History can be a hard subject for the Christ-follower to reflect on and consider. So many dark, dangerous, and truly evil things were done (and are still done) in the name of Jesus. As those that follow the Light of the World, we have a duty to learn from history and absorb it in its entirety, […]
Tag: Humanity
On Aspirations
For many of us, faith is such a part of our identity that we cannot imagine life otherwise. For some, faith is a foreign concept. For all of us, there is value in considering our faith aspirations. The process of writing these blog posts has challenged me to define and re-define my faith aspirations using […]
On Conscience
One of Martin Luther’s most well-known quotes comes from when he was asked to retract his statements (which, at the time, were considered heretical and wrong). Standing before the authorities of his day, Luther said “…my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant, since it is neither safe nor […]
On Forgiveness
After we ponder our daily needs (see previous post), we then must ask for forgiveness of our wrongdoings. This is a natural flow, as thinking about our daily needs opens our eyes to our dependence on God and others. We can now think about our trespasses, our debts, our sins. Matthew writes this part of the […]
On Our Daily Bread
When we pray “give us this day our daily bread” we mediate on the needs that make us human and our reliance on God to ultimately provide for us. When we reflect on our daily needs we include our physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, environmental, social, and vocational needs. We reflect on what makes us whole and […]
On Our Father
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” The opening of the Lord’s Prayer. Good and right prayer begins with focus towards the Divine (our Heavenly Father), adoration of His Holy Name, and a reminder to ourselves that He is Holy. Now, in some churches there is discussion about using the term “Father” when referring to God. […]
On The Blessed
The poor in spirit, mourners, meek, hungry, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, the persecuted. These are the blessed. (Matthew 5:2-11) From one vantage point, these reflect societal classes or segments of the population. From another viewpoint, this listing reflects attributes of a rooted and fruitful faith. From the societal perspective, when we revile, mock, ignore, […]
On Affirmation and Rebuke
You might say that Jesus’ magnum opus on moral ethics is His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). When we zoom out and look at the sermon as whole we find it equal parts affirmation and rebuke. The affirmation is one that humans are special and beloved by God. When Jesus says “you are the light […]
On Jesus (part three)
When we strip Jesus of His authority (see yesterday’s post) we inadvertently also strip away His dual humanity and divinity. Yet, it is the most controversial and key claim that Christ-followers make: Jesus the Christ is both Savior and Lord. When we say He is our Savior, we affirm His full humanity and when we say […]
On Time
It is a wonder that Martin Luther was able to live out his life to the end, dying of natural causes. While most protesters of his day were tortured or killed, he lived. Why God granted him the grace to live out his life, we will never know. Time remains one of the greatest mysteries […]
Relevant Reformation 