According to Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae, this new Church, these new followers (first called “Christians” in Acts 11:26), are God’s own, chosen people. In Heartsong a few years ago, I remembered surprising Chris Hyder one Sunday by asking her to help me with a children’s sermon. I...
There are a number of images and references to the holy right hand/throne of God, a place where the Son of God reigns in the heavenly places. (see Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 26:64 as examples). When God in any form (Father, Son, or Holy Spirit) is pictured seated, it...
“…Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him; and He vanished out of their sight…” (Luke 24:31) We ask often, usually after a catastrophe, “Why is it that we have to have a terrible thing happen in order to bring people together?” It’s a good question. While serving the...
According to Matthew’s account of the resurrection, the two Mary’s who went to the tomb that Sunday morning experienced an earthquake, unexpectedly discovered the stone over Jesus’ tomb removed, met an angel, and were told by this strange apparition that the Lord has been raised! That might just be too...
Bread and Wine; Flesh and Blood “…for this is the blood of the covenant…” (Matthew 26:28) On Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Easter Vigil, and Easter morning, we will offer bread and wine, reminding us of all that Christ has done for us. Bread is His body, one that was stretched...
“Remember your creator…” Ecclesiastes 12:1 – Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” In the new movie, “Noah,” critics have said that God is never mentioned. However, Noah...
When we say each week in the Apostles’ Creed, that Jesus “…descended to the dead…” (where we used to say “…descended to hell…” it means the same thing), for those who struggle with such a thought, we have an answer. This phrase (which gets its foundation from I Peter 3:18-19;...
This Sunday we have a very long Gospel (John 4:5-42). It’s long but it is a beautiful story, worth every word! It’s a story of a rather mismatched pair of people, mismatched because their meeting and conversation should not have ever happened. It was a meeting between a rabbi and...