We who are learned in the ways of Scripture, whether by professional preparation or by personal devotion or both, are vulnerable to a grave danger. We are vulnerable at the point of taking control of the Word for our own designs. Pastors may do this by taking the Word as a tool of the trade …
Category Archives: Hope
HEALING FOR GENOCIDAL HEARTS
24 years ago, over a 100 day period of time, nearly one million people were slaughtered in Rwanda. It was not war, per se, and it was not a fascist government eliminating the opposition, per se. Rather, it seems to have been anger and hostility smoldering beneath the surface, stoked into full flame by calculating …
MLK’s “Auto-Eulogy”
Fifty years ago, tonight, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of a Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. I believe that all Americans, and people from every other part of the world, who love freedom should grieve this tragic and traumatic event in our history. Likewise, every American, and all others, who cherish …
The “Trumping” of Messiah
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, it must have excited and energized the crowds who welcomed him. Garments spread on the path, palm branches waving in the air, jubilant cries lifted to the heavens: “Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest! Welcome, Jesus, long awaited Messiah of God and Israel!” A number must have enthused, “It’s about time! We …
Kingdom, Lent, and Blessing
The Kingdom that begins with Lent also begins with blessing. There is the call to turn—repent!—which is Lent. There then comes a pronouncement: “Blessed!” Consider how stunning this is. When Jesus begins to teach about the Kingdom of God, the first word is “Blessed!” This is not what we expected, not from God almighty in …