WEDNESDAY, May 9, 2012: Ephesians 1
In the years following the life and death of Jesus, the church begins to answer some very deep, reflective questions about what this Jesus event means. As Christianity spreads across the world, the “what” of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection becomes firmly embedded into the lives and cultures of many people. But people are not … Read more
TUESDAY, May 8, 2012: Psalm 78
Stories and songs (like psalm 78) help us make sense of our current and past reality. When we tell someone a story, we are actually planting a seed into that person. What kind of story we tell matters. Stories are the basis of all our knowledge and the way we express our experiences over a … Read more
MONDAY, May 7, 2012: Psalm 78:1-7
Usually when we read a psalm we think of King David as the author. But this particular psalm is attributed to Asaph or to Asaph’s sons. According to Chronicles, Asaph is a Levite commissioned by King David (around 1000 B.C.) to play worship music and to write worship songs. He also plays the cymbals. Asaph … Read more
SUNDAY, April 29, 2012: John 1:29-34 – Commissioned
We’ve all been commissioned, whether we like it or not, to do God’s work in God’s world. David Lose says it well in Making Sense of the Christian Faith: “I suppose you could call it ‘marching orders.’ But there’s another theological word few use for this. It’s vocation, which comes from a Latin word that … Read more
SATURDAY, April 28, 2012: Luke 10:25-37 – Neighbor
When Christ invites us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, it begs the question, “Who is our neighbor?” So Jesus tells a parable. According to David Lose in Making Sense of the Christian Faith: “Someone gets hurt while traveling. Two religious leaders come down the same road, but cross over to the other … Read more
FRIDAY, APRIL 27 | MATTHEW 18:20 – Community
“I signed up to join a church, not be part of the body of Christ.” This may be what you’re thinking! But there are many expressions of what community looks like. In Matthew it says, “whenever two or three are gathered,” there you find the Kingdom of God at work. And don’t forget, community is … Read more
THURSDAY, April 26, 2012: 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 – Baptism
Backing up just two verses gives us a different perspective on what we’ve looked at over the last several days. The conversation of community begins with a proclamation of a baptismal reality – we ARE, by grace, the body of Christ. The question is will we live into that reality? Pastor Rick Warren from Saddle … Read more
