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Studies in Revelation: Standing Against Compromise
The temptation to assimilate to one’s culture has always been strong, hasn’t it? God’s most frequent warning to Israel as they approached Canaan was for them to take drastic measures to avoid embracing the idol worship of the inhabitants of the land (a warning they largely ignored). And the church is no different. So many times over the years the church has looked more like its surrounding culture than it’s been what God called it to be: “a chosen race, a…
Studies in Revelation: Faithful Unto Death
I’ve often wondered what it would say if we had the privilege of reading a letter that Paul, John, or Peter wrote to our congregation. Even more interesting, though, would be reading a letter from Jesus. It would likely include elements of the letters that he sent to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) near the end of the first century, and recorded in the second and third chapters of Revelation. Probably, what these churches were doing poorly and what…
Studies in Revelation: Your First Love
I’ve often wondered what it would say if we had the privilege of reading a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to our congregation. Even more interesting, though, would be reading a letter from Jesus. It would likely include elements of the letters that he sent to seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) near the end of the first century, and recorded in the second and third chapters of Revelation. Probably, what these churches were doing poorly and what they…
A Non-Anxious Presence
This message isn’t going to be an exegesis of the text above, but rather a consideration of different texts that focus on the need for what people in recent years have been calling a “non-anxious presence.” It’s a state of mind that gives people a spirit of calm and confidence even in the midst of the chaos around them. Sort of like someone who can sleep in a boat in the middle of a raging storm. It wouldn’t have been…
Faith Beyond Borders
You’re probably aware of the animosity the Jews had for their Roman occupiers, so something in this passage immediately jumps out. This centurion–a daily visual reminder of Rome’s presence–has the kind of relationship with the Jews that several Jewish elders willingly went to Jesus to plead on his behalf. “He is worthy,” they said, which is incredible. Worthy? Really? A Roman centurion? They were obviously impressed with him, and so was Jesus. Luke tells us that “Jesus . . .…
Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory
Jesus seems to have been determined to let people know that he wasn’t interested in a certain kind of power. In the text above, he directly rebuffs Satan’s attempt to lure him into bypassing the suffering that lay ahead for the immediacy of some kind of political position with all of its trappings. After one particularly notable miracle, the people wanted to make Jesus their king, a lifelong dream for many would-be rulers. Jesus quickly fled the area to spend…
“I Am With You”: God’s Unwavering Presence
I think most of us probably engage in some sort of reflection as we end one year and start another. There’s the inevitable “I can’t believe another year has passed” thought, as well as the sometimes fretful or perhaps hopeful anticipation of flipping the calendar to another year. This year I’ll lose the weight and keep it off. This year I’ll start an exercise program that I’ll stick to. This year I’ll get my finances in order. This year I’ll…
My Dysfunctional Family
Following Jesus is both wonderful and hard. It’s hard because he leads us to confront aspects of ourselves that we don’t like and that we struggle to overcome. But it’s beautiful because he gives us the resources to overcome whatever’s holding us back. One thing we learn from the biblical Story is God’s patience as he works with his covenant people. We sometimes tend to idolize Abraham for his faith, but we might forget that he was an incredibly flawed…
Parenting With a Purpose: Shaping Your Child’s Heart
When you have children, you have ideas about what you want them to be like as they grow up. Depending on what’s important to you–or in some cases, unfulfilled dreams in your own life–you point them in certain directions. You might hope that they’ll be a gifted, dedicated athlete who gets a full ride to college. Or you want them to be brilliant academically, breezing through school with a perfect GPA and high test scores and the consequent college acceptance letters.…
Parenting With a Purpose: Obedience, Discipline, and Instruction
We’ve all witnessed a child’s atrocious behavior in a public place and thought critical thoughts about his parents’ lack of ability to “control their child.” And, to be honest, we’ve all probably been the parents of a child who publicly (and embarrassingly) acts as if she has never learned what “no” means (though we’ve taught her many, many times . . .). How do parents get their children to behave? How do we teach them to respect boundaries, control their…
The Problem of Others: “The Woman You Gave Me”
A few weeks back we looked at how our view of God changed in Genesis 3, and a week later we reflected on how our view of self changed. But that’s not all. In Adam’s “defense” to God in the Scripture reading above, you see a hint of how our view of others changed as well. “The woman you gave me . . .” No longer are they allies and partners; now she’s the “other,” the enemy, the one to blame. It’s…
Born Again
The phrase “born-again Christian” has become a fairly common phrase in the English-speaking world, particularly in America. It’s often used pejoratively to describe a particular flavor of Christianity . . . one characterized by emotional conversion experiences and usually accompanied by an especially conservative outlook on life. A “born-again Christian,” in other words, is someone outside the mainstream of “normal” American culture. For Jesus, the phrase itself would be confusing. For him, if you’re born again, you’re a Christian, and…