The Bread of Life II (John 6:35, 41-51)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. Last week we talked about Jesus being the bread of life. Jesus was trying to show those around him that they were working for the favor of others. The hole they felt — the sense of not belonging — could only be permanently filled by God’s love, the bread of life. Read more...
The Lie of Absence
To be a Christian often means living in the undefined spaces of tension between things that together cannot be true and yet are. Take today for an example. In the Christian calendar, today is the seventh Sunday of Easter and the first Sunday after Ascension. Also today, many Christians in the United States will reflect upon the lives lost over the centuries by the United States Armed Forces as a church prelude to Memorial Day on tomorrow. Read more...
Luke 24:1-12; Unspoken Expectations
Whether we realize it or not we all have expectations. When a football player enters the end-zone after a game-changing interception we expect a big team celebration. Presidential candidates are expected to kiss babies. When an application gets updated on your phone you expect new features and a new look. These and so many of the expectations of our daily lives are unspoken. No one really notices they even exist until they are not met. Read more...
Exegesis on Luke 24:1-12
Mary Magdalene and the other women disciples with her had followed the dead body of their Rabbi from the foot of the cross to the tomb on that Friday. On the Sabbath they mourned the loss of their great friend and teacher and prepared for the task of making Jesus' body ready for burial at the new week. Early the first Sunday morning after the death of Jesus Mary expected to find the tortured body of her great mentor. Read more...
The Unexpected God
If I were to ask someone on the street to describe what a god was like what answers do you think I would get? Powerful, Can do whatever he or she wants, All seeing, Mighty, All knowing, King, Sovereign, Clothed in glory, Surrounded by angels, Supreme, etc. I think the term god makes people think back to the Greek gods of Mt. Olympus or the Norse gods of Valhalla. Read more...
