Happy new year! What? It’s not January? I know, but the season of Advent is the start of the Christian calendar. We begin the year listening to God’s promises revealed through Jesus: the promise of a new heaven and new earth, promises of rebirth, promises of a new hope for all humanity. Unfortunately, some people … Continue reading “Happy New Year!”
Category: heaven
A truly thanks giving moment…
Tomorrow is the day we give thanks—as though we don’t have to give thanks any other day. Tomorrow, our entire nation gathers with family and friends to feast and fellowship—except for those who do not have jobs, who are living on the streets, who have no family, or are otherwise struggling with personal issues they … Continue reading “A truly thanks giving moment…”
The God Who Leaves Room for ‘No’
In Matthew 19, a young man approaches Jesus and asks what he must do to have eternal life (see also Mark 10 and Luke 18). Jesus responds with a list of some of Moses’ commandments from Exodus and Deuteronomy. But the young man persists and tells Jesus he has done all that, and then asks … Continue reading “The God Who Leaves Room for ‘No’”
The Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew 13 is all about the parable: the story to tell the story. Matthew has Jesus going through a series of parables about responses to faith and how faith can so easily wilt. He mentions the presence of evil and how difficult it is to sometimes differentiate from truth. Then at verses 31-33 and 44-52 … Continue reading “The Kingdom of Heaven”