Jesus’ To-Do List…or Yours?
It doesn’t seem like a hard question to answer, does it? Is God’s to-do list more important than your to-do list? That’s what we call a no-brainer, right? Not so fast. In the midst of ...
“Rich, I Have Something to Tell You!”
So says the Savior in next Sunday’s gospel (Luke 7:36-50). Simon, of course, was sure he grasped what was shameful. A notorious sinner was perpetrating a home invasion on his property. There she was, a ...
Opposed…But Not Alone!
“They have had too much wine” (Acts 2:13). So has it always gone when the gracious testimony to the kingdom of God strikes the eyes, ears, and hearts of the world. As it was from ...
(In)Vulnerable Sheep
“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). In the second lesson for this Good ...
May This Never Be!
“May this never be!” Such was the horrified response to the bloody end of Jesus’ parable of the tenants (Luke 20:9-19). The hearers had heard a parable about tenant-farmers turned terrorist-squatters. The vineyard owner had ...
“Devil, You Lie!”
Dear Brothers, What a contrast in every direction! Led by the Spirit, as the second Adam strode out onto the battlefield of temptation to face the father of lies, what a contrast it was to ...
The Glory of God’s Gracious Love for Us…in Small Things!
Dear Brothers, If the goal of Jesus’ first miracle was to create some buzz, then Jesus should have fired his publicist. The location of the miracle was in a town so small that John feels ...
Out of the Depths Comes…Great Rejoicing!
Dear Brothers, The upcoming Sunday bears the name Gaudete (Rejoice)! Like small children peeking at their brightly wrapped presents, this Sunday is a mini-Christmas celebration in the midst of Advent preparation. Are you searching for ...
Which Angels Have the Most Glorious Task?
Dear Brothers, All week, as is the custom of our chapel, the seminary family relives day by day the lessons of the previous Sunday. On Tuesday morning, here was the first stanza of the hymn ...
No Loopholes. Just Blessings!
Weary no doubt from dealing with challenging and messy marriage situations in his congregation, my long-ago-sainted father was heard to quip that dealing with such situations in Old Testament times surely must have been much ...