The biblical texts in the lectionary for today have to do with riches and poverty: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Luke 16:19-31 Our rector, Stephen Holmgren, told this story that resonates with the trajectory of these passages: At the center of the ancient Forum in Rome are the remains of a large […]

Discussions of Paul and the Mosaic Law have bogged down over the last several years as the sun has set on what might be called “the new perspective era.”  Two new books have appeared, however, that treat the issue from new angles of approach. Preston Sprinkle, my former teammate on our world championship softball team […]

I wrote the other day that Christians should learn to think from and talk from Genesis 1-2 and Israel in conceiving of and talking about the gospel.  Thinking from Genesis 1-2 reminds us of God’s original intentions for humanity and for creation.  This is crucial because these shape Scripture’s depiction of what God seeks to […]

Last week I noted that the New Testament Gospels refer to “the gospel of the kingdom” and don’t contain the sort of gospel presentation with which many of us may be familiar.  We may be used to hearing about the mechanics of a personal transaction that begins with the problem of sin and separation from […]

Mark 1-3 is filled with random characters responding to Jesus in various ways.  Mark 3:31-35 is something of a concluding episode, where Jesus notes the sort of response that indicates participation in the kingdom of God. Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting […]

In answer to the question of how to communicate the gospel of the kingdom, I wrote yesterday that increasing familiarity with the biblical storyline is a necessity.  I don’t mean that this is the first step in a process that leads to making “gospel presentations.”  I’m referring to a long-term endeavor to continually orient our […]

I indicated yesterday that I’ve had a recurring conversation about the character of the gospel.  When the topic arises of the larger, broader, more robust and holistic gospel of the kingdom found in the Gospels, this question typically follows: How do I talk about that?  How do I communicate that to someone? I suspect that […]

I’m heavy into the Gospel of Mark these days and thoroughly enjoying it.  In Mark, Jesus preaches the gospel of the kingdom.  That is, the subject matter of his preaching is the kingdom of God.  God’s long-awaited salvation in the form of God’s restored order of creation’s flourishing has arrived with the advent of Jesus, […]

We prayed with our new students this prayer to begin the school year: Father, we praise you for your grace to us in Christ. Lord, we give you thanks. Father, we praise you for calling us to yourself. Lord, we give you thanks. Father, we praise you for making us new, for transforming us by […]

A second thing to consider: Study is vitally related to worship in that a well-prepared minister is a blessing to God’s people.  Churches need fit and faithful servants.  God’s people need to hear from God’s word.  They need to hear from competent counselors about how to navigate life in the fear of the Lord. One […]