RUMINATIONS OF A REVEREND

Slave : a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them ( https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/slave ). Doulos (Greek): Slave. “Hence we have a service which is not a matter of choice for the one who renders it, which he has to perform whether he likes or not, because he is subject as a slave to an alien will, to the will of his owner.” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) Slave and slavery are terms rightly repulsive to our ears. The horror of slavery past and the sad reality in parts of the world of slavery present sickens us. No human has the right to “own” another human. In our country today, we laud the principles of liberty, freedom, and equality (though we don’t always exercise those principles as effectively as needed). Slavery in the first century was a prevalent reality. Some estimate that 1 in every 5 people in the Roman Empire were slaves. And slaves were disdained by most. Many Rabbis considered calling someone a slave...

Do you remember as a child wishing everyday was Christmas? You loved opening up all the presents and seeing what toys you got and wished everyday was like that. Well maybe everyday is, but we are just missing it. Recently I watched a video titled “Christmas Presents” produced by Forest Hills church in Charlotte, NC. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSxPWpLPN7A It depicts a man waking up and unwrapping all the wonderful gifts that we usually just take for granted: life, family, electricity, clean water, food, etc.  In a country so blessed as ours we can often take for granted the vast number of blessings we have been given. If you are able to read this you have an ability that 774 million adults in the world don’t have. If you are reading this through your internet connection, you have something more than half the world’s population doesn’t have. And if you are able to drink a clean glass of water while you read this, then you have something that...