Christ Church Jerusalem

It is appropriate that in today’s readings, Jesus’ parable of the Workers in the Vineyard falls on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This story raises some questions about God’s generosity and how it can lead to disappointment and resentment, embittering our relationship with God and others. Understanding this parable in its Jewish context can help us better understand how God is at wor...

Jesus is urgent. Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! But we tend to think that because we’re not bank robbers or adulterers we’re OK. But today, as we approach the holiday of The Feast of Trumpets, let the blast of the shofar wake us up to Jesus’ urgent call.

Often in Christian teaching we focus on how to get to heaven – and until then, how we can dwell in ‘heavenly places.' But the overwhelming biblical focus is that God wants to come down! Jesus teaches us practical ways that we can live in His presence now.

When Moses was 40 years old he had all of the right criteria to be used as God's instrument for deliverance. He was articulate, well educated, and zealous. However, God's timing is not our timing. By the time Moses was commissioned, he was emptied of almost everything he once was. God will indeed deliver His people out of bondage. Nonetheless, He shares His glory with no man.

In our lectionary today, we read about two midwives who refused to obey the Pharaoh’s death decree. How did they know to fear the living God more than a powerful tyrant who could bring them death? They are role models for us today and can teach us important lessons about being disciples of the Prince of Life in a culture of death.

Genesis 45 sees Joseph reveal himself to his brothers, declare his good fortune in Egypt, and promise to care for them during the following 5 years of famine. Psalm 67, sung daily between Pesach and Shavuot, prompts all the nations to praise the God of Israel for making the land yield its produce. This principle—of God blessing many people through His saving work among Israel—is invoked when Jesus...

John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” But later, he began to doubt and sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the One who is to come?” Under great duress in prison and imprisoned by his own eschatological interpretation, John was unable to see the expanding Kingdom of Heaven as proclaimed by Jesus. Like John, we to...

Jacob’s struggle with a mysterious figure was life-transforming and he walked away with a limp and a legitimate blessing gained without deceit. The encounter enabled him to courageously, yet humbly face his brother Esau and bring healing to a broken relationship. In that context we examine Paul’s understanding of the Jewish-Christian relationship found in Romans 11. That healing is facilitated whe...

⁠God is already the Almighty King. But what does His kingdom look like on this oft rebellious earth? Drawing on the imagery of Ezekiel, Jesus reveals a kingdom that begins in humility, transforms the world, is worth more than every earthly treasure, and will one day bring both salvation and judgment

The kingdom of heaven isn't just some future paradise. God already reigns, but there are many who oppose Him. Why doesn't He subjugate everything to His will now? He is patient beyond our own understanding.

Soil can turn good or bad, based on the care it is given, and so it is with our hearts. A good beginning does not necessarily means a good outcome. We can turn bad soil into a richly producing one with good care, time and God’s blessing. But that is only a start. There are other soils - hearts that are producing, and in the end, God’s plan is for the multitudes as we can see in nature. In our ende...

In his only self-descriptive phrase Jesus gives us a key to his ability to carry the burdens given by his Father. His yoke is easy only as and when we humbly accept our lot in life. Yes, under God’s caring hand, but nevertheless, a life full of challenges, and trials, not of our choice. Will we accept them willingly, as Jesus did?

Is it wrong to expect divine recompense for obedience? Over the centuries many have been perplexed by the binding/sacrifice of Isaac. No matter how this event is understood, it is clear that there is reward for Abraham’s obedience. We tend to think that rewards are given in return for great acts of faith, but Jesus teaches something essential about God’s economy: even the smallest act of hospitali...

In our readings today the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, along with that of Jesus calling his disciples, give us much to ponder. Because of that nagging (and all too natural) anxiety of committing our lives to God, we too, often circumvent His best for us. Although fear and the deceit of self-preservation can overwhelm us, God has provided a way to enable us to live faithfully.

God is a king who expects His subjects to have compassion and care for those who are sick and those who are wandering. In our hubris, we often do not completely subject ourselves before the almighty Lord and King. We may even think that the servant is above the master. God acts even when we don’t, caring for His sheep as well as bringing judgment on those who condemn and exploit those who are wand...

The Lord has torn us, but after three days he will heal us", so declare the people of Israel in the book of Hosea. This hope is a good beginning for looking at the healing ministry of Jesus and the overlapping realities of impurity, repentance, and the rewards of a persistent faith.

Since the rebellion in the Garden, the human family has been afflicted by the sins of fear and pride. In rejecting what it means to be created in God’s image, we enter the AI age with fears of uncertainty and mortality, and along with the desire to be like gods we find ourselves on a dangerous precipice. We must respond by rejecting the false promises of technology and its dehumanization. The maje...

While the Spirit of God is given freely to all who come to faith, being regularly filled with His Spirit is another matter. Like water that always flows to the lowest place, the Holy Spirit keeps a home in those who live humbly, practice forgiveness, and strive for unity with their brothers and sisters. In today’s readings we see in the life of Moses (and more) the extraordinary power that these c...

The command to love God with a whole heart raises some questions: How can love be commanded? Can love be without emotion? When we understand this love as more than a theological concept, how is it expressed? Not surprisingly, in the Scriptures we find a common thread of thought and practice stretching from Deuteronomy to the Gospel of John and beyond: Love motivates obedience, leading to intimacy,...

The shepherd imagery of Psalm 23 is well known and loved by many. What is not so well known is that this psalm is set in the barren Judean wilderness, not on the lush, green hills usually imagined. Yet God is able to provide abundantly despite scarcity and danger. And like this psalm, Isaiah 25 assures us that one day God will rescue and provide a feast for all peoples to celebrate His victory ove...

We often find ourselves trusting in our own strength and zeal to live for God, only to end up unsuccessful. However, it is a trustworthy statement that when man fails, God does not. How do we become overcomers? How do we live completely sold out for Jesus? Living for God—and in some cases, dying for Him—comes through the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we also can be confused and disappointed in how God is working through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But we can learn from the questions asked by the people on the day of Pentecost: What does this mean? What should we do? And we can rediscover that sense of wonder experienced by the disciples when meeting the risen Lord.

In some churches the second Sunday of the Easter season is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. When reading John’s account of Jesus' appearance with His disciples we see His divine mercy take concrete form. Like the disciples, we are invited to meet the Risen Jesus with all of our senses. And like them, it is in repentance and trust in Him that we can respond with joy in a world full of fear and doubts,...

To better appreciate the unique way that Matthew tells of Jesus’ resurrection, we need to remember the themes in his narrative of Jesus’ birth – fear, _im-anu-el,_ intrigue, worship, deception and death, all of which come to prominence in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The worship of _Im-anu-el_ allows us to move beyond fear and weakness to having the joy and courage to...

After weeping over the city He loves, Jesus enters Jerusalem and cleanses the Temple. All four gospels record this event, but only Matthew recalls that the lame and blind come to Him and are healed. In highlighting God's love for the ignored and neglected, Matthew reveals the essential nature of Jesus' identity and the redemption He offers, not only to Jerusalem but to all who come to Him today.