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YHWH-Shammah (lesson 3 of 3): The Last Word
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,…
The Great Reversal
Mary’s song is tender, but it’s anything but tame. She sees what almost no one else sees–that God is overturning the world’s assumptions. He lifts up the humble and brings down the self-assured. He keeps his promises fully, beautifully, and in ways no one expects. Her voice becomes the first proclamation of the great reversal that Jesus will embody in his birth, life, death, and resurrection. A lot of people in our church family walk feeling small, unseen, anxious, or…
God Came Near
John says the Word became flesh. Not a philosophy, not a program, not advice from a distance. God stepped into real human life with hunger, tears, vulnerability, and joy. He moved into our neighborhood. He drew near enough to be seen, heard, touched, rejected, and trusted. The birth of Jesus is not about God sending information. It’s about God giving presence. Jesus reveals what God is actually like, not through spectacle but through compassion, humility, and self-giving love. And he…
When Heaven Opens
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them,…
Another King, Jesus
When Paul and Silas preached in Thessalonica, their message caused an uproar. The people accused them of “turning the world upside down” by proclaiming another King—Jesus. They were right. The gospel they preached was not simply advice about how to be forgiven; it was an announcement that the true King had come. In Acts 17, Paul isn’t inviting people to make Jesus part of their lives. He’s declaring that Jesus already reigns. His resurrection proves that God’s kingdom has broken…
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…