Death and Taxes
Do we have our stuff, or does our stuff have us?
In the twelfth chapter of John, we encounter a story about the permanence of death and poverty.
Mary owns a bottle of perfume that was worth a year’s wages and Judas wants it for himself. The perfume doesn’t own Mary, but it seems to own Judas, begging the age-old question; “Do we have our stuff, or does our stuff have us?”
Ryan Phipps is the Senior Minister at Church In Bethesda.
Raised in the church, becoming a pastor was the one thing Ryan vowed he would never do. After spending many years away from faith, he found that for all of its flaws, the church can still occupy a unique place of good in the world if it is willing to evolve with reason and empathy.
Ryan has a special place in his heart for those who have been damaged or disillusioned by the church, and longs to lead those within it toward a more just and generous expression of itself.