I’ve always thought of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day as a “trilogy” of holidays, as we move from one to another and then quickly to the next. There is also a “trilogy” of Christian holidays that come in quick succession but are much less well known or celebrated: Ascension Day, Pentecost Sunday, and Trinity … Continued
Celebrating Pentecost and the Holy Spirit with the Council of Constantinople
|This Sunday (May 28) is Pentecost Sunday, the day Christians remember that the ascended Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon the church as recorded in Acts 2. The arrival of this holiday has caused me to think about the Holy Spirit this week. Specifically, I’ve been reflecting on the words used to describe the … Continued
Don’t Forget about Ascension Day
|Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection are all important events that Christians talk about and celebrate; however, Jesus’s ascension into heaven is rarely discussed – sometimes either overlooking it completely or treating it like a footnote or epilogue in Jesus’s ministry rather than a pivotal event. Yet, it is mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed and … Continued
Words of the Resurrected Jesus: Comparing Words
|In various conversations after his resurrection, Jesus’s words offer comfort, provide confirmation, present clarification, and serve as a commissioning, but there is one particular incident uniquely recounted in John 21 in which Jesus essentially both invites and restrains comparisons. These “words of comparison” occur in a conversation that Jesus had with Peter after he appeared … Continued
Words of the Resurrected Jesus: Commissioning Words
|As I have read and studied the words spoken by Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection, I discovered a common thread. In addition to offering comfort, confirmation, and clarification, a key focus of Jesus’s teaching is commissioning his disciples. I’ll give a brief overview of these nuances found in the commissioning words found in … Continued
Words of the Resurrected Jesus: Clarifying Words
|After his resurrection, Jesus comforted his forlorn disciples and confirmed to them that his dead and buried body had now come back to life. Jesus also clarified their understanding of the Old Testament and the kingdom of God through the words of his teaching after his resurrection. These clarifications seem less tied to a deficiency … Continued
Words of the Resurrected Jesus: Confirming Words
|In addition to Jesus speaking words of comfort to his disciples, a key theme in the statements that the New Testament records of the resurrected Jesus is confirmation of his bodily resurrection. In these various statements, Jesus makes it clear that his body has truly risen from the grave since it was something that the … Continued
Words of the Resurrected Jesus: Comforting Words
|We often think of Easter as one day, the Sunday we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection from the dead. In this mindset, the “Easter season” includes the weeks we spend preparing for this celebration (both in terms of special events at church as well as holiday preparations at home), and Easter Sunday marks the end of this … Continued
Holy Week 2023 – Jesus’s Holy Week Teachings Part 2 (Olivet Discourse)
|This is the second of two posts examining some of Jesus’s teachings during Holy Week that we often forget about as we jump from Palm Sunday to the Last Supper and the events that follow. Having already examined the series of confrontations between between Jesus and the religious leaders (found in Mark 11:27-12:40 as well … Continued
Jesus’s Teaching During Holy Week – Part 1 (Controversies in Jerusalem)
|This Sunday kicks off what is known in the Christian tradition as Holy Week. It begins with Jesus’s Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminates with his death and resurrection celebrated on Good Friday and Easter Sunday (for a summary of what happens on each day of Holy Week, see this post from … Continued
The Ending of Mark: Verse 8 or Verse 20?
|Most contemporary English Bible translations have a note after Mark 16:8 that says verses 9-20 are not found in some of the earliest manuscripts and thus these verses are in brackets. I was recently asked to explain what this is all about on Faith Church’s Cover to Cover Podcast since we just read through the … Continued
Why Do We Have Creeds and Confessions?
|Faith Church believes that the Bible is the only guide to life, showing us what to believe and how to live. In light of that conviction, one might wonder why our church refers to creeds such as the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed and confessions like the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism in sermons, other … Continued
Obstacles to Organic Outreach
|This past weekend, Faith Church wrapped up our “Follow Jesus Together” sermon series by looking at Organic Outreach – the seventh and final marker of spiritual growth discussed in Kevin and Sherry Harney’s book Organic Disciples. Although organic outreach is a stand alone marker, this practice is actually woven throughout the other markers, as the … Continued
My Favorite Book and My Favorite Quote on Community
|When I was in college, I was introduced to Life Together, a book written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I read it first with a group of students and then led another group of students in an examination of the book. Since then, I have read the book many times and have even used it in some … Continued
Talents and Treasures
|Like many other churches, Faith Church often talks about how following Jesus leads us to give of our “time, talents, and treasures.” There is a sense that the first of the three items – time – differs from the other two in that we all have the same amount of time each day (though different … Continued
Serving From and In Our Weaknesses
|As a young believer, I was taught the importance of discovering my spiritual gifts and/or natural talents and then finding a way to use them to help others. However, during the past few years, I have wondered if the instruction I received (and have passed along as a church leader) regarding serving others in the … Continued
Eating and Drinking to the Glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)
|While we often equate “worship” with singing songs as part of a church gathering (“praise and worship” or “a time of worship”) or with the gathering as a whole (a “worship” service), the Bible speaks of worship as being broader than those activities. We worship when we sing and when we gather together to hear … Continued
Does “Everything” Really Mean “Anything”? (Mark 11:22-24)
|As I studied Jesus’s teaching and practice of prayer in preparing to teach on “Passionate Prayer” as part of our “Follow Jesus Together” sermon series at Faith Church, I was reminded of a passage on prayer that I have always found challenging: Mark 11:22-24. This verse says: Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. … Continued
Engaging the Bible through the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) Translation
|The Bible is how we hear from God and a key element of how we grow and mature as Christians. For centuries, many Christians did not have the opportunity to read the Bible on a daily basis, both because of a lack of literacy and also because the Bible was not written in their native … Continued
Focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
|How do you know if you are growing as a disciple of Jesus? In their book Organic Disciples, Kevin and Sherry Harney answer that question by having us focus on the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. That is, rather than focusing on a certain set of religious behaviors or practices (time spent … Continued
