Clotheslines

Christmas, Easter and Pentecost…three special feast days in the Christian Church. And did you ever notice the progression from one feast to the next, that there is more and more that we don’t understand? It’s true. We go from the birth of a baby, to a resurrection from the dead, to the concept of the Spirit of God living within us. It certainly is difficult to understand, but we don’t have to. We only have to believe! Jesus promised that when he returned to His Father in heav

This past Sunday was the last Sunday before the Feast of Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, which is also the birthday of the church. As it was for the past few weeks, the Gospel was again taken from John’s Gospel…Jesus’ Farewell Discourse—several chapters of what Jesus said to his apostles on the night before his arrest, trial, crucifixion and death. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like for the apostles. They didn’t know what was abou

The Easter season is coming to a close tomorrow, with the Feast of the Ascension. Fifty days of glory in the shadow of His Resurrection. Jesus had spent three years with his apostles, preparing them to teach and bring others to know and love the Lord. On that infamous Friday, he was nailed to a cross, died a horrible death and was buried in a borrowed tomb. But we know that three days later he rose from that tomb and walked the earth again for fifty days, proving to those who

During this Easter season, our New Testament readings are taken from the Book of Revelation. While this book is often difficult to understand, it is nevertheless…exciting! The apostle John wrote about this cosmic battle between good and evil where Satan is cast into a bottomless pit. It’s only then that “the holy city, the new Jerusalem” descends out of heaven. God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death and mourning and crying and pain will be no more.” Then God sa

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus isn’t selective about those whom he loves and those whom he wants to save? There is a story of a man who used to pass the time in an airport, looking at each person, and asking himself, “Did Jesus die for that person?” Then he would expand his gaze and look around for the oddest person he could find, and again think: “Did Jesus die for him, too?” And finally, he ends his thinking by sharing with a friend sitting next to him, “It

If you ever get the chance, read the Gospel of John—in its entirety—at the same time! I know, I know it would be time consuming, but I guarantee, you will come away with a deeper sense of the Jesus you love and worship. Part of seminary was reading the entire Gospel of John, in one sitting. For me, however, it was while walking around my dorm room. I used to fall asleep reading if the assignment was too long! This past Sunday we read John 21, the final chapter of his Gospel,

A man fell off a very steep cliff, but he managed to grab a tree limb which broke his fall. He was still, however, hanging over this very steep cliff. He looked at the danger below, then he looked up and cried out: “Is anybody up there?” And a voice from above said, “Yes, I’m here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?” “Yes, Lord,” the man cried, “I really believe, but I can’t hang on much longer!” The Lord answered: “If you really believe, you have nothing to fear. Just let go

Alleluia. Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed Alleluia! That was our cry this past Sunday, the day our Savior rose from the dead. And on that day, we completed our preaching series called Facing the Cross. We spent many weeks looking at those things that we need to face in our lives in order to be the best Christians we can be. And Sunday we completed the journey with Facing the Future, and our Gospel gave us the perfect example. The women have gone to the tomb, only to

The five weeks of Lent are officially over, and during that time we looked at many aspects of life in relation to things we must face. We talked about Facing our Sins on Ash Wednesday. As Jesus himself did in the Garden of Gethsemane, we looked at Facing Temptation. Then we talked about Facing our Fears, Facing our Worldliness, Facing Others, and Facing Suffering. And last Sunday—the day we call Palm Sunday—we walked beside Jesus Facing the Road. The apostles didn’t know it,

As we approach Holy Week, Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus is most appropriate. Can you even imagine the excitement in that home, dining with Jesus and a man whom he had raised from the dead? That’s an invitation I would love to have received! So much joy and love and sharing! But this was six days before Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, crucifixion and death…and Jesus was alone with his thoughts of what was coming. What sorrow he must have felt! Meanwhile, while