Third Sunday after Epiphany: Christian Loyalty and the Key to Church Unity

I once owned a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix sedan and drove it nearly 200,000 miles before my growing family required a minivan. Early one spring, the automatic transaxle failed. Only first gear and overdrive would function, which made for adventurous driving! I finally managed to get the car to a shop. Upon explaining the problem to the repairman, he asked me how much time had passed since the transaxle was serviced with new fluid and a new filter. I sheepishly replied, "At the factory." He rightly asked, "Did you expect it to keep functioning without performing the necessary maintenance?"

Second Sunday after Epiphany (A): A Witness to the Lamb

Of the four Gospels, John presents what we call the "highest Christology." From the outset, the Gospel of John presents Jesus as "the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (v. 1). No mention is made of Mary and Joseph. No shepherds came from the hills to behold the baby Jesus, and no wise men came from afar to worship Him with gifts. While John recognizes the humanity of Jesus, this gospel writer wants us to understand very clearly, "Jesus is the Logos" (Word), and this Word is God.

Baptism of the Lord: Reaching Seekers

In 1995, Newsweek ran an article called "The Search for the Sacred." That article chronicled the rise in spiritual hunger among Americans. This hunger leads people down some very strange paths. The challenge for Christians is reaching these seekers with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Second Sunday After Christmas: Life as a Possession

The people of Ephesus would understand this portion of Paul's writing, "you were sealed with the Holy Spirit" because of their geographical location. Ephesus was a maritime city and carried on an extensive timber trade. Merchants of the neighboring port cities would buy the timber from the lumber masters of the area. After selecting their timber, they stamped it with their own signet ring, which was an acknowledged sign of ownership.

Fourth Sunday of Advent (A): A Sign from God

Christians have laid claim to this passage as one of the many Old Testament passages-along with Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:2 and others-that seemed to point hundreds of years beyond the time they actually were written to foreshadow the appearance of Jesus Christ. In this instance, the idea that a "virgin will conceive and bear a child" as recorded in Isaiah 7:14 is seen as being fulfilled with the birth of Jesus as described in Matthew 1:18-23.

Third Sunday of Advent (A): Are You the One?

Jesus and John the Baptist are two men who are linked together in all four of the gospel narratives. In Luke, they are linked together from before their birth. John was the miracle child born of Zechariah and Elizabeth when she was well past the age of giving birth. Jesus was the miracle child born of Mary and of the Holy Spirit while she was still a virgin; fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 where a virgin (almah) would bear a son (Luke 1:26-38).

Second Sunday of Advent (A): Preparing the Way

Second only to Jesus, John the Baptist is one of the first and greatest figures to leap from the pages of the New Testament. Similar to Jesus' nativity and second coming, John's arrival was anticipated in the Old Testament.

First Sunday of Advent (A): Stop Guessing and Start Living

Jesus just comes right out and says it: You don't know, and you're not going to know. When it comes to the day of the second coming, there isn't an end-of-times equation that can calculate the year, month or day when it will happen.

Christ the King (C): Remember Who You Know

Have you grown accustomed to knowing Jesus? The opening verse of our passage reveals that knowing and following Jesus is intended to be a life of continuous and joyful thanks-as though one just can't get over it and constantly collapses to his or her knees in overwhelming gratitude. The attentive Christian can restore that sort of joy to life by remembering what God has done: 1) "[He] has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints; (2) rescued us from the domain of darkness; (3) and transferred us to His Kingdom, where we have redemption and forgiveness of sins." The reason a Christian has such a superior standing is because Christ Himself is the Supreme Being. Paul described four basic aspects of Christ's supremacy.