Life This Side of Heaven

Have you ever played, “The Telephone Game”? As the time drew near for our risen Savior to ascend into heaven, He assured the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit. And one of the reasons for this was to ensure that the disciples didn’t find themselves playing some version of this game when it came to relaying His teaching and the events of the Gospels. God Himself made sure of it.

It's tempting to think that David's phrase in Psalm 23, "the valley of the shadow of death," describes only a short portion at the end. But it's comforting to him affirm that the goodness and love of God will be with us all the days of our lives. You and I have a risen Savior who is with us, not simply at the moment of death, but throughout our days – the sunny ones as well as those that seem dark...

“Homoousios” There’s a handy Greek word to keep in your top pocket as we continue our celebration of Easter. But before I get to that, let me tell you about something about shaving.

Today, calling someone a sheep has become an insult. During our never-ending election cycle it’s become popular for rival parties to hurl the term at each other’s followers. To call someone a sheep is to describe them as stupid, foolish, and easily led astray. However, if we’re not careful, we might get swept along with this current trend, of using this term as an insult, and lose along with it a...

It sounds almost comical. Who gets dressed up to jump into the water? Luke tells us that's what Peter did. I can’t help but imagine the sopping wet and smiling disciple standing before Jesus that day. Although, you and I may share some similarities with Peter as a result of our risen Savior's Easter victory. (Episode artwork courtesy of Good News Productions International and College Press Publish...

In Revelation, John gives us a glimpse of the song sung in celebration of the resurrection. It began with the women running to tell the disciples that they had seen the risen Savior.  Then we hear the excited voices of the disciples join in, then Thomas, and then the camera zooms out to show the many more who joined in. But here that number becomes breathtaking! And then he reveals that one of tho...

Saul seemed unlikely to be the kind of guy one might expect would become a Christian. Chances are good we know folks like this as well. It’s true that only God can see inside the heart, to know whether in fact a person’s contrition is sincere and whether their repentance and faith is real. But the challenge you and I face is when we consider some to be more likely candidates for faith than others....

Christ our King has come down to us from heaven – not someone in His place, and not by parachute, but in flesh and blood. As John points out in Revelation, how He did this, what it has accomplished, and what this means for you and me this day, is what Easter is all about.

A social media post that’s making the rounds encourages readers to leave a response to a single caption asking what one thing should be deleted from this world. It's an intriguing thought. What one thing should be eliminated? What one thing, if irradiated, would change everything? In light of our Savior's resurrection, a better question might be, "Why just one?"

It would probably shock the disciple to know that for generations he’s been saddled with the nickname, “Doubting Thomas.” And each year we can’t help but shake our heads and wag our finger when we think of him. But let’s back up a moment and see if that’s fair. (Episode art courtesy of Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing. Used by permission.)

If Job was a pilot, it would not have been safe to fly through life by relying what he could see around him.  Staring out and seeing only gloom and sadness would have severely impacted visibility. That may also be true for you and your current circumstances right now. Here's where you and I rely on the instruments that God has given to us of His Word, Baptism and the Lords's Supper. Here's where w...

In the fulness of Easter joy, you and I join in the hymn and sing, “O sons and daughters, let us sing with heav'nly hosts to Christ our king: today the grave has lost its sting!  Alleluia!” But if death has recently separated you from your spouse, or if you find yourself visiting the grave of a friend or loved one, you may be wondering, “If the grave has lost its sting, why do I still hurt so much...

Remember being told that when something sounds too good to be true that you shouldn't get your hopes up? It must have felt that like in those early hours on Easter morning. However, what the angel told the women certainly changed that - for them and for us! (Episode image courtesy of Jan van 't Hoff/ Gospelimages.com Used with permission.)

On this day, following the tumultuous events of Good Friday, and before the incredible announcement of Easter Sunday, Jesus was dead and buried. His body was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. This may sound obvious, but it was so important that the early church even included it in the Creed.  Each Sunday, you and I confess that Jesus “was crucified, died and was buried.”

As we hear described for us the picture of our Savior's crucifixion on Good Friday, it’s easy to see ourselves simply as patrons in a museum passing by painting with an image of something that’s far removed from our daily lives. But take a closer look.

To assure you that He had you in mind personally, when He suffered and died on the cross to take away your sins, Jesus has given us a remarkable feast, the Lord’s Supper. And with the very same words Paul uses here to describe the importance of our Savior’s death, burial and resurrection, the apostle tells us of the importance of this meal. He says, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed...

The word "Hosanna," which the crowd shouted as Jesus entered Jerusalem, means "Save now!" So, at first, the Palm Sunday joyful cry may sound like it has something in common with the anthem, “God save the Queen." And, in some ways, it is similar. It's sung with exuberance! However, it’s also quite different.

It’s a great story. As Queen Elizabeth I was passing through Greenwich, the dashing Sir Walter Raleigh stepped forward and spread his expensive cloak over a puddle so that the monarch would not muddy her royal feet. And it’s hard for this image not to come to mind when we picture our Savior’s entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. But what took place this day, and this week, is far greater than a...

There's a vehicle on the road that's so big and powerful that the question has been asked, "Is it a car or is it a statement?" For His entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Jesus chose a donkey, an animal which is neither big nor powerful. But you can be sure it's a statement!

“You ain’t seen nothing yet!” Have you ever head those words? Chances are that you may have even sung them. And you may be thinking that it sounds a little like what God has announced here in Isaiah.

Have you ever played “Rock, Paper, Scissors”?  It’s a simple game played with your hands that brings about a random result. In love for you, God didn't play games when it came to bringing about your salvation. And it's not by random chance that you've come to hear and believe this Good News.

Have you ever scolded one of your children but another one ends up crying? Even small children recognize how sad and painful it is when a brother or sister is in trouble. In the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus delivered harsh words that are difficult to hear. We are reminded of the guilt of our sins. But there is real forgiveness in Christ our Savior – and a remarkable consolation that's easy to ove...

There are a least three different ways to run through life. Two of them aren't much fun. But having "the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ," Paul describes this life as a runner, "straining toward what is ahead" and "pressing on toward the goal" in a way that only be described as joyful.

Here in Philippians, Paul talks about amazing travel that you and I do right where we are, and where God Himself has placed us at this time in our lives. He has just extolled the overwhelming joy of “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” And as a result, he now shares with you...

Prior to coming to faith, Paul had amassed quite a collection of containers. No, it wasn’t a collection of rusty coffee cans for old nails and screws. It was all those things in his life in which, prior to coming to faith, he placed his confidence. All that changed with Jesus. And he wants us to know that here is where you and I can place our full confidence for forgiveness, life and salvation.