Dear Theophilus

Mother Mary, after reflecting on the coming birth of Jesus, sings this song. This is what the birth of Jesus means according to her: "God has shown strength with his arm;    the Lord has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones,    and lifted up the lowly; The Lord has filled the hungry with good things,    and sent the rich away empty" (Luke 1). The social order before Jesus is one where the biggest, strongest, and richest are in power and most valued. The birth of Jesus, Christmas, begins the process of flipping that on its head where now the lowly are lifted up and the hungry are filled. God's economy, God's heart, will become the new norm - THIS is the promise of the Gospel. God's Kingdom, God's economy, is coming and it will be "without end." Which economy are you supporting? Are we taken with confidence, power, and wealth? Or are we invested in the humble, meek, lowly...

"In the Market We Trust" I had a liberal, secular professor in my senior year of college at Chico State. There is a redundant statement. But if this professor was liberal at Chico State, they were pretty liberal, but it is in her that I saw Christ shine brilliantly, more so than many Christians I encounter. We discussed world problems the globe over and each time her heart bled in all the ways Christ's did. I saw her teach with fury about injustice, I saw her walk with humility in her own struggles against the world and try to make sense of the things of God. She looked like Micah 6:8, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." There is one phrase that stood out to my over the course and it had little to do with the actual lecture. We ended up talking about poverty and poverty reduction. I mean, we all want poverty reduction, don't we? But then she said so...

The following is a verse I have been thinking about and the CA budget: Isaiah 1: 16-18, 23 Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. 'Come now, let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Your rulers are rebels, companions of thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow's case does not come before them.'" " Details of Calif.'s proposed social service cuts By The Associated Press Posted: 06/07/2009 11:56:07 AM PDT (http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12541022) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed eliminating or severely cutting spending for non-federally mandated social programs for the poor, elderly and disabled. These are among the proposals that would have...