Life This Side of Heaven

How does it make you feel when someone you have just met says, “I know you!” Does it bring you comfort or concern? Now, imagine how Nathanael must have felt as he walked up to meet Jesus and discovered his Savior already knew him.

Nathanael's response to Philip's invitation to meet Jesus sounds so easy to imagine that it almost makes you cringe. He almost blows off the invitation completely. It sounds familiar to what we might expect from a friend or family member with whom we want to introduce to our Savior. In fact, it may make us hesitate when sharing our faith. However, instead of debating with Nathanael, Andrew does so...

“Follow me.” My father would use those words when we would go out to the tool shed in our backyard on a snowy, winter morning. And, if you were a small child who grew up in snow country, you know exactly what those words mean. Jesus used the phrase, “Follow Me,” repeatedly in the Gospels as He called His disciples. It's also a gracious innovation from our Savior for you and me.

One thing that has come out of the current pandemic is that we’ve all become proficient experts at washing our hands. Signs are up everywhere to remind us of this important part of our regular hygiene and many of them even include instructions and diagrams on how to do it. It’s also great way to remember, and make daily use, of your Baptism.

Do you know who baptized you? However, in reality, there’s real a distinction when it comes to who applied the water that day and who did the baptizing.

In 2 Corinthians the apostle has announced, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” God's gift to you in Your baptism assures you that this is more than a hyperbole.

If you’ve ever watched a baptism in church on a Sunday morning, it may not look like a big deal. Family and friends gather with together with the pastor at the font. Words are spoken. Water is poured on the individual. And then everyone sticks around for coffee, cake and family pictures. But a baptism so much more than a photo opp. And our good friend Paul wants us to know it.

How many t-shirts would you say that you own? Five, ten, twenty? Have you ever thought about layering them and wearing them all at the same time? Did you know that a gentleman set the record two years ago for the most t-shirts worn at one time? Now, you may be asking, "Why would anyone do that?" Then again, why did Jesus come to the Jordan to be baptized by John?

This week, we’ll take a closer look at the tremendous gift that God has given to us in our Baptism and the remarkable blessings that come with it. For parched souls searching for God’s mercy, here God has soaked us with His grace and love.

Where’s Jesus? That may have been among the most frequently asked questions of this past week. It set the scene for the situation that Luke described for us in the Gospel reading last Sunday and it seems especially fitting for these days in our nation that have followed.

Do you know how much you're carrying in your wallet or purse? What if it was a fortune? Would it be possible to forget it, lose sight of it, or perhaps not even realize that it's yours? In Ephesians, Paul wants you to be aware of the fact that by faith you carry with you each day something far more valuable.

Everything that Jesus came to accomplish on our behalf was restore the broken relationship with our heavenly Father that sin had severed. So, it’s understandable that the very first words of our Savior recorded in the Gospel, and spoken at the Temple, point to Jesus being about the Father’s business.

Last month, on December 21, you may have seen the rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky. It's been called the "Bethlehem Star" as some hold it's the one that led the Wise Men to Jesus. Some have wondered whether it was this, a supernova, a comet or any number of different phenomena that was the celestial sight mentioned in Scripture. Detailed scholarly discussions have taken plac...

It’s tempting to tell ourselves that we know all there is know from God’s Word. And while Sunday School seems useful for kids we may imagine that there’s not much for us to get out of the ongoing study of God’s Word. But notice how Jesus Himself didn’t see it something to be overlooked.

Just like Solomon, and wanting to keep our lives rolling along smoothly, we ask God for a discerning heart. We implore Him to teach us His way that we may walk in truth. Solomon realized how easy it is to make poor choices. Sadly, the fact is that’s true for you and me as well. However, there is real mercy and real grace when our lives go off the rails.

Clothes are among some of the most special gifts for Christmas. For the person who is giving the clothing they have to imagine what they will look like when the other person is wearing them. On the other hand, for the person who has received this gift, they can look in the mirror and they see immediately how they look. However it’s just the opposite when you consider this gift of clothing that God...

Having come through 2020, with all of its unexpected hurdles, heartaches, and challenges, what will come next in 2021? If you read the newspapers and magazines there are no end to the number of predictions. It’s tempting to think that someone might have the inside line on what’s ahead of us. Well, as redeemed children of God, we do. God is ahead of us. Instead of facing the unknown on our own, we...

“Is 2020 truly the worst year ever?” Now there’s a question that has been floating around for some time now. It’s the theme of a number of articles this week and of more than a few end-of-year retrospectives that news outlets are airing on this New Year’s Eve. It may be the worst year that many of us in North America will have experienced in our lifetime, but there have been others that came befor...

Back in the 80s, singer Mark Lowry began writing the lyrics for a song that has grown to become a Christmas favorite. It’s titled, “Mary Did You Know?” It might surprise you to know the answer. There's also another important question that can be asked along with it.

No Christmas gift is of much use if you leave it in the box. It’s not surprising how many people love to think of the “little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay” at Christmas. What is surprising, is when they leave Him there. Here’s the gift that’s no longer in the box. Here’s our Savior who is no longer "away in the manger," in the feed box. And look at all that comes with this gift.

There’s a great English tradition of popping Christmas Crackers at this time of the year. The cracker is a brightly wrapped cardboard tube that’s twisted on the end. Two people, one each side, grab and end of it and pull. When it pops open with a bang, inside is found a colorful tissue paper crown; a small trinket for a prize, and a piece of paper with a riddle or a joke. In Galatians, Paul sounds...

Down through the centuries God communicated, through the prophets, that He would send us a Savior. Our hearts have thrilled, even this day, to hear those promises recorded by Moses, Isaiah, Micah and more in the Advent readings leading up this Christmas announcement in Hebrews. But now, everything has changed with the birth of our Savior.

If Christmas could have been cancelled it would have been. Not this year’s Christmas, but the first Christmas itself. But here’s the wonderful thing. Jesus did come! Christmas has arrived! Our Savior is born and He has brought salvation with Him. The circumstances of this year bring into unique clarity all that is unchanged – and all which can never be cancelled – God’s eternal love for you and Hi...

This night of our holy Savior’s birth is not a distraction from this fear-filled and inquity-infected world, it’s the antidote! It’s the front page news announcing the cure for sin, shame and death. In love, God sent His Son to save us! The angel reports, “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

This year you and I have been told not to hit the road, not to book flights and not to line up for the train. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend “postponing travel and staying home, as this is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.” As you and I kick the rug and lament that we’re going to be on our own this year for Christmas, it might be useful to recall that...