JEEsus... and Nadia Bolz-Weber

“God gathers up all our sin, all our broken-ass junk, into God’s own self and transforms all that deal into life.  Jesus takes our crap and exchanges it for his blessedness.”

--Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints

It’s no secret that I love Nadia Bolz-Weber; I’ve been raving about her for a couple of years now.  I’ve given copies of her books to most of my friends and relatives, I quote her regularly, and I call her my theological super-hero.  The thing I love most about her is not her sarcastic wit, her tattoos, or her foul-mouth (though I do enjoy all of those things).  The thing I love about her is her love for Jesus.  She loves Jesus to an embarrassing degree, and not just Jesus, some Jewish rabbi from the first century who may or may not have been born of a virgin and may or may not have been divine and may or may not have been resurrected, not just some historical, non-mystical, progressive, liberal spiritual teacher, but JEEsus!  She talks about the kind of JEEsus save us, the kind that shows up in our darkest hour to light the way, that knocks us down when we are prideful, that lifts us when we have fallen.  She talks about the kind of JEEsus that came to this world to save the sinners, and continues to save them to this day.  She talks about the kind of JEEsus whose grace envelopes us all.

If a person scratches the surface of the tattoos, the sarcastic delivery, and the swearing, he will find an orthodox Lutheran pastor desperately proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord to the world.  Nadia is not challenging traditional theology, overturning traditional liturgy, or questioning traditional Christian beliefs.  Rather, she is challenging us to return to the REAL gospel, of loving our enemies, even those we hate, like Adam Lanza, the man who murdered innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  She is challenging us to confess our deepest sins, not just the sins of addiction and betrayal, but the every-day sins of pettiness and selfishness, in order to feel the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ.  She is challenging us to work for the Kingdom, not because we are holy and wholesome, but because we are all fallen, forgiven, grace-filled sinners that God has chosen to love.

Take up the challenge and see Nadia Bolz-Weber at St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church in Antioch, Illinois on July 16, 2016. Tickets $40 for both morning and afternoon sessions. Buy before Jan. 31 and get a free lunch. http://www.ignatiusantioch.com/calendar-of-events.html