For most of my life as a Christian, I have focused on the empty tomb, meaning the resurrection of Jesus. But each Gospel writer makes sure we understand that Jesus occupied the tomb, telling us where it was, how he got there, and how long...
The vision of Jesus in the Gospel of John just before the cross is him standing alone. In his loneliness we see the only-ness of Jesus. The scene is Jesus standing before the high priest, and then before Pilate the Roman governor (John 18-19). By each...
One of the best things to do to grow in faith, hope, and love for Christ is to regularly look at him in the pages of Scripture. I recently sat with a young person whose parents I know well. I have not spent much time with...
When we set aside Bible words because they seem complicated or uninteresting to people, the result is that the truth of those words gets neglected and lost. A better way to handle Bible words is to use them, understand them, and explain them. Doing so will...
What Jesus asked the Father on our behalf becomes the pursuit of our lives in the world. The High Priestly prayer of Jesus (John 17) was prayed in the hearing of the disciples. That’s because the prayer was to have an impact on both the Father...
How can it be that Jesus Christ is glorified in ordinary, flawed, and failing human beings? Reading along in the High Priestly prayer (John 17:10), we come to an astonishing statement. Jesus said to God the Father, “I am glorified in them.” “They” are not angels,...
Praying with each other is one of the cherished activities of congregational life. But here’s a situation that we can’t seem to correct. We spend more time talking to each other about our “prayer requests” than we do praying. Don’t get me wrong. There is great...
How wise and kind of Jesus to give advance notice of what is to come for his disciples in the world. We love advance notice. We want to know the dress code for the party, what the subject matter will be for the meeting, and if...
When your prayers are tired and flat, or non-existent, pick up your Bible and read. The average Christian “prayer request” is about a situation of need or concern. That means when we don’t feel a need or have a big concern, we don’t often pray. But when...
I grew up with siblings, and we fought with each other. I don’t mean that we said things that hurt each other’s feelings. I mean we fought the old-school way. I had years of experience in hand-to-hand combat before my first day on the school...
