Taking the Lord’s Name in Vain Sermon Series – Resisting Christian Nationalism References to Christian Nationalism have been part of public conversations for a few years now. But what is it? How did it become so prominent in some parts of the Church? And what can we do to resist the harm Christian Nationalism does to the Gospel and to…
Here, There, or Everywhere? Seventh Sunday of Easter The Ascension of Christ might raise a lot of questions of physics, biology, and history. But underneath these intriguing questions is a core truth of our faith – what we once experienced in Jesus of Nazareth is now a universal truth. The wandering Galilean rabbi has now become Lord of all. How…
All Things New: Fifth Sunday of Easter We often think that the goal of our Christian faith is to get ourselves to heaven. Would you be surprised to know that God’s final goal is just the opposite – to bring heaven to earth? The Revelation to John is filled with strange symbols and imagery, but it’s message is clear: God’s…
A Holy (Holy, Holy) Vision: Easter 4 We don’t dig into Revelation too often – but it’s a potent vision for what God wills for us, and can invigorate our ideas about what it means to be the Church. One of the extraordinary moments of John’s vision: the multitude of faithful, from every nation, race, and language, gathered together in…
Restoring All Things The story of the restoration of Peter is a subtle, profound reflection on the gracious nature of Christ – the disciple who denies Jesus is restored in love. This is, of course, the very nature of the whole of Christ’s ministry. Christ’s restoration of Peter is our own story and Christ’s imperative to Peter is ours as…
Not Like We Imagine As we begin Holy Week, we join the procession as Jesus enters Jerusalem. We know this story well – the crowds of children singing and praising God, the palm branches waving, the celebration of the coming triumph of Christ. But, as with many stories of Scripture, this one may not have been like we imagine. And…
POV The parable of the forgiving father (usually called the ‘Prodigal Son’) is a lesson in God’s gracious forgiveness and reconciliation. We know that story – the son who runs away and slinks back home, destitute, and the father who runs to greet him an restore him to the family. But the story ends with another character – the brother…
Could & Should The prophet Isaiah reminds the people of Israel what can and will be – that God is moving to bring the fullness of life to the people. Jesus uses a strange illustration about a fig tree to remind his disciples of God’s sustaining grace. And in the midst of trials and tribulations, we are reminded that it…
Who You Truly Are The strange story of Jesus’ transfiguration might best be understood as a revelation – Jesus is not transformed into something new, but is revealed in the fullness of his divinity. The revelation of Jesus’ nature also points us to an understanding of what spiritual growth is – a revelation of who we truly are. Read Luke…
To Love, to Resist Jesus tells us to love our enemies. But does that mean to sit passively as they do harm to us and our neighbors? Or is Jesus inviting us to see a new way of living with our opponents? How are Christians called to confront the wrongs of this world with love? Read Luke 6:27-38 and Genesis 45:3-11,…
Hooray! (Oh…uh oh.) Hooray! (Oh… uh oh.) We love the blessings of God! And we love the stories of God raising up the outcast, and casting down the haughty. But what happens when we’re on the wrong side of the upside down Kingdom? What happens when Jesus speaks woe to us instead of blessings? Is there mercy for the villains…
Here We Are, Lord When we think of ‘call stories’ we might think of individuals called by God to a particular purpose – the prophets of the Hebrews, people called to a religious vocation, or maybe a story of personal salvation. And indeed, there is an abundance of these stories. But we often miss the fact that every individual call…