“A new and better way.” That’s where we ended our discussion last time. Since no one wants to be a fool, what’s the alternative, the new and better way? We can find it in three powerful statements that reflect our belief in Jesus as Lord. “I trust him to be in charge.” Paul’s letter to…

“I pity the fool.” (Mr. T) “Why, thou sayst well. I do now remember a saying: ‘The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” (Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act V, Scene 1, page 2) Who wants to be a fool? I’m pretty sure that if…

“Our cities share a common heartache.” That was my response to a bishop in London, England, who offered prayers for us and for the service in remembrance of Pulse from the Anglican Diocese of London. We do share this burden–along with Manchester, New York City, Paris and other places around the world too numerous to…

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…

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…