UBC Wed For Life

This blog has noted before that the black experience in America has been strongly tied to Christianity. The Bible has played a part in every struggle that blacks have faced.  Most of the blacks brought to the Americas during the slave trade were not Christians and had not been exposed to the Bible.  Some argue that Christianity was forced on blacks.  During the early parts of the black experience in America, slave masters exposed their slaves to Christianity.  The reasoning they gave for that action was that they wanted to save the heathens and savages.  It was the same reasoning some used for the actions taken against the Native Americans.  Now, most sensible people can admit that the spread of Christianity to black slaves was less about saving their souls and more about control.  That is why the Slave’s Bible, a version of the Bible created specifically to be friendly to the concept of slavery, exists.  It was a tool to be used to keep blac...

Jesus’ death and resurrection are what make salvation possible for us. He came to this world to die for us, but that doesn’t mean he wasted his life. He spent much of it passing on spiritual and moral knowledge and wisdom to those that would listen. One might say he spent his life as a teacher more than anything else. Much of what is written in the gospels focuses on his teachings. Jesus instructed those around him in many ways. Many of the lessons came through parables and metaphors that compared important and complex spiritual concepts to things with which the people could relate. Sometimes he taught through direct confrontation with those that opposed him. Some of his lessons were even delivered as good old fashioned sermons. Jesus’ role as a teacher was so important that he instructed his followers not to look to anyone else to fill the same role. “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone...

Recently, Episode 9 of the Star Wars movies was released in theatres. Pastor Pope took that opportunity and the holiday season to use the popular movie series to illustrate the importance of Jesus. The first Star Wars movie released (Episode 4) was called A New Hope, and the series as a whole is about hope in the fight against powerful forces of darkness. That first movie was about the discovery of Luke Skywalker and the beginning of his journey and what he represented in the struggle against the oppressive empire. It’s fitting that this particular series took place around Christmas when we celebrated the birth of Jesus. Jesus’ birth was the new hope for humanity in the fight against sin, which is every bit as oppressive as a galactic empire.   Pastor Pope identified another parallel between Star Wars and the Bible. The Force is the most prominent plot device in the Star Wars story. It has a dualistic nature with a light side and a dark side. The light side is define...

When we previously discussed Moses, we focused on his early life which included him being charged by God to lead the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt. Because of Moses’ obedience and God working through him, Moses was able to accomplish the task even though it wasn’t something he believed he could do. If that was all that Moses did, it would still put him pretty high among the figures in the Bible up to that point. God wasn’t close to being done with him though. Moses didn’t know it, but God had plans to build a lasting legacy for Moses. Moses’ story isn’t just about him though. It’s also about the people he led. The Hebrews or Israelites are referred to as God’s chosen people. One might think that to have been chosen by God, they must have been a pure and good people, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. What we see as favor for the Hebrews was really just God keeping his promise to Abraham. That is a testament to God’s faithfulness because he kept that promise even t...

We’re going into a new year, and every year around this time, the topic of new year’s resolutions comes up. Lots of people go through the process of making promises to themselves and others about things they are going to change about themselves or in their lives. These resolutions are often made with the best intentions, but intent is only part of any action taken. Execution is important too, and that’s where most resolutions fall short. It has actually become a cliché nowadays. If you need proof, just go to your local fitness center right now. No matter which one you choose, it’s bound to be full of people striving vigorously to get into shape. Now visit that same center a couple weeks later, and you’ll be almost guaranteed to see a major drop-off in the number of people there. The problem isn’t with resolutions as a concept. Self-improvement is a good thing. There is nothing at all wrong with wanting to start a new year with a decision to do better. The problem is that th...

Winter has long been associated with death. There are likely a number of reasons for that. It could be due to the fact that we see plants fade away and animals disappear during the season. The increased length of the night and the early fading of day during the season could also be reasons, especially considering how much uncertainty and fear the night brought to people in the past. Maybe the answer is something as simple as the cold that the winter brings, which is also something associated with death. Whatever the reason, Winter is often seen as the season where life slows down and waits until Spring comes along to bring a rebirth. Many scholars actually believe that Jesus was born during the Spring. Luke 2:8 says about the time of Jesus’ birth: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. The verse refers to an activity that typically happened in the springtime. So where did December 25th come from?  Some schol...

“Only God Can Judge Me” - That’s a phrase that we hear thrown around a lot, usually after someone has done something unseemly or wrong. The invoking of God means that people who say this believe to some extent that the sentiment is Biblical. They are not wrong. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? - James 4:12 The Bible is clear that we should leave judgement to God. The problem (as is often the case when people try to turn God’s Word into trendy sayings) is that the way this saying is used is often out of place. Yes, it is true that only God can pass judgement on anyone, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t to be held accountable for our actions by those around us. It doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want with the expectation that no one has the right to say anything to us about our actions. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that helping people move away from their sin isn’t just the...