The Kingdom that begins with Lent leads us to 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 …
Tag Archives: Gospel
The Whole Gospel—Vertical AND Horizontal
The Creator and Redeemer God passionately loves the world and all realities it entails past, present and future. The world created supremely good, then subject to futility and corruption through human disobedience, has never escaped God’s majestic and mysterious plans. Plans once unknown and beyond human imagining but then shockingly, powerfully and bodily manifested in …
The Gospel–Whole or Partial?
Do we want the whole gospel? Or will we pick and choose gospel-elements that seem most helpful or pertinent to us? Will we settle for less than the Messiah Jesus intended in his life, death and resurrection? Or will we, by grace, pursue and expect a new way of living as human beings that requires …