Matthew 9:36-10:15 When I was a kid, one of the shows we loved to watch together as a family was Mission: Impossible. We loved the way that the Impossible Mission Force were always in some Eastern European country in which they used fake Eastern European accents and there were always vehicles on them that said “Statz Polizei,” or State Police. We loved the way that everything was choreographed perfectly, down to the mandatory latex mask one of them would use... Read more
Matthew 9:18-35 So many wonderful choices today! Do I want to be a ruler whose daughter is raised from the dead, a woman whose twelve-year flow of blood is healed, a blind man who sight is restored, or a mute and demon-possessed man who is healed? How ‘bout I get to be all of them! In a way, I do, because the point of each of these healings is more about Jesus Christ and who He is revealed to be... Read more
Matthew 9:9-17 A few years ago I was on flight back home from Atlanta to Little Rock and for the first time experienced a flight delay due to mechanical difficulties. My twin brother Danny was with me and has happened to have had experiences like this more commonly, so I thought maybe his bad aeronautic luck rubbed off on me. It turned out that the plane was held up by single screw being loose on one of the wings (which,... Read more
Matthew 9:1-8 It’s curious in today’s passage that Jesus doesn’t just say, as He sometimes says: “Your faith has made you well,” but says instead: “Your sins are forgiven you.” It’s interesting, of course, because in Jesus’ mind there is a connection between the paralysis of this man and his sins. From this, we might understand 3 related points that Jesus wishes us to hear today. First, bodily sickness is caused by spiritual sickness. It’s possible that sometimes our bodily... Read more
Matthew 8:14-27 “Teacher I will follow you wherever You go.” “Lord, let me first go and bury my father. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. That’s who I am. I have many other identities and roles, but this is my most fundamental one: I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. It amazes me that Jesus makes this so clear – that we are His disciples – and yet many, if not most Christians, don’t really see themselves that way. ... Read more
Matthew 8:1-13 Have you ever met someone who had a commanding sense of authority? An authority so great that everyone around silently took notice and responded to the mere physical presence of this person? When I first began my career as a teacher my senior year in college as a student teacher, it became quite clear to me that I did not have It – that indefinable authority that certain teachers seemed to have. I had not yet developed... Read more
Matthew 7:13-29 When I lived in England with my family for 10 months several years ago (to begin my Ph.D. work at Lancaster University), we lived in student housing. We had a family flat, which wasn’t too bad – except that it was on the fourth floor. One of the most memorable experiences, and not a pleasant one, was being woken from a deep sleep at 2 or 4 a.m. by the most piercing, high-volume fire alarm imaginable. On several... Read more
Matthew 7:1-1 God. What does this word mean to you? When you think of God, what are the first images, thoughts, and feelings you experience? What stands out as His most important characteristic? I’ll give you my answers – but no cheating! When I think of “God,” sometimes He is a concept I’ve been taught and believe. I may experience Him as an aloof power. I think of Him as the Almighty Creator who is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. And... Read more
Matthew 6:19-34 “You cannot serve two masters.” You cannot serve both God and wealth, and you cannot serve both God and self. You’ve heard the saying, from old Westerns, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” Well, your life ain’t big enough for 2 opposing masters. So who’s your master? Who are you really serving? There are, basically, 3 choices. Behind door #1 you get Pride: serving self and putting faith in self. Behind door #2... Read more
Matthew 6:1-18 Jesus spoke at length about 3 spiritual disciplines that He assumes His disciples are practicing. These 3 disciplines Jesus preaches on are 3 that have for centuries been a part of Lent, as well as a fundamental part of the Christian life as a whole until the time of the Reformation. Can you name them? They are: 1. almsgiving 2. prayer 3. fasting Prayer, most of us know. But almsgiving is a neglected virtue, and fasting has all... Read more
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