Podcast
The Search for Living Prophets
Hosted by Marc Maxmeister · EN
A series for activists who want to work for change in a spiritually grounded, healing-transformative way. Inspired by sermons from Christian leaders, universalist ministers, mennonites, UMC, and other liberal religious voices.
65episodes
Episodes
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Deniece Mason: Mountains beyond the transfiguration
Nov 23, 2017Tap to summarizeReverend Deniece Mason tells two stories: Trekking in the Himalayas as a teenager with friends, and an episode of a woman in a nice neighborhood who noticed a homeless figure sleeping for days on a bench at the bus stop on her street. Both stories are a reminder that Jesus is not high on a mountain; He lives and works in the world, and if we want to understand God, we must look for him on park benches.
Transcribe →Jesus among the outsiders, on the margins of society
Nov 16, 2017Tap to summarizeDoug Brown draws parallels between the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers and how we approach outsiders in our communities today. Jesus was himself an outsider, and that gave him a perspective that revealed more truth. In this story, though all ten lepers were cleansed (cured) as they traveled to present themselves to the priests (to get an official recognition of being cured), only one out of the ten – a Samaritan and outsider among the Jews – returned to thank Jesus and learn about His message. Those on the margins of society are the people who reform and refine the message. The Jews didn’t put their scriptures together until they were in exile in Babylon around 600BC. They also wrote most of their important books while wandering in the Desert with Moses. Source: Karen Vineyard Church 2013 Doug Brown – Nairobi Kenya
Transcribe →Parable of the Red Cranes in the DMZ
Nov 9, 2017Tap to summarizeWith news of Trump in Korea this week, and talk of the unlimited potential of human endeavors to reshape the planet as a technology-enabled paradise, this parable of the red cranes offers a different viewpoint. In the DMZ between North and South Korea there live rare majestic birds whose habitat would be crushed by development if the two countries reunited. Both plan to build a massive city on the mouth of the river in the DMZ, making the cranes extinct in that country. Their livelihood depends on a fragile truce. The pastor asks whether the story of the tower of Babel is about technology and the promise of human endeavors, snuffing out the possibility of a God-centered existence. Source: 2017-07-23 Columbus, MD Mennonite Church
Transcribe →Speaking peace shalom in times of political strife
Oct 31, 2017Tap to summarizeDeneice Mason tells the story of an early Christian peacemaker who bought an end to the circus of death in Rome, and asks us how are we bringing Peace and fostering dialogue in these times of political strife. Source: Pleasant Valley UMC
Transcribe →Find a god as you understand god – the key to liberation
Oct 25, 2017Tap to summarize“Find a god as you understand God. That was the key to my spiritual liberation,” explains Father Leo Booth. Booth (http://fatherleo.com/ a recording from 2000) shares his story of struggle with addiction and with the essential ingredients of the disease, and his redemption. These feelings mirror those of victims of sexual assault, as Rev Kathy Schmitz (https://www.orlandouu.org/) shares in an excerpt from her sermon “me too” and becoming vulnerable. We are all on similar journeys through life, and it has been my focus this month to share stories that intersect in dealing with racism, sexism, alcoholism, and other diseases that are about our own insecurities with the world.
Transcribe →Buying into other people’s power: Addiction, recovery from racism
Oct 19, 2017Tap to summarize“The danger for us is to think too small. Buy into other people’s power rather than the power that we have. In every solitary one of us, there is a Martin Luther King.” Father Leo Booth provides makes a compelling case that addiction and recovery are a spiritual journey of becoming aware of our own power. He highlights all the self-doubt and ego that drives a person into addiction, and how to overcome this. What’s interesting is that you can replace every mention of “acohol” and “alcoholic” with “racism” or “racist” and it would make perfect sense. This is about a journey towards true self-awareness, rather than some superficial acceptance of a problem others see in us. This recording is from 1983, from RecoveryAudio.org
Transcribe →Bullets could not deter me and I would not seek revenge – Malala
Oct 18, 2017Tap to summarizeDear Friends, on the 9th of October 2012, the Taliban shot me on the left side of my forehead. They shot my friends too. They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed. And then, out of that silence came, thousands of voices. The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me. I would not shoot him. This is the compassion that I have learnt from Muhammad-the prophet of mercy, Jesus christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change that I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of non-violence that I have learnt from Gandhi Jee, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learnt from my mother and father. There was a time when women social activists asked men to stand up for their rights. But, this time, we will do it by ourselves. Full Transcript PDF
Transcribe →Bono: Grace is the opposite of Karma
Oct 16, 2017Tap to summarizeU2’s singer Bono used to be a believer in Karma but through his journey, he’s grown to be a firm believer in Grace. Most religions are based on Karma. The ancient Israelites believed in Karma (“we are God’s chosen people” and “lepers must have sinned to be diseased”). Hinduism and the caste system is about karma. And most importantly, a large swath of Republican social conservatism is also based on Karma. Deniece Mason explains why Christianity is so revolutionary – that it is based on Grace, not Karma. Karma is getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt only to have them complain about all the things that God hadn’t done for them, that they wanted. They had still created a God in their image rather than waking up and recognizing the bounty that God had provided them. How often do we look at our lives in the same way, missing out of the promises in front of us? The folly of placing one’s spiritual beliefs on karma has a dangerous parallel in politics. The idea that some people deserve more privilege over others by their merit leads us to a world with greater suffering, disunity, isolation, and insurmountable problems. But a firm believe in grace transcends our differences and leads to the possibility of a nation that reflects the audacious aspirations outlined in our Constitution. If you are wondering how we build a society that raises up the meek, and binds the broken, here’s 8 minutes of what we can do to follow the blueprint of our founding fathers. http://ia601504.us.archive.org/1/items/20170924WaterWhineKarmaGrace-Bono-Moses-Deniece-Mason/2017-09-24-Water-Whine-Karma-Grace-Bono-Moses-Deniece-Mason.mp3
Transcribe →Karma or Grace is the choice to deny or to build
Oct 15, 2017Tap to summarizeMost religions are based on Karma. The ancient Israelites believed in Karma (“we are God’s chosen people” and “lepers must have sinned to be diseased”). This is about how U2’s singer Bono used to be a believer in Karma but through his journey, he’s grown to be a firm believer in Grace.
Transcribe →A prophetic vision of peacemaking
Oct 11, 2017Tap to summarizeWe have a prophetic vision of peace, not unlike we see in a local nonprofit – they are cutting up military uniforms, pressing the fibers into pulp to make paper, and transforming ex-soldiers into artists. Peace and justice are built around rebuilding relationships. Jesus dismantled the law, the commandments and the ordinances in order to make peace. That’s why peace church Christians today work to change laws and establish greater justice. They called Jesus the Son of David because kings were powerful, public, political figures. The Bible was written by people who had not yet theorized about social action campaigns, or democratic process, or community organizing, or creative non-conformity, or assets -based development, or political advocacy. There are glimpses of these ideas in scripture, but they are not fully formed. The Bible is written by people whose encounter with God fueled their imagination for public peacemaking and they described God as a king, and God’s desire for the world as a kingdom because God is with us in our messy public, political lives powerfully acting powerfully for justice and peace. Texts: Isaiah 9:1-7 and Ephesians 2:12-22 Source: http://cmcva.org/sermon-12112016-vision-of-peace/ Pastor: Jennifer Davis Sensenig
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