“Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman?’” (Luke 7:44) A Pharisee named Simon had invited Jesus to dinner. Not long after Jesus had sat down, “a woman in the city, who was a sinner” (7:37) began to bathe His feet with her tears. Although Simon was interested …
Tag: grace
One God and Father of All
“… one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” (Eph. 4:5-6) One night I received a text from my assistant at work. She asked if I would come to the hospital. Her boyfriend’s grandfather was dying. I wasn’t sure why this family didn’t call their own pastor. Maybe he was still …
All the Fragments of Our Life
When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ (Jn. 6:12) Jesus tells the disciples to gather up the fragments. This seemingly insignificant line can give us great comfort and peace. We can sometimes feel like our lives are mostly fragments. Forgotten dreams. Broken …
Christmas Letter 2023
Dear Friends: The gospel of Luke records the birth of Jesus in this way: “And [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (2:7) This is a holiday season like no other. Given …
In The Manger With Jesus
And she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them at the inn. (Lk. 2:7) I’d received a phone call from a distraught mother. Her 30-something daughter had disappeared. The mother feared that her daughter—let me call her Abby—could have committed suicide. A few …
Emmanuel, God With Us
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. (Lk. 2:6) Right before Christmas one year, a really sad article came out in the press. According to several reports, a priest condemned suicide at the funeral of a young man who had taken his own life. I felt tremendous grief for …
Worshipping God In Spirit and In Truth
Jesus said, “But the hour is coming, and is now here when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship him.” (Jn. 4:23) When the woman at the well felt like Jesus was becoming too personal, she tried to divert the conversation by embroiling …
Jesus’ Love and Grace
“He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.” (Jn. 6:71) There are few feelings more painful than being betrayed. It feels like your heart has been ripped out of your chest and then stomped on. The closer the relationship, the deeper the …
Jesus Lifts You Up Into New Life
“For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead…” (1 Peter 4:6) What happened to Jesus between Good Friday and Easter? Although we don’t exactly know, today’s scripture suggests that Jesus was raised from the dead before Easter morning so that He could offer salvation to those who had already died. …
A Glimmer of Being Loved by Jesus
“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (Jn. 13:1) Even though Jesus knew that His disciples would deny and desert Him, He loved them “to the end.” Loving them to the “end” meant that He loved them to the uttermost, loved them without end, loved them …