In today’s lectionary reading, Jesus sends out the Twelve to expand his ministry. He gives them instructions that remain relevant for all of us who are “sent out” into the world to join the risen Christ in his mission. It is Jesus’s heart that drives the mission, for he looks upon the “harassed and helpless” crowds and refuses to condemn or berate,…
Wednesday’s Through the Bible Study is now live and streaming. The passage we are studying includes my favorite verse in Scripture: “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit”…
Trinity Sunday is the climax to our reliving the Gospel story in the church calendar for a reason. All we discover in the revelation of God in Christ is meant to reshape and reform our understanding of God in a profoundly new and wondrous way. The Trinity is mind-numbing if only approached intellectually, but the Trinity is heart-expanding if approached relationally.
Though we often think of “pentecostal” as a religious movement that began in the early 1900s that is characterized by ecstatic worship, miracles, and healings, I invite you in this message to understand that we are all “pentecostal” because of our connection to the events of Pentecost which formed the Church. The strange and unique events of Pentecost reveal much concerning who…
Wednesday’s “Through the Bible” Study is now online and streaming. Grateful that his “Letter of Tears” was positively received by the Corinthian community and the trouble-maker had been disciplined, Paul now encourages the Corinthians to forgive the trouble-maker and welcome him back, so that he’s not “overwhelmed with sorrow”. He then defends his apostolic authority by speaking of his integrity, and calling…
Luke’s sequel to his Gospel – the Acts of the Apostles – begins with the final act of Jesus’s earthly ministry. The Risen Lord gives instruction and words of commission, and then ascends into heaven. Though Jesus goes “up”, he does not go away. He ascends but is not absent. Instead he is powerfully present in a new transcendent way – a…
Wednesday’s “Thru the Bible” Study is now online and streaming. In today’s reading, the Apostle Paul feels compelled to defend his decision to delay his visit to Corinth since their are strong voices in Corinth accusing Paul of fickleness and untrustworthiness. Paul writes honestly about how he had to make difficult decisions that he hoped would demonstrate his love to the Corinthians…
In this story from Acts, Paul witnesses of his faith in the intellectual center of Athens. Paul accommodates his message to this unique setting by commending his listener’s spiritual curiosity, finding common ground, and speaking of God’s revelation in Christ. Though the idolatry of the city outrages him, Paul speaks with great grace and respect toward his listeners, providing a model for…
With his credibility in question by the new “super-apostles”, Paul writes a painful letter to encourage the Corinthians that in spite of his physical weakness, poor rhetorical skills, and emotional troubles, he remains a legitimate apostle who is simply sharing “the sufferings of Christ”. In his opening to the letter, he writes of a specific situation that pressed his faith to the…
Easter 5 Service is now online and streaming. The Apostle Peter admonishes a suffering church community to embody the truth that they are “living stones” in God’s “spiritual house”. To this end he encourages them to nurture an appetite for spiritual growth so they can “grow together” into the truth that they are God’s people in the world. “Living stones” should be…