Jason E. Royle's Blog, page 16

Brother Roger of Taize

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness  is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:18
Brother Roger of Taize, France, is the founder of a Christian community where persons from twenty different countries and many Christian denominations, live, work and pray together. One of the remarkable things about Taize is that so many young people have flocked there.
In an interview Brother Roger was asked why the young people were so attracted to Taize. He responded by telling a story ab...

Post Election Gospel

Whether we are feeling delighted or we are in disbelief, the Gospel still calls us to love God first with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. It calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves. In the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), where the hero is the racial, religious minority, Jesus reminds us that our neighbor is the one next door or around the world, who shows mercy. Jesus calls us to show mercy and to receive mercy. Jesus calls us to "love one another." (John 13:34)
The...

Give Unto Caesar

It is interesting to note that nowhere in the gospels is Jesus represented as having used money.  Nowhere do the gospels show Jesus using money , yet almost 40% of Jesus’ teaching involves metaphors or dialogue regarding money.           The Pharisees were basically the good church people of their day, they were concerned with the keeping of the law, with the sanctity of the temple, and with the full restoration of Israel. For this re...

Christian's and Success

Our society is success oriented. Christian's are not immune to the idea of success, however one might define it in terms of one's own goals. Sometimes we develop unrealistic expectations of the Christian life and of ourselves; and then when our wings get broken, we think our downfall ends our usefulness.
For those who know what it feels like to have your wings broken and fall flat, it helps to remember that even the great ones of faith failed, yet God still found a way to use them:
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God's Judgment

Have you ever wondered about God's standard of judgment?  Jesus outlines precisely what is expected from those who hope to share in God's heavenly realm, and he does it by telling a parable about the final judgment.  
Jesus provides for his listeners the scenario of a choice between two ways, two choices, two paths; the right and the left; the sheep and the goats; the obedient followers and the pretending believers. Jesus informs his followers what will separate them from p...

Discovering God's Will

Some Christians like to perform a "fleece-test" to discover God's will. Is this a good idea?  Here are some examples of what the "fleece-test" might look like:
I was thinking about getting a new camera and suddenly my old one just stopped working; clearly, God was leading me buy a new one.
I’m still not sure if I’m supposed to move to Canada, so I’m going to put my house up for sale. If it sells within a week, then that’s God’s sign I should go to Canada.
The fleece-test idea comes fro...

Trump vs. Clinton in America

Plato once made the comment that when Socratesdied his disciples thought that they would have to spend the rest of their lives “as children without the benefit of a parent, and they did not know what to do about it."
In the political Trump vs. Clintoncampaign in America, we need the benefit of a parent.  Who should that be?  We need morality. We don't need hurtful name calling. We need acceptance. We don't need an anything goes free-for-all. We need religion. We don't religion that...

Home is Wherever . . .

Home is wherever I am with you .  I like the modern phraseology of that old saying. Many of us find a sense of "home" at particular addresses among loving, accepting people. Others find "home" in the various communities they are connected to in their journey. But wherever it is for each of us, we all need entry and invitation to some place we can call home.
In one sense, to live without a home is to live the curse of Cain. After Cain murdered his brother, Abel, God spoke to him, saying: "N...

Surrounded by Symbols

In life we are surrounded by symbols.  Some psychologists have even said that the ability to think symbolically is one of the most important things that separate us from animals and make us truly human.

We are equipped with the ability to simplify complicated subjects into single words, gestures and images. Many symbols even have a strong emotional value for us, the flag of our country, for example. Symbols bring out our feelings about our faith. Religious symbols are a way to unite...

Jesus vs. Santa

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