Faith in Progress

Easter 5, Year C April 28, 2013 John 13:31-35 “A new commandment I give to you,” says Jesus to his friends.   “That you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." Sometimes it’s easy to love.   When you are newly dating, or newly married and you haven’t yet figured out all those things about that other person that make you crazy.    When a friend needs you and it fits into your schedule to help.   When your kids are at their sweetest, or maybe sleeping.   When strangers are far off and inoffensive.   But somehow I don’t think that’s what Jesus is talking about.   Since he’s telling us to love as he’s loved, I’m guessing it means something a lot harder and more complicated.   Loving people that are nothing like us.   Loving people that we passionately disagree with.   Loving people who have done atrocious things.   Loving people who are destitute, unclean, diseased, friendless.   Loving people that don’t want your love.   Loving when you

Easter 3, Year C April 14, 2013   I read an article recently about something called Status Quo Bias.*   Status Quo Bias is defined as “an inappropriate (irrational) preference for an option because it preserves the status quo.”   In other words, people tend to prefer things to stay relatively the same, even if the alternative is something objectively better/more interesting/more beneficial to society.   The article talked about the effect this bias has on everything from how we choose insurance plans to how we invest our money to how we elect public officials.   I’m betting this bias also affects where we choose to live, where we go to church, the jobs we are in, who we choose to marry, how we raise our children, whether or how we pray.   In fact, the researchers who wrote the article argued that Status Quo Bias is responsible for most opposition to human advancement.             I didn’t know it had a name, but I’ve definitely observed it in others and experienced it in m