“My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers” is a statement of Jesus found in Luke 19:46. He made this statement in response to those who were selling animals and changing money in the Temple. In my lifetime, the church has done a pretty good job […]
Salt or Dirt, Make a Choice
In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells us that we are the “salt of the earth.” In Luke 14:34-35, the theme of salt is picked up again “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. […]
An Unholy Alliance: Pharisees and Herodians
An Unholy Alliance We are moving toward a presidential election year in the United States. As a result, the political pundits are ramping up their efforts to develop a market for their predictions. With this backdrop, when I read Mark this morning, Mark 3:6 grabbed my attention. In this verse there is a simple statement […]
Absent From the Great Banquet
The Banquet Table is Set Luke 14:16-24 records the parable of the Great Banquet. The main point of the story is that the invited guests gave lame excuses as to why they could not attend. In the place of the original invitees, the dregs of society are then persuaded to enter into the feast. Jesus […]
Gutenberg, Google and the Church
Gutenberg could not have imagined the speed of communication today. The church has the opportunity to use this speed to proclaim the Gospel.
Hugging Porcupines and Other Ostensibly Stupid Behaviors
The Porcupines Among Us Every church has one or more porcupines in attendance. The porcupine is the person who feels entitled to stand in judgment of the church and often acts in a way that is disruptive to body life through their sense of superiority and entitlement. They are not in open hostility, nor are […]