A Profane Horror Have you ever considered the crucifixion of Jesus? When you pray and meditate on it, his physical death is nothing less than what Jürgen Moltmann called “a profane horror”—the mutilated body of Jesus strung up on a cross, so disfigured by the lacerations and the wounds of the lashings and beatings that…

Christ’s journey to the cross is one of isolation. Though surrounded by crowds, he is entirely alone. The only thing he has is the determination God placed within him to walk out what he clearly acknowledges is a predetermined path. And on this path, he exhibits two key qualities that encapsulate both his mission and…

Not long ago, I was in a meeting at one of our churches, a small group of four or five people that included two women. And as the meeting concluded, we started talking about upcoming events on the church calendar. And one of the women said, with a twinkle in her eye, “Well, I just…

Some of the world’s best stories contain astonishing contrasts. Fairy tales have given us a beauty and a beast, an ugly duckling and a beautiful swan, an innocent Little Red Riding Hood and an evil wolf. Or what about A Tale of Two Cities? Here, Charles Dickens brought us “the best of times” and “the…