Turn The Other Cheek, or, Wait for God to Get ‘em!

The title sounds a bit vindictive. For the most part it's meant to be a bit tongue in cheek. However, there is some relevance to the meaning of the title. We will look at that a bit later. But for now, we will be looking at Luke 6:27-38: 27 “But to you who are listening …

Rich, Young, and Disappointed

Today, we will be looking at Mark 10:17-31, where Jesus has a conversation with a rich young ruler. The young man approached Jesus with the question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We will interact with this exchange to gain some insight to the situation and how it may apply to us today. …

Cut That Out

Jesus was known for saying some interesting things. In John 6:54, Jesus informed his listeners that his followers must eat his flesh and drink his blood. Matthew 5:11-12, rejoice when you are persecuted. Needless to say, Jesus wasn't shy of using what we perceive as strong language. We live in a strange world today. On …

From the Mouth of Babes

Children are an important part of our culture. In a recent study (October 2017), the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health reported that there is a shortage of children who will grow to become contributors to society and take care of the aging Baby Boomers. The report says we need to invest in the future …

Declaration, Deterrent, and Determination

Our passage today comes from Mark 8:27-38. In this passage, Jesus takes his disciples on a field trip to one of the most corrupt areas in Israel, Caesarea Philippi. According to historians, Caesarea Philippi was located near the city of Dan in the northern part of Israel. The location housed the temple built by Herod …

Not For You, Yet.

Our perceptions of Jesus is that he is perfect and can do no wrong. I don't have a problem with that, except with our interpretation of what 'wrong' may mean. I once heard a speaker ask the question, "Do you think Jesus' parents ever spanked him?" Of course we all answered in the negative. However, …

From the Inside Out

The passage I will be looking at today is found in Mark 7:1-23. Here, Jesus and his disciples are being watched by Pharisees while they eat. We’re not told if Jesus and his disciples were eating in a house or elsewhere. Nonetheless, the Pharisees gathered around them with what sounded like a concern. It’s not …

The Proof is in the Pudding (or broiled fish)

Proof is a big word in academics. As an academic, we want to be careful not to overuse the word proof. In many cases we want to discover, evaluate, review, discuss, provide evidence. But, proof is another thing all together. You can pick up two articles that address the same phenomena and the two articles …

What’s New with You?

After a night of sleep, I wake up and am sometimes surprised by my own breath.  I brush my teeth.  I gargle.  But, for some reason, my breath in the morning does not concur.  It feels anything but new. If you follow lectionary readings the gospel reading for this weekend, April 11, is John 20:19-31.  …

On the Third Day?

On the third day, redemption came, Jesus was raised from the dead.