THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 98 “Let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.” (Psalm 98:9) In my experience, talk about the coming Judge did not elicit songs of praise. We were warned that the Judge was angry, and would only pardon the penitent. The Judge was not our friend but a…
Is faith disconnected from everyday life?
In Robert Banks’s groundbreaking book, Redeeming the Routines, he identifies the enormous gap between belief and everyday life. He points out that this gap shows up in ten worrying ways: Few of us apply or know how to apply our belief to our work, or lack of work. We only make minimal connections between our…
Hungry to hear His Voice!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Jeremiah 14-15 “When your words came, I ate them.” (Jeremiah 15:16) In this book, sometimes God speaks to Israel, and sometimes to Jeremiah. In this verse Jeremiah is complaining to God about his own struggle. He recalls how he responded when God first called him: he ate His words up. This expression describes…
God’s plan for our happiness!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Jeremiah 11-13 “Obey me… and you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Jeremiah 11:4) In some ways, God sounds like a bully: obey me or else! But context matters, and the context here is a corrupt, messed up world. Slavery, violence, injustice, perversion, murder… these were normal and common….
Punctuation matters
This is beyond me!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:27-40 “Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.” (Luke 20:36) Death is such a ‘normal’ part of life for us, we cannot imagine no death. We know and are learning many things about this life. But the life that follows the final resurrection is beyond our…
The best citizens of all!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:20-26 “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Luke 20:25) Jesus did not advance the kingdom of God by advocating rebellion or revolution. Caesars were unrighteous leaders, but they were God-appointed. (Romans 13:1-2) Our focus should not be to displace governments, but to demonstrate goodness. We need…
What kind of tenant am I?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:9-19 “So they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.” (Luke 20:10) Jesus uses this parable to describe how God set up the kingdom of this world. God is the creator, and the owner, and we are the entrusted tenants or stewards. God wants to share the blessings with…
Trusting God with our questions!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 20:1-8 “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Luke 20:8) Why doesn’t Jesus answer their question, why is He evasive? His response reveals something about God for us as well. Jesus senses that they are not seeking wisdom or genuine understanding. They are on the attack,…
To actually see God’s glory!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 97 “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.” (Psalm 97:6) If we look upwards, we see (with limited sight) a vast universe. The depth and mystery of the ‘heavens’ reveal something awesome and glorious. I’ve always been struck when experts say that the universe is expanding. My response…