On Tyranny: The Christian Responsibility to Resist

A Martin Luther King Jr Day lecture by the Reverend Dr. Chris Erdman, Davis Community Church, Davis, California. January 17, 2022

1. Tyranny and Resistance

Tonight, one of my goals is to introduce you to the relatively new book by Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” I’m not going to teach the book but rather to try to inspire you to read it and use it in the months and years to come so that we can do what Christians have often found themselves doing in the past—resisting those who have consolidated power in the few and often violently enforced their version of life on the many. Many of you already have the book. Some of you have just purchased it. Others will buy it. But I don’t want you just to buy or read it; I want you to do something with it. Tyranny is on the rise again in our world, and it must be opposed. But it must be opposed wisely, creatively, and energetically. . . .

"The Glorious Opportunity" | The roots of Martin Luther King's vision in Isaiah and the Gospel of John

The “steadfast love” of God is a central theme in the Bible. Meditating on God’s “steadfast love” anchored our ancestors whenever chaos, terror, and insecurity intruded. It can comfort us now when things feel unstable and unpredictable. Today’s readings invite us not only to receive the abundant and steadfast love of God, but to love steadfastly and abundantly, letting God’s love flow to us and through us.

On this weekend, the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr invites us to carry forward a shared dream for a society that is just, equitable, and inclusive. Let us as we gather for worship, set an intention to let God’s love flow to us and through us so that all may thrive. “The Glorious Opportunity” is based on Psalm 36:5-10 and John 2.1-11, and preached on January 16, 2022.

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A long time ago, someone prayed the words of today’s psalm:

“Your righteousness, O God, is like the mighty mountains.”

Despite the challenges they and their world faced at the time . . .

Comfort and challenge: ways to foster spiritual resilience in the midst of the pandemic

How do we move through this prolongated pandemic along with all the other challenges we face? How can we avoid growing pessimistic or becoming paralyzed? Is there a way to remain connected, energetic, and optimistic in the face of it all. In this sermon, based on Isaiah 43.1-7 and Revelation 1.12-18, I explore the way the perspective we bring affects our experiences and the way we engage the world around us.

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This last week, at the dawn of the New Year, America was hit with a million new Covid cases in a single day. That’s a record. That a million people a day reported being Covid positive doesn’t mean that all of them are sick. But a lot of them are, and a lot more will be.

I’m not being alarmist, not interested in stirring up fear or anxiety. But I am interested in being clear and honest about the reality we face these days—not only with Covid 19, but with the handful of other major crises we face—and I’m interested, pastorally, in helping us live well in spite of them. . . .

"It's a Wonderful Life" | the unsentimental power of Christmas for our pandemic lives

People everywhere are reaching for hope, something firm to stand on. Christmas is so much more than wishing for a better world; it’s a symbol of the universal nature of wonder that can transform our lives, brining us hope, meaning, and purpose. The Christmas Eve sermon (2021) is based on Isaiah 9.2-7 and Luke 2.8-20. I also explore than unsentimental gifts of the Christmas classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and what it shows us about living through this pandemic.

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The poetry of Isaiah and the prose of Luke are examples of ways these ancient writers tried to help their people find hope, feel some sense of wonder, and taste a little joy despite the hard times they were living through.

That’s what Christmas aims to do for us tonight and in the days ahead. It’s what Christmas has tried to do for a lot of people facing a lot of challenges throughout the course of history. . . .

The Banality of Christmas: Where you'll find God may surprise you

Christmas is about so much more than the birth of Jesus long ago. It’s about where we will find God today. And where we’ll find God today may be quite surprising to many religious people. God is so much closer than we think. Here’s a sermon based on Micah 5.2-5a and 1 John 4.7-12. Offered for the Fourth week of Advent, 2021

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“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,” says the prophet Micah, “you, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient of days.”

The prophet says that Bethlehem is the place where God planned to do something new, something good, something helpful and healing for all people. . . .