TAKES THE BIBLE SERIOUSLY, NOT LITERALLY. FOLLOW THE BLOG AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT SHE MEANS.
It is a decision someone at Crystal Bridges made, and each time I see it, I am moved, almost to tears. Instead of being Unknown Artist, or Anonymous, Artist Once Known acknowledges that there was someone there, someone who at one time was admired for their skill, someone whose work was so beautiful that people throughout ages sought to preserve and keep it. Someone whose work was treasured.
“Gather round the fire, my children, and let me tell you the story of the People of the Just Tree Damage.”
“In my previous post, I shared some of those instances that reminded me how God’s Holy Spirit encourages, empowers, and sustains us through such times. But as I stood looking at the overturned gravestones, my first reaction was not to recall those things, but instead to feel the full pain of what we were going through. To weep at how those stones of remembrance were overturned.”
“ In times like this we have big questions. And sometimes we say careless things, like “God was watching out for me.” But what I know is that in tornadoes, the people in houses who didn’t get hit were praying. And the people who were in houses that did get hit were also praying. Times like these cause us to wonder where God is in the midst of tragedy. And that is exactly what the Book of Job is confronting – the capricious nature of life and loss. “
“Samson is a prime example of someone who does not become who God most wanted him to be. Yet I have to believe God’s grace is with him anyway.”
“But the second reason I am tired of talking about this is that I have been talking about it… for 22 years. Nothing has changed with all of those words. But just for kicks, let’s just make a run through all that I have been saying, shall we?”
“I suspect that within a few years, the Global Methodist Church, which is looking less and less global and more and more parochial, will be sitting on the end of their beds, looking wistfully at nothing, and wishing they had more glasses in their cabinet.”
“Jesus’ birth is the Immaculate Conception – This is a big ol’ conception misconception. People seem to be confusing the words miraculous and immaculate.”
Then January 6, we opened gifts, and you know what came with each of the three gifts we gave or received? A story. Because each of us got to tell the person why it was their beautiful, or practical, or memorable gift. Every gift came with an intention, and the gifts were far more precious because of the limitation. And because of the thoughtfulness.
“When that request came in, I felt the pain on both sides. I felt the exhaustion of the medical care workers who this round had to see young people gasp for their last breath, for a reason that was completely preventable. But I also felt the pain on this side. I felt the restriction of call. I was supposed to be there with them. I was supposed to do some of the heavy lifting of that burden.”
So my mother asked me, “Is that true? Is it true that the Bible tells you not to buy or sell dogs?”
I rubbed my temples and shut my eyes. I don’t know, I thought. This is one of those moments when it does not pay to be a biblical scholar. There are a lot of weird things in the Bible.
“And now we are not divided by devices that are feeding us what we want to hear. We are gathered around the campfire again, and we are sharing in our common humanity, and we are living as a people in community. We have a story that we all share. And that, my friends, is a rare and sacred moment these days.”
“As you have come to the end of this blog post, I hope that you, my friends, see yet again how fast and loose we can get with our biblical interpretations and assumptions.”
“Fear was not God’s intention for us. God did not name it. God did not introduce it into our world. We did that. And I think God has been trying to get us to uncreate fear ever since.”
“And right now, every pastor who is currently serving and who plans to continue to serve, is standing in the thin space in between. Fully present with those in mourning. But also casting hope for the life that is yet to come. And I cannot think of a more appropriate posture than standing, holding an iPhone, livestreaming a graveside service, a steady posture with one foot in the now, and one foot in the yet-to-come.”
“My personal apocalypse very helpfully coincided with a worldwide one, making what could have been a terribly lonely space at least collectively lonely.
But one thing I did have on January 1, 2020 was a stove.”
“We have competing narratives, but we keep stopping at the what. What does so-and-so believe? Well, that is contrary to what I believe, so I am going to dismiss that altogether.
But what if we instead asked Why? Why does so-and-so believe that?”
And then I said this: “It is so funny how people think the Bible has no applicability to today.”
Then I went on with a challenge to speak the Good News into our world, while I watched a parishioner stand up and walk out of the church.
“Ahh here we are, October. One of my favorite and least favorite months. I love that it turns cool and fall arrives, the crispness of the air and the aura of contemplative reflection that it inspires. I hate that it is Pastor Appreciation Month.”
