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Feast of Feasts
Agape Feast, early Christian catacomb artwork I have to be careful what I eat, particularly where carbohydrates are concerned. When I cut back on breads and sugar, I lose weight; when I eat them the...
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Life Inside the Gate
Luke 19:29-40 Declaring Jesus king is easy when we’re outside the city gate, marveling at the signs and wonders we have seen, cheering with a like-minded crowd. The hard part is doing the same inside...
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A Crucial Question
Luke 24:1-12 If two angels ask a question, it is a question worth pondering. The question comes as part of the angelic announcement that Jesus is risen from the dead, his body remade to be...
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Doubts
John 20:19-31 What is doubt? And what is doubt’s antidote? In the 20th chapter of John, beginning at the 19th verse, we find the story of Jesus appearing to a terrified band of disciples. Mary...
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What Went Up
When we think of what Jesus accomplished for our benefit, the concept of his ascension into heaven often vanishes behind the darkness of his crucifixion or the brilliant life-giving light of his...
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Four Parts of Worship: Celebrate!
So, we’ve talked about what it means to gather ourselves in search of God, and we’ve talked about how God is consistently revealed in Scripture. What is an appropriate response to God’s presence? A...
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Four Parts of Worship: Sending Forth
Matthew 28:1-10 At the end of each worship service, I “send us forth,” to use the language of fourfold worship. The obvious question is, “Send us forth to what?” The answer, of course, lies in the word...
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Letting Go of the Locust Years
If you’re going to hear from prophets past or present, there are three overarching messages they’ll use repeatedly. Understand these broad concepts, and you’ll understand how prophecy remains relevant...
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What We See, What We Say
It’s Easter. Let’s hear the story again—how about the account in the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John? This story is the core of our faith. To a Christian, this story is everything: proof that...
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A Very High Price
El Greco, “Christum am Kreuz,” c. 1578, oil on copper, via Wikimedia Commons 1 Peter 1:17-23 What is salvation worth? Strictly in terms of what it costs us, salvation is worth very little. In fact,...
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Forgetting Easter
Several years ago, back when I could easily call myself a young adult, I awoke after sleeping in one Sunday morning and went about my usual routine. I ate a late breakfast, watched television on the...
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A Curse Reversed
Mark 16:1-8 Many scholars think the original version of the Gospel of Mark ends with its three women witnesses to the resurrection fleeing from the empty tomb. “And they said nothing to anyone, for...
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The Cure for Doubt
John 20:19-31 Nonbelievers aren’t the only ones with doubts. People who call themselves Christian sometimes have doubts about Jesus, the resurrection, and how it all applies to them. It’s not...
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Walking with Jesus
Luke 24:13-35 The seven-mile-long walk home to Emmaus from Jerusalem must have seemed daunting for two weary travelers, one known as Cleopas. They had been in the city as it went into an uproar over...
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A Beach Moment
There are stories in the Bible so powerful that I find it daunting to elaborate on them in any way. To do so is like standing in a gallery before a beautiful painting and breaking the holy silence by...
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A Temporary Goodbye
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Many of us who are Methodists make this statement every...
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The Long Arm of the Lord
John 6:24-35 Today is a communion Sunday. In just a little while, we will share some bread and some grape juice, and in doing so we are supposed to be drawn into the mystery of God’s work in the world....
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Visiting Graves
John 11:32-44 I am a big Star Trek fan. As a pastor and preacher, I am aware others may not share my love of these shows, so I put severe limits on how often I reference Star Trek in conversation, and...
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What Perplexes Angels
Luke 24:1-12 In Luke’s version of the discovery of Christ’s resurrection, there are two “men” waiting at the tomb to announce that Christ has risen from the dead. I place “men” in quotation marks for a...
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Seeing Christ in Full
This is the first in an Easter season series on Revelation. Revelation 1:4-8 When I was in seminary, one of my pastoral duties was to provide support for a very large assisted-living apartment complex...
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