“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. […]
Tag: Humanity
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 […]
On Speaking Out
Yesterday, the reflection was about silence as an opportunity for self-discovery. There is more to be said about silence though, as it not only provides us with a deeper understanding of ourselves, but also a deeper understanding of God and what He is pushing us towards. Eventually silence reaches a tipping-point and we have to […]
On Silence
We know little about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life. History is mostly silent on the matter. I sometimes ponder about the Jesus of his teens and 20s: What did he do when he was a young adult? Did he do the work of his earthly father, Joseph? (A carpenter.) Or did he do […]
On Questioning
It is human to question. And it is up to God to answer. We fool ourselves if we think we are somebody wise and can fully understand God. And yet, we are naturally driven to seek out God. We desire to see Him as He is. And this is right and good. A main aspect […]
On Purpose
Two benchmarks have been swirling in my head lately. One is personal: my upcoming birthday. The second is perhaps a little more globally relevant: the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. With both those things on my mind, I’ve been contemplating life, faith, and the future. As part of my mental journey I thought it might […]
Relevant Reformation 