In John 20, right after his resurrection, Mary Magdalene is at the garden tomb, weeping. The past few days have been horrible, with Jesus’ arrest, beating, and crucifixion. Now his body is missing. As we learned in the previous post, Jesus is alive and meets Mary there in the garden, simply saying her name, “Mary.”Continue reading “How Jesus’ resurrection brings new life to female voices – John 20, Part 3”
Tag Archives: religion
What it looks like to focus on God in the middle of our pain – John 19, Part 1
A few years ago one of the pastors in my local ministerium of churches told us that he had been in the mall looking for a gift for his wife. He walked up to a jewelry counter at one of the department stores. As he was waiting in line, he couldn’t help but overhear aContinue reading “What it looks like to focus on God in the middle of our pain – John 19, Part 1”
What does a cross tattoo mean? – John 19, Preview
Imagine you get a new neighbor. You watch them unload their possessions from the moving truck into the home. Wanting to make a good first impression, you bring them a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” gift basket the next day. There on their front porch as you are chatting, you notice they have a cross tattooContinue reading “What does a cross tattoo mean? – John 19, Preview”
Are we so concerned with religion that we’ve stopped listening to God? – John 18, Part 4
This week I welcome guest blogger, Emerald Scaffe. Emerald is married and together with her husband, has three children. She also serves on the teaching team at Faith Church. This painful irony of Jesus’ arrest and trials continues as in John 18, verse 19, “Meanwhile, the high priest (still referring to Annas, here) questioned JesusContinue reading “Are we so concerned with religion that we’ve stopped listening to God? – John 18, Part 4”
Are you doubting? Hear Jesus’ prayer – John 17:6-26, Part 1
When I was an undergrad student in Bible college, the college held chapel services every day. One chapel speaker was a guest who gave a sermon, and then started praying. And he didn’t stop praying. The prayer started to become uncomfortably long. Many of us started checking our watches. The speaker’s prayer was eating intoContinue reading “Are you doubting? Hear Jesus’ prayer – John 17:6-26, Part 1”
Does artificial intelligence make you nervous? – A Theology of AI, Preview
When you hear the words “artificial intelligence,” how do you feel? Do you feel uncertain? Maybe a little nervous? If you’ve been watching or reading the news over the last few years, you’ve almost certainly come across a story about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). If you’ve been reading or watching science fiction, you’veContinue reading “Does artificial intelligence make you nervous? – A Theology of AI, Preview”
What Christmas cards teach us about a relationship with God – John 17:1-5, Part 4
How many Christmas cards do you receive? Christmas cards are an American cultural phenomenon. Perhaps other cultures have the same phenomenon. The cards start arriving in early December, from friends and family. We hang the cards in our dining room, as part of our Christmas decorations. Some cards include a letter with a recap ofContinue reading “What Christmas cards teach us about a relationship with God – John 17:1-5, Part 4”
What eternal really means – John 17:1-5, Part 3
If you’re tracking the first part of Jesus’ prayer (John 17:1-5), which we’ve been studying this week, you might have noticed I didn’t talk about another theme he mentions. Eternal life. Look again at verses 2-3, “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you haveContinue reading “What eternal really means – John 17:1-5, Part 3”
Giving is living – John 17:1-5, Part 2
Jesus has one more bit of work to do. Not a small bit either. It is the final offering. Jesus would be offering his life through his beating, his crucifixion and his death. Astoundingly, as Jesus tells us in his prayer in John 17:1-5, his offering brings praise to God. In fact, Jesus in verseContinue reading “Giving is living – John 17:1-5, Part 2”
Falling asleep during prayer and the surprising act that brings glory to God – John 17:1-5, Part 1
On family vacation, we were having a prayer time where one person would share a prayer request, and then another person would pray for them. It was getting late into the evening, and I was sitting next to my wife, Michelle, on a sofa. Someone shared a prayer request, and Michelle volunteered to be theContinue reading “Falling asleep during prayer and the surprising act that brings glory to God – John 17:1-5, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 