You Are Somebody
“But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”” (Luke 8:46) In this passage, Jesus is in the midst of a large crowd – Luke says it almost crushed him. As he slowly made his way through the throng, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came up […]
God with Us
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece and was thought to be the home of gods. The twelve Olympians, with Zeus at their head, made their dwelling atop this great mountain…high above the average man, often above the clouds, far away from the grinding lives of mortals. In this, the Greeks are no different […]
Holy Week – Saturday
Silent Saturday Saturday was the Sabbath…a quiet day in Jerusalem. Jesus’ dead body lay in the tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers. Because of the quickly approaching Sabbath on Friday, Jesus was removed surreptitiously from the cross and quickly entombed. His body had been ceremonially treated by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, but not by his […]
Holy Week – Friday
Jesus’ trial (which began late Thursday night) continued into Friday morning. Before the “third hour” (9 a.m.), the Lord had endured lies and condemnation, mockery, and beatings. He had been abandoned by His disciples (Judas had already hanged himself in remorse). After multiple, unlawful trials, Jesus traveled the Via Dolorosa (“The Way of Suffering”), carrying […]
Holy Week – Tuesday
Special Announcement: The Sunrise service on Easter begins at 6:45 a.m. Please note the change in time. [Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] It is Tuesday morning, and Jesus returns to Jerusalem with his disciples. As they pass the withered fig tree, Jesus […]
The Perfect Sacrifice
“…by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14, NIV84) There’s an old story of a church in England with a stone archway inscribed with the words: “We preach Christ crucified.” Years passed and generations of preachers came and went. By then, the cross seemed too old-fashioned and […]
Our Substitute
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!” (Ephesians 2:4–5) I read a story recently of an ancient nomadic tribe in the great expanse of Siberia. The tribe had […]
Salvation in Jesus
When most of us in church talk about salvation, our discussion begins with a test…a test of morality. We ask certain questions of ourselves and sooner or later, even the most upright citizen answers incorrectly. Miss just one question and we fail. The penalty for failure is, of course, hell. Our ticket has been punched. […]
Resurrection Sunday!
[Note: This week I will be chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] Resurrection Sunday Resurrection Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week. The resurrection of Jesus is the pivotal truth of the Christian faith! As the sun rose, several women went to Jesus’ tomb, only to find that the […]
Good Friday
[Note: This week I am chronicling the events of Holy Week with a short devotion each day.] Good Friday Jesus’ trial (which began late Thursday night) continued into Friday morning. Before the “third hour” (9 a.m.) the Lord had endured lies and condemnation, mockery, and beatings. He had been abandoned by his disciples (Judas had […]
Maundy Thursday
It is Maundy Thursday of Holy Week. The name comes from Jesus washing the feet of the disciples…but I’m jumping ahead. Peter and John left Bethany before the others in order to make preparations for Passover dinner together. Once the upper room was prepared, Jesus and the remaining ten arrived. Before dinner, Jesus humbly washed […]
Do You See what I See?
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had […]
