Posts from March 2021

Easter, Yes! “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  (Romans 6:4)  I can hardly wait to greet you on Easter morning with “He is Risen,” and hear your response: “He is Risen, indeed!” My, how we missed that last year. Last year…

An Awful Story with a Hopeful End And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first” (Judges 20:18).” In three places (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1) we’ve read the same statement of the problem in Israel during the period of the Judges: there was no king. Today’s passage is perhaps the clearest example of our need for Christ to rule in our midst as king—and what happens when He…

Lamedh (Part 11) Ps 119.89        Forever, O LORD, your wordis firmly fixed in the heavens.90         Your faithfulness endures to all generations;you have established the earth, and it stands fast.91         By your appointment they stand this day,for…

Jesus Marching Toward the Cross, the Grave, and Beyond  Last year in our sheltered-in-place phase, I sent a list of biblical passages to read to observe Jesus’ final days. Many friends associate special services during Holy Week with a sentimental holdover from Roman Catholicism. However, even for those who are greater Puritans than me, it can hardly be wrong to read…

A Whole Lot of Nothing “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left?” Judges 18:24 Have you ever thought: “wouldn’t it be nice if there was no authority or structure in the Church?” “Wouldn’t it be better if we were free to worship Jesus unrestrained by liturgies and guidelines of the past?” Judges 18 gives us a glimpse of what life and…

Kaph (Part 10) Ps 119.81   My soul longs for your salvation;I hope in your word.82          My eyes long for your promise;I ask, “When will you comfort me?”83          For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,yet I have not forgotten your…

Professionals Look at the Cross “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.”Hebrews 12:2  As we approach our great celebration of Jesus’ resurrection, we must first pass through both Gethsemane and Golgotha. Countless pastors over the years have preached on the gospel passages that depict Jesus’ suffering. Many historians, artists, and theologians have assessed the impact of…

Communing with God “Then Micah said, ‘Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, because I have a Levite as a priest’ (Judges 17:13).”  We have before us in Judges 17 a spiritual train wreck—a moral debacle. The writer is bent on reporting the facts only and hardly has time to stop and make moral judgements. He assumes we have the biblical literacy to known that…

Yod (Part 9) Ps 119.73         Your hands have made and fashioned me;give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.74         Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice,because I have hoped in your word.75         I know, O LORD, that your…

JESUS IS STILL OPENING DOORS “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word…