Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Ephesians 5:1 What a challenging statement from Paul! “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” But also a great reminder of the good news of the gospel. We are God’s beloved children, loved by…
I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Ephesians 4:1 Today, as I continue my sermon series on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, my focus turns to Chapter 4, and especially to its opening words, quoted above. That is…
I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit. Ephesians 3:16 “What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and his words!,” Mark Twain wrote. “His real life is led in his head,…
For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. Ephesians 2:14 Last week, I began a sermon series on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: "For the Praise of God's Glory." I looked at the beginning of this…
So that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:12 Today I am beginning a new sermon series on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, which is going to be featured in the second reading of our lectionary for the next six weeks.…
On the Sabbath [Jesus] began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. Mark 6:2 Our gospel reading today (Mark 6:1-13) begins on the Sabbath, and begins with Jesus doing what he always did on the Sabbath: Worshiping God. Which is why we are here, after all. Today, we are doing…
Introduction In May of 2019 I read a book that set me on a five-year quest, a very challenging but deeply fulfilling adventure that has resulted in this long-anticipated post. The book that I read was Eugene Peterson's “Take and Read: Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List.” And in this book, Peterson made a suggestion that…
Jesus said: "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." Mark 5:34 Before Jesus died and rose again, he raised three people from the dead: the widow’s son at Nain, Lazarus, and Jairus’s daughter, the one in today's gospel reading (Mark 5:21-43). To me, this begs the…
Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath." Mark 2:27 “Observe the Sabbath day,” we are told in Deuteronomy 5:12, “and keep it holy.” But what does that mean? In today’s gospel reading (Mark 2:23-3:6), we see that Jesus and the Pharisees do not agree about this basic commandment.…
[Jesus prayed:] "Now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." John 17:11 Our gospel reading today (John 17:6-19) is a prayer,…
My Pastoral Ponderings 