1 Peter 1:13-25 Yesterday, I lamented the temporal condition in which I find myself: that the fullness of life and glory and joy lie in the future, while I lie here in the burdened present. But I’m O.K. I made my peace with it. By faith, I understand what glory God has in store for us and how that can be united with our suffering below. By faith, I see the God I cannot see, even now. But today is... Read more
1 Peter 1:1-12 “Blessed are those that have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). What? What’s John 20 doing here in a meditation on 1 Peter1? Is it so surprising that John and Peter (2 of the inner group of 3 disciples) should converse with each other? “Blessed are those that have not seen and yet have believed.” 1 Peter 1 is filled with delicious (because the Bread of Life is sandwiched in these verses) tensions and ironies... Read more
John 21:15-25 Jesus is saying to you, the moment of your reading this: “_____________ (insert your name), do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord” you say, “you know that I love You.” I’m a little hurt that He would ask me. He’s supposed to know all things, and I know that I love Him. The question hurts, but because it is Jesus, my Lord, asking, I am willing to consider the question anyway. Just as I think that’s... Read more
John 21:1-14 “Come and eat breakfast,” Jesus said to His disciples. And this is His word to you today as well. “Come and break your fast from my presence and come back to me so that you might be fed and have life again.” But of course Jesus didn’t come right out and say this, not at the beginning of His encounter with the disciples. Before Jesus came to His disciples and fed them, the disciples went out to go... Read more
“Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). That’s us: we have not seen Jesus Christ in the flesh, and yet we believe. If this is true for you today, then you are blessed! And yet how often are we like St. Thomas after all. How often we have witnessed the testimony of Jesus Christ in our lives and yet seem unable to see Him. How often do we believe, and yet we don’t believe?... Read more
John 20:19-23 I might as well admit it right now: I’m secretly a 32nd degree Chicken. If you’ve seen the back of my car, you might have noticed the telltale logo: a bird awkwardly running away from perceived danger. Some men are born fearless: either that, or just plain stupid. It seems as if nothing intimidates them and there isn’t any challenge they aren’t willing to take on. Not me. I’m not exactly a Barney Fife character, and to some... Read more
John 20:11-18 What is it with these Marys and their devotion to Jesus? There is Mary, His mother, of course, who treasured the things concerning Him in her heart. There is Mary of Bethany who takes a jar of expensive perfume to anoint His feet with her hair and who sits at His feet when Martha is worried about serving. And now there is Mary of Magdalene. Having experienced the same things as the disciples did, we find two very... Read more
John 20:1-10 What a joyful occasion is Easter: the high point of the Church year – the high point of our lives! And yet because we are mere humans, weak and sinful, there is a temptation to let Easter pass by one more year without it changing us in any way. I therefore challenge you this morning – that today, this Easter, this celebration of the Resurrection of your Lord, Jesus Christ, that you do not leave His presence... Read more
Romans 6:3-11 Our individual identity is something very precious to each of us. Unfortunately, in our culture we find that often people don’t know who they are. So they try counseling and alternative lifestyles. They change hair and clothing styles. Tattoos and body piercings are also attempts to create an identity. Jackie’s favorite channel on TV (which she rarely watches) is the TLC channel. In a way, Trading Spaces, her favorite show, is about identity. Makeover shows are reminders that... Read more
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Wednesday of 1st Sunday after Easter – 1 Peter 2:1-10
1 Peter 2:1-10 “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” I had a dream once in which I was in a great outdoor library located next door to a Putt Putt golf course. Some of the books in this library were very thick, a foot wide and hollow inside, containing a variety of foods like macaroni and cheese and baked beans. ... Read more