Daily Spark: “Last Words: Forgive”
April 6, 2020
Jesus died how he lived: extending grace to others. What if we followed in his steps? … More Daily Spark: “Last Words: Forgive”
Tag: Jesus
A Holy Week to Remember
April 6, 2020
“This is going to be the hardest and saddest week of most Americans’ lives,” Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams said yesterday. This is a sober note to begin Holy Week on. … More A Holy Week to Remember
Daily Spark: “Breath Work” (Jonnie)
April 1, 2020
Jonnie leads us through a “breath work devotional” in Psalm 139. … More Daily Spark: “Breath Work” (Jonnie)
Daily Spark: “Breathe Peace” (Jeremy)
March 21, 2020
Jesus wants to breathe peace into our hearts and homes, so we can exhale worry and fear. … More Daily Spark: “Breathe Peace” (Jeremy)
When Pigs Fly: 7 Words & 7 Miles
March 10, 2020
Standing there by the shore, the ancient breeze tickling the back of my neck, I pointed to the other side. Seven words got them into the boat and seven miles got them across the sea to the heart of Jesus’ mission to save a life hanging in the balance. … More When Pigs Fly: 7 Words & 7 Miles
Why Christians Shouldn’t Argue Over Politics
February 1, 2020
Your favorite candidate will win or lose based on how our country votes this November. However, the church will win or lose based on our behavior between now and then. … More Why Christians Shouldn’t Argue Over Politics
The Feast is Ready! Come and Get it!
January 28, 2020
“Every wise teacher trained in the kingdom is like the homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new and old things” (Matt 13:52). Jesus warned against trying to pour new wine into old wineskins—a constant warning to Christians and church leaders down through the ages not to get too attached to our ministry models … More The Feast is Ready! Come and Get it!
May the Force be with You!
January 7, 2020
Those angels outside Bethlehem could have been Jewish Jedis when they came with their greeting that was essentially, “May the Force be with you” — that is, may the Peace or Shalom of God be with all upon whom God’s favor rests (cf. Luke 2:14)! … More May the Force be with You!
Are You Ready for Epiphany?
January 6, 2020
The very name Epiphany carries a wonderful abundance of connotations: revelation and realization and disclosure and manifestation, all with an element of surprise – a illumination of insight in which everything is transformed. … More Are You Ready for Epiphany?
A ‘Set Apart’ People in a Partisan Culture
December 21, 2019
To all God’s beloved living in the United States today, Paul would write urging us, like the church in ancient Rome, to be a set-apart people, setting up little beachheads of Christ’s eternal kingdom right here and now in the swamp of partisan politics and idolatrous nationalistic sentiment. … More A ‘Set Apart’ People in a Partisan Culture
Steeped: Tea Bag Faith
December 17, 2019
These small dry packets contain the raw materials that come alive and reveal their true taste and color when steeped in a hot cup of water. This is an apt metaphor for spiritual formation. … More Steeped: Tea Bag Faith
My Kind of Humor!
May 31, 2019
Thanks for sharing this, Keri. :)
A Bigger Salvation Story
May 28, 2019
ASCENSION SUNDAY | Luke 24:44-53 One of the difficulties we have in reading and understanding the Bible is that we often unintentionally plug individual passages and key concepts into a controlling story that is foreign to the Bible. This results in making the Bible answer questions it was never interested in addressing. For example, many … More A Bigger Salvation Story
Dandelions: A Modernized Parable
May 6, 2019
Originally posted on Jeremy Berg:
When Sarah was a little girl, she loved to dance and twirl barefooted across the soft green grass of her childhood home and feel the soft blades in between her toes. One day she noticed a small solitary yellow dandelion growing up amidst all the green and thought, “How beautiful!”…
Spontaneous vs. Recited Prayers
May 1, 2019
Are original, spontaneous prayers the only prayers that come “from the heart”? Why do many Christians look down upon recited or written prayers as inferior? In a recent sermon I mentioned this aversion to “recited prayers” and preference for so-called prayers that come “from the heart.” I think this phenomenon is very new and modern, … More Spontaneous vs. Recited Prayers
Cabin 12: Morning Prayer Walk
April 26, 2019
As we’re thinking about prayer this week, I’m reposting this scene from my “Father’s Cabin” series detailing my imaginative weekend retreat with Jesus. Enjoy!
Locked Doors, Deflated Hearts
April 23, 2019
This Thursday we will gather in our home for our first HouseChurch gathering of the spring. We will share a meal, fellowship, hear the apostles’ teachings, celebrate the eucharist and pray for Thy Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. The shades will be up and our doors will be unlocked and … More Locked Doors, Deflated Hearts
Jesus’ Humiliation & Ours (Skye Jethani)
April 18, 2019
Why did Peter refuse to let Jesus wash his feet? One possibility is that Peter was embarrassed for Jesus. He didn’t want to see his rabbi, his master, take such a humiliating role. Maybe he was trying to protect Jesus from his own undignified behavior. That is one possibility, but I don’t think it’s the … More Jesus’ Humiliation & Ours (Skye Jethani)
Can You Drink the Cup?
April 10, 2019
Jesus asked, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has … More Can You Drink the Cup?
CrossRoad 1: Introduction
March 4, 2019
This series of sermons and posts is from my CrossRoad sermon series from Lent 2019. The series emphasized that the cross was not just the way Jesus died, but a new pattern for how to live. Followers of Jesus don’t just celebrate the CrossEvent; we embark on the CrossRoad. Links to other posts in the … More CrossRoad 1: Introduction
Jesus, Buddha & the Light of Salvation
December 26, 2018
On his death bed, just before he breathed his last, the Buddha gathered his disciples around him and offered these last words of wisdom: “You are a light unto yourself. Seek not any external refuge. Salvation is found in no other place than yourself.” I’ve been taking the advice of a good friend, and dabbling … More Jesus, Buddha & the Light of Salvation
Scandalous Incarnation!
December 12, 2018
Perhaps we’ve let the graceless moralism of too many Santa songs taint our view of the One who truly comes to town on Christmas. For the miracle of the incarnation is for the naughty and nice. He’s already made His list and He’s checked it twice, and all are on it until we choose to reject His gift and thereby remove our own name from it. … More Scandalous Incarnation!
Funding the Jericho Inn: A MainStreet Update
November 20, 2018
Jesus’ mission prioritized the marginalized and neglected people of his day. He didn’t send out his apostles—i.e., “church planters”—saying, “Go ye therefore to the sprawling suburbs and invite the upwardly mobile dual income families with children.” He said, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Luke 14:21). Would you try growing a church with such folks? … More Funding the Jericho Inn: A MainStreet Update
Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony
November 11, 2018
This is an excerpt from a much longer essay I wrote called “Royal Scribes in the King’s Court: Ancient Education & Christian Discipleship” published in a little book of essays called “Life in King Jesus’ Colony” from my doctoral studies. I hail from good Lutheran stock from the Midwest (Minnesota) where we shared … More Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony
Why, God, Why? Suffering & God’s Glory
October 8, 2018
When bad things happen in this world, and unjust suffering befalls the innocent, we often jump to the ‘Why’ question first. The disciples lived in a world where it was popular to believe that disease, birth defects, and other forms of suffering were punishment for sin — either the person suffering or his parents. We … More Why, God, Why? Suffering & God’s Glory
Jeremy Berg 