Exodus 1:8-2:15
Category Archives: Exodus
Remembering, Gratitude, and Direction: A Lenten Reflection
“Remember, you were once in Egyptian bondage…” (Deut 5:15)
“Do this in remembrance of me…” (Luke 22:19)
Remembrance evokes the partner senses of gratitude and humility. In turn, the journey before indicates the direction of the journey ahead.
I am writing this on Ash Wednesday (2019), the day on the liturgical calendar that marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a period of reflection, penitence, and, traditionally, fasting. During Lent, one prepares for the joyous Good News of Easter. In many respects, Lent resembles the Jewish autumn holiday of Succoth, the “Feast of Booths,” which is also Continue reading Remembering, Gratitude, and Direction: A Lenten Reflection
Faith Must Take Root
Now, concerning the (seed) sown on rocky ground: it is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, but it does not take root. It is temporary. When trial or persecution comes because of the word, it causes that one to stumble immediately (Matt 13:20-21)
I wonder whether it is more accurate to describe the church today as shrinking or to appeal to the old distinction between the “visible” and the “invisible” church invoked frequently during the Reformation. Then, it referred to the supposed distinction between the members of an institutional church, which may include some who have not truly taken up Continue reading Faith Must Take Root
The “Christian Sabbath”
Saturday or Sunday?
Just as my “medical vacation” has ended (I am “back in the saddle,” as it were, although the horse is old, slow, and docile – no galloping yet), a question has come to me from a former student that probably crosses the minds of many Christians. If God commanded the observance of the Sabbath (seventh) day of the week (Saturday) as a holy day of rest and worship, why do Christians, who presumably desire to obey God’s specific commands, worship on the first day of the week, Sunday? The question invites a practical answer, a “Pauline” answer, and a reaffirmation of the theological purpose of Sabbath observance. Continue reading The “Christian Sabbath”