Water is vital to sustaining life, second only to the air we breathe. This vitality-giving liquid touches our lives daily, shaped by its temperature and our needs. Without its replenishment, our strength drains away. Soon, we fade and perish. Frozen and solid, we use ice cubes to chill our drinks. Above freezing, we find refreshment […]
Luke 16:1-15: The Cunning Estate Manager
September 18, 2022 by
Too well can money morph into a seductive false god, perched upon your slanted shoulders, confiding in your ear. “Listen to me. Only I’m able to ease your strife. Let me be your best friend, spouse, playmate, your dream, muse, and love. Yes, I’ll teach you the things of life and living. In return, I […]
Matthew 28:16-20: The Holy Trinity
June 10, 2020 by
The Scripture begins by unveiling God, revealing who He is by how He operates. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” meaning God made everything. The word for God here is Elohim, a masculine plural, referring to a singular God. Ah, the divine mystery starts in Scripture’s first sentence. Next, the moving […]
Matthew 7:15-23: False Prophets
August 18, 2019 by
“Beware of false prophets,” our Lord cautions. The danger is real; otherwise, why did Jesus warn us with such words? Now, if a false prophet can exist, so also can false teaching and worship. From their mouths flow words of death, not life. “Enter through the narrow gate,” the warning continues. Why? The boulevard of […]
1 Peter: Lesson 10: The Good Conscience God Gives Us
June 18, 2019 by
Intro In 1 Peter 3:16, Peter mentions Christians “having a good conscience” but doesn’t tell us how this came to be—but he will. Next, he writes: “It is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” Verse 18 then follows as a continuation of 17, starting with […]
1 Peter: Lesson 2 Preparing His Hearers
March 27, 2019 by
Intro In this section, Peter uses classical rhetoric, writing an “exordium” to prepare his recipients for what is to follow. The purpose is to prepare them to be more well-disposed and ready to receive his instruction. So, this section includes no explicit exhortations or commands. Instead, Peter wants his recipients to hear him without being […]
Mark 4:35-41, Revelation 14:13: Donna Kind-Gappa’s Funeral Sermon: Blessed are the Dead Who Die in the Lord
September 21, 2018 by
The story is the tale of your life, soaked into the bones and marrow of your being. The sun warms your face, but distant thunder cleaves your ears. Soon, dark clouds banish the brightness, and blackness descends, unasked for and unwanted. The still waters rebel and lash out in chaos. Venomous bile stings your throat, […]
Sandy Webb’s Funeral Homily: Baptism Does What?
September 15, 2018 by
John 3:1-7, 14-17; Genesis 7:11-13, 22-23; 8:1, 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-21 Sometimes, someone enters your life who speaks the truth, flowing from a heart of love, without pretense or agenda. Whenever a friend like this becomes part of your life, don’t let him go. Such people are rare. Don’t allow being comfortable to obstruct genuine […]
Being Fully Human: Lesson 3
February 13, 2018 by
In His Body, Christ Redeemed Us, Bringing Us into His Body To save us, Jesus became incarnate, which means the eternal God also became fully human by His human birth. As both God and man, He considered it necessary to become a physical being to save us physical beings. In His human nature, He became […]
The Baptism of Our Lord: Genesis 1:1-5: Creation Teaches Us About Re-Creation
January 23, 2018 by
To the first ticking of time, and before the creation of time, Moses takes us back to the beginning. From his words, he allows us to peek into those moments of prehistory when only God existed, and we find primordial chaos. One thing is evident—in the emptiness of the void, life is powerless to blossom […]
