Tag Archives: christianity

The Peace That Transcends All Understanding

peace of god

3rd Sunday of Advent: Phil. 4:4-7

There’s a lot going on in this letter to the Philippians. I think it’s worth a brief overview, because some of the issues being addressed here are universal. If we cherrypick the nice sounding verses, we miss the depth of what Paul’s asking this church to do.

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Pure and Blameless

blameless

2nd Sunday of Advent: Phil. 1:3-11

Paul’s letter to the Philippians has a similar tone to his letter to the Thessalonians. Particularly in his desire to see them pure and blameless in the day of Christ. Our 21st century ears hear a literal call to be perfect in this call to action, and yet that doesn’t sit well next to other scripture—even Paul’s other letters. I zero in on this phrase because misunderstanding this it can cause us to do the opposite of what will help us grow in our faith.

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Appeal of the Early Church: Love and Relationships

love and relationship

1st Sunday of Advent: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

The text I’m writing about today is from 1 Thessalonians, which is most likely the first of any of Paul’s correspondence with the early churches. This reading isn’t a list of generic instructions or theological topics, but rather Paul telling this church how much he wants to visit them. He’s also encouraging them to let their love for each other grow.

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Generosity of the Poor

generosity of the poor

24th Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 12:38-44

God doesn’t need us to be God’s venture capitalist. Maybe that’s so obvious as to be comical. On the other hand, some may see their acts of charity as crucial in the grand scheme of things. The rich might go so far as to publicly deride the generosity of the poor for their inability to do much financial good with their meager donations. That contrast is the point of this lesson.

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Jesus, Have Mercy on Me!

Have mercy!

22nd Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 10:46-52

The sad truth is, often you have to be your own advocate. Even when people can see the issue you’re facing, even when they can see the turmoil you’re in, they still might not care. The good news is, we can all approach God with our need. As I wrote in Approach the Throne of Grace with Boldness, God welcomes us. People might not take the time to know our struggle, and some people, once they know, might not care. Sometimes, as we see in this story, the powerful try to silence those in need.

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Seize the Day or Who’s the Greatest Remix

greatest

21st Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 10:35-45

The disciples are once again discussing who gets to be the greatest. Not long before this, Mark 9 describes a conversation where Jesus is telling the disciples about the persecution he will face and at that time the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest. Right before this interaction, Jesus tells them he will be handed over to be killed. This request is their response.

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