As workers of the Eternal Kingdom, Christ-followers must be wary of unfettered nationalism. For the Christ-follower, it is impossible to have full commitment to both God and country. Only to God. This indeed is a hard pill to swallow. We want to follow what is most tangible and present, and we find this often in […]
Tag: Society
On History and Modernity
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, […]
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 Confession
As we meditate on the Lord’s Prayer and think about “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive our trespassers”, we must also think about confession. There are stories of young Martin Luther confessing his sins for hours on end, then leaving his confessor, and then immediately returning, realizing he left out something and fearing the consequences. […]
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 The Kingdom
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Good and right prayer asks for the Kingdom of God to come, for God’s will to be done, and (perhaps most importantly) that God’s will be done on earth. This is the linchpin of the Lord’s Prayer. It sets the context for the […]
On Thoughts and Prayers
There is a lot of talk about “thoughts and prayers” these days. In the wake of tragedies some say they are sending prayers, and others deride those comments as shallow without action. Both sides have some merit to their statements. The eternal truth is that prayer itself is an action. Furthermore, prayer can provide proper […]
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 Marveling
Our modern society is information driven. We seek out facts, desiring to know the answers to everything. We rarely step back and simply marvel. In the Gospel narratives, those encountering Jesus frequently find themselves in wonder when they hear Jesus’ teachings or see His actions. Different translations have used different words for this: astounded, amazed, […]
On Tension
Up to this point there has been an undercurrent theme in these posts. We could call that theme “tension” (other words like “balance” or “discernment” could also be used). Understanding that rooted and fruitful faith means living a life of tension sets the stage for future reflections on this blog. When we embrace tension (both […]
Relevant Reformation 