During this Holy Week we remember how our Lord and Savior entered Jerusalem, at first celebrated but then castigated by the clueless crowds there. We recall how he went from sharing an intimate love feast with his closest friends to …
House Cleaning, Heart Cleansing
In his classic little book My Heart-Christ’s Home by Robert Boyd Munger we read about a Christian whose walk with God is comparable to various rooms in a house. As the writer…
No Spiritual Vitality, No Vital Congregation
Bishop Young Jin Cho, Episcopal Leader of the UMC’s Virginia Conference, delivered this keynote address at the 2016 Lenten Day Apart for clergy members
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
“Enjoy life with your dearly loved spouse all the days of your pointless life that God gives you under the sun – all the days of your pointless life! – because that’s your part to play in this life and in your hard work under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 9:9 CEB
In this new year ‘walk in newness of life’
A favorite phrase for me in our Holy Communion liturgy is “walk in newness of life.” Do you see this New Year as an ideal time to do just that, to change something about your faith walk
There’s Something About that Name
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. — Isaiah 9:6 (NRSV) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There’s just something …
His Name is John
To everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God. (Luke 1:63-64)
Did you ever think about what December would be like if Christ had never come?
We could easily get side-tracked by the cold and gray often found in our December days. We would have the New Year to look forward to, or maybe not. There would be snow in the future, or ice and a cold, cold rain. No time off from school or work, no reason to gather with family and friends, no gifts or cards, no thoughtful words.
Serve Him in Holiness
You are redeemed! Serve the Lord without fear, in holiness all your days (Luke 1:74-75)
Before we look at Zacharias’s song, let me ask you a question. If you had not been able to talk for nearly a year, what would you say when you finally could speak again?
One can’t help thinking that the mind and heart of Zacharias during those nine months had been filling with this song. And now it bursts out, the first words out of his mouth after nine months of silence, with praises for God and prophecies about the future.
Word Made Flesh
Christ, the word made flesh, is born among us as one of us! Rejoice! (John 1:1-18) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His …
“Prepare the Way”
The Savior comes! Repent of your sins and prepare the way of the Lord. — Luke 3:1-6
Pilate, Herod, and Caiaphas were the most powerful leaders in Palestine in Jesus’ day. But they were upstaged by a desert prophet named John.
In his day, before a king took a trip, messengers would tell those he planned to visit to prepare the roads for him. John, similarly, told his listeners to make their lives ready so the Lord could come to them.