“After the Sabbath, early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at Jesus’ tomb.” They brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body and wondered who would break the seal and roll back the stone. Mark clarifies that the “other Mary” was Mary the mother of James and adds Salome as an […]
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“Now, I don’t know how long this Saturday in the state of Tennessee will last, but I’ve got Good News: Sunday always comes, resurrection always comes. Resurrection is a promise and a prophecy! We are still here and we will never quit.” Rep. Justin Pearson
Opening the most complex week in the Christian year, Palm Sunday holds a jarring spiritual pivot. We come in singing “All glory, laud and honor, to You, Redeemer, King, to whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring,” and leave singing “O sacred head now wounded.” Perhaps this week’s heavy hearts find a parallel […]
It is possible that I am about to preach the most boring sermon you’ve ever heard. If you have been reading through Matthew with us, I imagine you have seen themes emerging. There are many themes in Matthew. Today, I’m going to walk us through one theme: Jesus’ conflict with church and community leaders, a […]
Asking for all of us Peter inquired, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Seven times?” Seven forgiveness “credits” is a generous allotment, far exceeding the transactional arithmetic most of us apply to giving, forgiveness, or goodness. We keep a tally, “You forgave me, I forgave you, […]
It was raining and cold that December Friday night, when I answered a call from one of my son’s friends. Blake wondered if the high school marching band might shelter in the church as they waited for the Christmas Parade to begin. Without much thought, I told Blake I would head that way to unlock […]
As we processed into the ordination service, I learned my name was not printed in the bulletin, and someone pointed out that the new robe my church purchased for me was gray which is not an approved liturgical color. It all felt pretty ordinary until 90 minutes into the service when I knelt at the […]
Jesus came preaching, “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!” Most of us first heard this message as, “Repent. Here comes the kingdom of God.” In January, as we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord, I shared how back in 1930, the Southern Baptist professor and New Testament Greek scholar AT […]
Have you ever sat down on the top of a high mountain, maybe out on a rocky outcrop or up above the tree-line, maybe sharing some trail food with good friends? Up there atop the mountain the view can feel like you see forever. The “six days” wording surely links Jesus with Moses and Exodus […]
Some of my seminary professors reminded me of Jesus. Other students may have seen Jesus in a professor’s scholarly insights or deep Biblical expertise, I did not. Quoting Scripture does not make a person Christlike, the Temptation story reminds us that the Devil is pretty good at quoting the Bible. (Matthew 4) No, I caught […]
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