The Uninvited Guest

Jesus once felt like an uninvited guest. Ironically, He was invited. A Pharisee, Simon, invited Jesus to his home. Simon was curious about Jesus but far from committed. Hence, he failed to extend basic hospitality to the Galilean Rabbi. He didn't wash His feet, extend a kiss of welcome or anoint Jesus' head with oil. One slight could be attributed to carelessness, but three slights made it clear Simon was not hospitable to Jesus

How to Fight Fair in a Church Feud

In Galatians, we are confronted right away with a first-class church feud; but there are some things we can learn from this passage. If we have a fight on our hands, let's learn how to do it right.

Nothing Ordinary About Ordinary Time

In speaking of Ordinary Time, one Web site says, "Rather than meaning common or mundane, this term comes from the word ordinal, which simply means counted time." Another says, "others suggest the etymology of Ordinary Time is related to our word ordinary, which itself has a connotation of time and order, derived from the Latin word ordo." In either case, counting time still sounds ordinary.

Anticipation

Since my son-in-law first ate there, I've been hearing about Fogo De Chao. Fogo is an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak house. Patrons turn their coasters to the green side and waiters almost instantly surround the table with succulent cuts of sirloin, filet mignon, rib eye, chicken, pork loin and/or lamb chops. You can eat all you can endure. So, the anticipation nearly was unbearable; the expectations ran high; and we were not disappointed. In fact if anything, it was indescribably better than I ever could have imagined.

A Promise Kept

Harold Camping lets out a hearty chuckle when he considers the people who believe the world will end in 2012. "That date has not one stitch of biblical authority," Camping says from the Oakland office where he runs Family Radio, an evangelical station that reaches listeners around the world. "It's like a fairy tale. The real date for the end of times," he says, "is in 2011."

How to Know God’s Will

That must have been a thrilling day for Paul, Luke, Silas and Timothy. They had talked it over and all agreed: This was the will of God for them. The KJV puts it "assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us" How does a person come to that confident assurance? There are in this passage five principles for finding God's will.

The New Commandment

An ancient parchment records the remark of a pagan man by the name of Minucius Felix. He said of the Christians of his day, "They love each other before they know each other." Another first-century pagan exclaimed with astonishment: "Behold how these Christians love one another." If there is one thing that epitomizes the nature of God and His relationship to us, His creation, it is that one word love. If there is one thing above all others that Christ would have us show to each other it is love. What is new about this commandment?

White Robes and Palm Branches

I have on my desk a picture of my granddaughter in the baptistery with her pastor. She is in a white robe, and so is he. The robes are a long-standing part of our tradition. They do not make anyone pure, but they might remind us of the purity that comes only as a grace gift. What is the symbolism of the white robes and palm branches in our text?

A Strange Kind of Happiness

The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus are among the most familiar stories in Scripture to many church goers. After all, even for those who attend only on Christmas and Easter, these are the narratives they hear more than any others! While the accounts vary somewhat from one gospel to another, they are alike in developmental sequence: fear and sorrow over the death of Jesus are transformed into joy by an encounter with the risen Christ.

Will You Believe?

I don't know about you, but when I look back on my conversion I don't see an event quite like the one described in our text today. Because I placed my trust in Christ at an early age, my life didn't take quite as drastic a turn as Saul's either. What I do have in common with the apostle is that my sins were forgiven-all my sins, big and small-and I have the freedom and opportunity to continue walking in faithful obedience.