Four church trends for 2023
This year, I find it more difficult to offer predictions for the new year than I did two years ago, in the throes of the pandemic. However, here are church trends to watch—and reasons for hope—as we head into 2023.
Sausalito morning church
When pastors retire from full-time paid ministries, they often feel lost or unanchored. But for me, my daily walk has become a ministry, where I have formed a community that can be called “Sausalito Morning Church.”
The last Christmas
Do I have to come up with something memorable, novel, and cutting-edge for my last Christmas sermon before I retire?
Virgin, victim, or … Pondering Mary of Nazareth
Rather than being passively obedient or overpowered, Mary was a person of agency who was willing to violate the rules.
At Christmas, expect trouble ahead
Inviting Jesus to come and enter into our lives means embracing the unfamiliar, challenging the powerful, opening our circle of inclusion wider, sharing the gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Welcoming Jesus gives joy, peace, and hope; it also requires courage and sacrifice and, sometimes, brings heartbreak.
Fusion and following the star
The possibility of cheap, clean, limitless energy is wonderful until one considers humanity’s inclination to injustice and capacity for evil.