There is a collect in which we pray, “Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name.”  It speaks to the essence of the work of God’s mercy. We’re here not because we deserve it. We’re here, because out of God’s…

Last week, we discussed the important truth that we are all the work of God’s mercy. Understanding that changes the way we live—especially when times are tough. “Equipped for Every Good Work” It’s no exaggeration to call the Bible God’s love letter to us. But we can never receive it in that way unless we…

The call to perseverance seems to go through all of Scripture, and in fact one of the collects we use in worship says this: “Preserve the works of your mercy that your church throughout the world may be steadfast.” Left to my own devices, I might give up. I might not persevere. Persevering means life…

A friend of mine went to a local men’s store to buy some dress shirts. And the salesperson came up to him. Now, you need to know this about my friend. If there’s anybody who would embody the fizz of a champagne glass, he’s it. He is effervescent, he is bubbly, he is fun to…

Luke 15 records what is probably a familiar tale: the story of the good shepherd. But when Jesus told it, it contained several surprises for his hearers. First, he’s talking about a shepherd who has a flock of 100. That’s a lot! And yet, Jesus is clear, as he says in various parables, that “I…

Today, let’s look at a familiar story: the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Here, the problem was the fear of those who wouldn’t help the Samaritan. The Problem: Real Danger Of course, they had reason to be afraid. The road they were traveling was dangerous. There were always robbers and bandits there. So…

As we discussed in Part I, we live in a world packed with the supernatural. We see this going on in the story of the interaction between Jesus and Nathanael in the Gospel of John (John 1:43-51). Here, Philip, Nathanael’s friend, is overcome with joy. Why? Because he knows, as another disciple, Andrew, says to…

In today’s world, we talk a lot about “the cloud.” We save our music in the cloud. We store documents in the cloud. Our messages sometimes get lost in the cloud. But today, I want to talk to you about another kind of cloud—one that may seem as hard to understand as the one in…

Christians think differently. Have you noticed? A part of what it means to live in the world is that you and I may make decisions that could seem strange to those who don’t follow Christ. You see, the perspective that the scriptures offer about the world and what it means to be human is very…

In my last post, we looked at two aspects of the deacon’s call: servanthood and surrender. Both are a vital, biblical picture of the people God calls to this sacred office. But wait, there’s more. A Call of Surprise Servanthood and surrender both describe the call of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah. And so does…