In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Hebrews 5:12
“José Miranda says of this remarkable prophetic claim: “Yahweh is known only in the human act of achieving justice and compassion for the neighbor.” Such justice and compassion will well up in and through mature materiality. This is now an urgent gospel mandate in a culture that is at work dismissing the claim of the neighbor. It is crucial that the church not collude with that predatory dismissal of the neighbor. Mature materiality is a venture and a passion that refuses the predation of a commoditized society. Mature materiality requires solid food beyond milk on offer for babies.”
Walter Brueggemann in Materiality As Resistance: Five Elements for Moral Action in the Real World (Louisville: WJKP, 2020), 79.
Today marks the last post from this great book. Download it freely here.
Miranda offers a beautiful statement about our God: “Yahweh is known only in the human act of achieving justice and compassion for the neighbor.” Then Brueggemann reminds us that the future of the gospel is at stake.
We have an urgent gospel mandate to live with mature materiality “in a culture that is at work dismissing the claim of the neighbor.” Notice how he continues.
“It is crucial that the church not collude with that predatory dismissal of the neighbor.” What this booked aimed to do was raise our awareness to ways we collude with the culture. We must not do it.
We must refuse “the predation of a commoditized society” And instead demonstrate mature materiality showing we have fed aon the solid food in the Word of God, which nourishes us to teach others how to live, give, serve, and love.
This relates to generosity because it speaks to our role on this round ball called earth. We are not here for ourselves and what we can consume but for God and for showing care to our neighbor.
I have had a nice visit in Florida with my parents. We went on a relaxing boat ride. We got to see a couple alligators and many birds. There’s a gator about three feet long in the middle of the photo in Why do this?
It gave us time to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, and it provided a nice distraction from his recent cancer diagnosis. Then near the end of the day, God moved up his next appointment from 13 October 2025 to 2 October 2025.
We don’t know what the future holds, but we have peace and gratitude in our hearts. And enjoyed the gift of special time together and dinner with three of their neighbors.