Tag: act
-
The Tax Man Comes
Mark 2:13–17; Luke 19:1–11 Zacchaeus has been a staple in Children’s church for years…♫♪“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.”♪♫ His stature makes him identifiable for children. They understand being too short to see things that all the adults get to see. What gets lost for the children is Zacchaeus’…
-
Cast Off
Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 There is no question about Jesus’ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point? The Pharisees, with their belief in the afterlife, would certainly not want…
-
Are You There Yet?
Romans 7:15-20; Philippians 3:12–21; 1 John 1:6–2:6 If you’ve ever been on a long trip, whether as a parent or a child, “Are we there yet,” is a common question. So common that some people can time when the next time the question will be asked. The “are we there yet” question is an event-…
-
Work-Out Regimen
Luke 7:36–50; Philippians 2:12–16 The scorn of the Pharisees toward Jesus was pretty easy to see. They were effectively declaring that Jesus could not be an actual true prophet, because he dared to accept the anointing by the woman. “If he only knew what she was like,” they said. Jesus did and loved her anyway.…
-
Say Grace
Matthew 5:20; Matthew 19:23–26; Romans 5:20–21 As schools have begun, for high school junior and seniors this is when many start thinking about the next step…college, and if that is even for them. Colleges begin their paper and email storm of recruitment. Excitement builds as it seems everyone wants them. There are colleges that don’t…
-
Solitudinal Gift
Mark 6:30–46 The story of feeding 5000 people (or more, as many question if this 5000 was only counting the men, or everyone) is very impressive. Feeding the hungry is a good thing and should be celebrated. This story, though, is bookended by something that we often skip over so we can get to “the…
-
Right and Just
Matthew 1:18–21; Romans 5:6–11; Romans 14:1–23 For whom will you die? Your child? Your parent? Your next door neighbor? A murderer? Your nation? Your state? At some point in history, someone responded “yes” to at least one of these. A number of these are conscious choices. Others were forced upon people. Others were an unthought…
-
Heart Mission
2 Chronicles 7:12–18; Matthew 9:1–8; Acts 3:1–10 Prayer times and services have often been called “aches and pains time”. The implication being that we often ask for physical healing for the aches and pains of our bodies. This can be from the innocuous pulled muscle to cancer. It’s not that we are called to pray…