If we were to ask “what is the political agenda of the gospel” we might examine the gospel narrative attributed to Matthew. Indeed many squirm at the thought of the gospel having a political agenda. Those claiming a Christian identity might say the gospel is above politics, while those of a more secular-mind might say […]
Tag: Scripture
On Biblical Aspirations
Some churches and their congregants strive to “live biblically”, and while this is perhaps a noble sounding mantra, it can also lead us down a dangerous path far from the Christ-following faith towards which we are called. The concept of living biblically is one where Christians reestablish a rule structure in-line with specific commands in […]
On the Triune God
Wedged between the festival season of the liturgical calendar and Ordinary Time is a Sunday devoted to the concept of the Holy Trinity. This day acts as a theological seam between the two halves of the Church Year. The Holy Trinity is the concept that God has been revealed to us in three distinct ways, […]
On the Expansive Gospel
The season of Easter ends with a celebration of Jesus’ ascension. It’s another mountaintop moment of the Church Year and a fitting transition into Pentecost and the mindset that we should live with during the long stretch of Ordinary Time that lies ahead. The various gospel narratives all handle the last moments of Jesus’ earthly […]
On Clarification
The liturgical three-year cycle of gospel readings centers on the synoptic gospel texts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Meanwhile, the gospel account attributed to the apostle John gets spread across all three years, with particular devotion designated annually during the seven-week season of Easter. Among the varying gospels, John is the most debated—from who really […]
On the Risen Jesus
The resurrection stories present quite a mysterious Jesus—familiar in so many ways to the Jesus we hear about before the crucifixion and yet often unrecognized by even the closest followers. In the gospel accounts, the resurrected Jesus is revealed by different means. To start, in the gospel of Mark we are simply told Jesus appeared […]
On Point of View
A recurring theme on this blog has been that of respecting and honoring different perspectives. In the four gospel narratives, there is perhaps no greater point of deviation than what is told in the post-resurrection accounts. Each book seems to have an entirely different take on what happened after Jesus was buried. In the first […]
On Ancient Rituals
When we follow the Church Calendar, not only do we have the opportunity to practice longstanding traditions of the Church, which connect us to past followers of Jesus; we also have occasions where we get to take part in rituals that go back even further to our ancient ancestors of faith. Ash Wednesday is one […]
On Recentering
It can perhaps seem a bit out-of-touch to be writing this series on the Church Calendar when there may be more important topics to discuss in our current times. Yet, one of the epiphanies of this Epiphany season might just be how much the Church Lectionary can help us understand the essentials of the Gospel, […]
On the Calendar
I have come to really appreciate the seasons of the church year—Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Time. These are the primary seasons of the Liturgical Calendar that I hope to reflect on over the next year in this series of writings. Growing up in the American evangelical church, I used to […]
Relevant Reformation 