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The Prophets
Reflection Read, again: Micah 3:5 – 4:5 Some of you may remember that Sojourners – the Washington, D.C., Christian-community-based magazine – offered an adult education curriculum in the run-up to the 2008 election. The discussion guides and promotion materials featured the tagline “God is not a Republican . . . or a Democrat.” The congregation […]
The Prophets
Preparation Read Micah 3:5-4:5 We don’t agree on much in the current political environment, but almost everyone believes that the amount of money spent on campaigns has become excessive, even grotesque. Again this election year – even in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis and an economic recession – campaign spending will set new records. For a few decades just before and after the turn of this century,our legislative […]
Sermon on the Mount
ReflectionTuesday, October 27 Read again: Matthew 7:13-29 . . . and if you have time, read the whole Sermon on the Mount in one sitting (Matthew 5:1 – 7:29). In his commentary on Matthew,* Dale Bruner offers a breezy overview of the ways the Sermon on the Mount (SotM) has been interpreted over the centuries: […]
Sermon on the Mount
PREPARATIONRead: Matthew 7:13-29 In the sturdy Christian Reformed Church of my youth, we didn’t do “altar calls” – those end-of-service appeals for sinners to come forward, stand or kneel, and thereby declare their decision to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin and the Lord of their lives. No, that wasn’t us. Because altar […]
Sermon on the Mount
ReflectionOctober 20, 2020 Read, again: Matthew 7:1-12 Matthew 7:6 records one of my least favorite words from Jesus – “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Later in his ministry, a […]
Sermon on the Mount
Preparation Read: Matthew 7:1-14 This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee has been holding hearings on the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U. S. Supreme Court. You know the drill: The Senators interrogate Judge Barrett about her judicial philosophy, based on her legal writings and rulings in the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit . . . […]