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Used with permission Today I welcome this first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, with its dual focus on repentance and mortality, symbolized by the imposition of ashes.  The suggested church readings for Ash Wednesday are varied, but the words from Joel 2 are apocalyptic:  “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the…

If you are a United Methodist, or if you care about climate finance, you might be interested in my work with Fossil Free UMC, which is working to move the United Methodist Church to divest from fossil fuels. Since I am the Convener of the group, I frequently post to their blog. To follow what’s going on with these efforts and to consider getting involved, sign up at Fossil Free UMC. Here is my…

A Cobb and Friends Presentation with Sharon Delgado October 15, 10 am to 12 pm PST Register Here: https://cobb.institute/event/john-cobb-friends-gathering-2024-10-15/ Fossil Fuel Divestment as Climate Change Strategy   United Methodist preacher, author, and long-time climate justice activist Sharon Delgado proclaims God’s tangible presence in and through creation and the glory of a…

When I sat today to write, I realized that the last time I posted to this blog was on Good Friday, almost five months ago.  It was March 29, just four days after the death of our oldest son, John. I had posted several Lenten reflections in previous weeks, but I realize now that they stopped abruptly right before Easter. It’s understandable, considering the circumstances. Yet even as our son was…

Reflecting on the Cross The tears you shed, my sorrowful friend, are purer than the laughter of him that seeks to forget and sweeter than the mockery of the scoffer. These tears cleanse the heart of the blight of hatred, and teach man to share the pain of the brokenhearted. They are the tears of the Nazarene. ~Kahlil Gibran Reflecting on the cross is a way of opening to the world’s suffering…

Note: This post is addressed to my neighbors who live here in Western Nevada County, California, but it’s relevant to all of you, dear friends, wherever you are.  On Sunday, September 17, people concerned about climate change are invited to join a demonstration calling for climate action on the Broad Street Bridge in Nevada City following the Constitution Day Parade, which begins at 2. Everyone…

“The new creation is not a different creation. It is the new creation of this deranged world. Eternal life is not a different life. It is the resurrection of this life into the life of God. . . . So the kingdom of God means that this world will be different and will be born anew out of violence and injustice to justice, righteousness and peace.”[i]                                                 …

As we move through the story of Jesus’s death and on to resurrection, we return to the primary themes of this Lenten blog series on “Creation, Cross, and the Powers.” This story is often told as if it all took place removed from the context of both creation and the powers. It is treated not as a story that we can relate to in terms of what is going on in the world today, but as a required dogma…

  Last weekend I was on a silent retreat, sharing prayer spaces and meals with a few church friends and a larger group of Buddhists.  On Saturday I walked the Stations of the Cross at the retreat center, knowing that the next day was Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Sometimes when I walk that path, one or another of the statues portraying the events of Jesus’s last hours overwhelms me.…

“You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn—and I would heal them.”                                     Matthew 13 14-15 The…

  Note: This post is intended for those who aspire to following Jesus in the context of today’s interlocking network of institutional “powers and principalities” that make up the global economy. I hope that by “demythologizing” some of these terms, people of other spiritual or secular traditions will also find value. While writing this Lenten blog series on “Creation, Cross, and The Powers,” I…

Being-at-one is not individualist self-realization but moves beyond that to change death-oriented reality. Being-at-one shares itself and realizes itself in the ways of resistance.             Dorothee Soelle Lent is always a fruitful time for me, a time to reset my focus and reestablish practices that nourish my soul. Prayer is at the top of my priorities, not just during Lent but always. For…