From the Pastor: Love, Suffering, Grief, and Joy: The Last Four Days of Holy Week
If you were asked to associate one word each for the four days from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, what would those four words be? For me, they are as follows: Maundy Thursday – Love A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. –John 13:34 Jesus’ new commandment is intended for the disciples’ welfare, for them to enjoy lives of meaning and purpose. In his ministry, he gives us a model
From the Pastor: The Logic of the Resurrection: What It Is and What It Does
The central features of the New Testament message are Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection was the announcement that death no longer reigns over us—the very worst thing that can happen to us has been defeated and overruled. And that same power that operated to raise Jesus’ physical body from the tomb on Easter morning is operating this very day to bring dead things back to life: dead dreams, dead careers, dead marriages, and dead hopes. And we’re not going
What If We Lose Everything?
I heard on the news about a man who spent his life building up three restaurants in New York City, and who could easily lose his business and everything he has because (except for take outs and deliveries) his restaurants have been shut down. Another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, this is not some rare exception. Many, personally, professionally, and economically, stand to lose everything they’ve sacrificed for, and built up, over a lifetime. Rich, middle class, and day
Is God Involved in the Coronavirus Pandemic?
This current pandemic raises all kinds of questions about God: his will, his sovereignty, and his character. Did God cause it, did he merely allow it, or is it just pure evil, nothing but an attack of Satan in which God was, and is, entirely uninvolved? Well, I’ve heard all three explanations. These questions go right to the heart of the Bible’s presentation of God. How we answer them will show whether or not our thinking is in line with Scripture. First,
Know God? No Fear! Facing A Pandemic with Faith
These are extraordinary times. The Coronavirus pandemic is about the only thing being talked about or reported in the news. No more stories of conspiracies or political correctness. No, these things are not preoccupying the minds of many. People around the world are watching daily updates about this horrendous disease and taking the most extreme steps to avoid it, and much of the world is in lockdown because of it. But we have yet to see its full impact. People are afraid.
Theology Matters: What About the “Other Gospels?”
Over the years, I’ve watched as the attacks on Christian faith have moved from one front to another. When one objection is met and disposed of by counter evidence, another soon follows. These challenges arise first in the universities, and then trickle down into the media (“breaking news”), popular documentaries, and the like. One of the most popular today is the claim that the Church has deliberately ignored, or by “conspiracy” hidden, the fact that there were many other gospels written
Throwing Cold Water: Some Days It’s Difficult to Tell the Christian from the Non
A friend of mine said, “I know that we're supposed to go to church because when coals get separated, they grow cold alone. But when I take my little fire to church someone always throws cold water on it.” He stopped attending because every time he went he would return home more discouraged and lonely than before. Someone always threw water on his fire! Sound familiar? I hear this pretty often. Have you ever wondered whether something you might have said
Ash Wednesday: Mercy and Grace
The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. -Daniel 9:9 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? -Romans 2:4 There’s no other place except in God’s character where both perfect justice and perfect mercy are balanced. We can’t try to measure his grace and mercy, or any other part of his personality, by our standards or experience—there is no other example
How to Move Away from Guilt, Shame, and Regrets
Have you ever heard someone, or yourself, say, How can I be happy when I’m so ashamed of the things I’ve done? Regret is one of the spoilers that plays such a vital role in our lives. It is also based on a misunderstanding of a compassionate God and Father. There are people for whom happiness is a virtual impossibility because their lives are filled with regret and shame. For such a person, much of their inner life is occupied with rehearsing
Make Love Your Aim: Today, Tomorrow, and Always!
Love is patient, kind, never jealous, boastful, arrogant, or rude. It never insists on its own way, is not irritable, pouty, or peevish. Love is never resentful, and so much more (Read the entire 1 Corinthians 13). But what if things don't go our way? What then? Think about it: at first the call to love appears simple. But usually by the time we get to the end of the catalogue of what love implies it becomes pretty obvious that whatever we
