James tells us that there’s a way to approach our future plans that might be rightly described as “boastful,” “arrogant,” “sin,” and “evil.” Is this excessive? Is James exaggerating here? Someone might retort, “There are a lot of very real evils in this world, and how I talk about tomorrow is definitely not one of [...]
We are starting a new congregation that will focus its resources, energy, relationships, money, and time upon one part of the city: Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, and Adams Morgan, three historic neighborhoods in the city. But what will it be like? One way to explain its purpose and vision is to say we want the [...]
When Jesus addresses those who are persecuted, many questions may come to mind: Who is he referring to? We live in a country that tries to promote religious freedom, so is this even relevant to me? Is this a get-out-of-jail-free card for religious fanatics? What could persecution in Washington, DC look like? Am I doing [...]
Every person, culture, city, or family has their own set of Beatitudes—some understanding of the kind of person God especially smiles upon. Jesus challenges our assumptions and values as he describes the sort of person that is truly “blessed.” Where does he start? With the “poor in spirit.” Who does that refer to? Why is [...]
What was wrong with building a great city and a massive tower? The answer if found in what they really built upon— not bricks and mortar but the motives of the human heart? What was its foundation? It was the spirit of self-promotion— the lust to make a name for ourselves. The story of Babel [...]
The last week of Jesus’ life is a story of false impressions- misconceptions about who Jesus was and what he came to do. When we read Mark’s account of Jesus’ final week before being crucified, it’s clear that no one gets him. And then we see this rare account of someone finally “getting it”: a [...]
We know that the endings of stories matter. They’re the final contact an author has with his readers, the last chance to make an impression with the audience. It’s also where the plot reaches its climax or the tension of the plot is finally resolved. So is it significant that the ending of the book [...]
At the end of the year, we typically plan for the upcoming year and reflect upon the past one. Naturally, it’s not unusual to experience regret at this time—to feel sorrow or disappointment over a sin, an honest mistake, or a missed opportunity. How does the gospel enable us to handle regret differently? How does [...]
We live in a world of broken promises. As a result, it’s hard for us to imagine, let alone hope for, a relationship of unbroken promises—a true relationship. It’s not surprising that we therefore have a hard time believing that even God would keep his word. However, right in the middle of one of the [...]
Study Guide
Study Guide: 08.10.08 The Lord’s Prayer: Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Every healthy relationship requires honesty. Our relationship with God is no different: if it’s real, if it’s to be healthy, it’ll require transparency and hard conversations. This is why confession is a vital part of getting to know God as real person – restoring our relationship with Him. In this section of the Lord’s Prayer, [...]
Deep in our hearts, we long for honesty community and authentic relationships—until we’re wronged and deeply hurt by others. Forgiveness is a fairly universal ethic (people generally agree it’s a good thing); yet the lingering question for all of us is, Where do you draw the line? Sure it’s good to forgive—but as long as [...]
Envy is probably one of the most pervasive but least dealt with “sicknesses” in our hearts. Why don’t we deal with it? We don’t think envy’s that bad; we don’t really know how to fix it anyway; and honestly dealing with the true envy of our hearts is sometimes too threatening—we might discover stuff we [...]
What do you turn to when you’re afraid, especially when it feels like God has abandoned you or is slow to show up? When the Israelites faced these fears, they turned to a calf made of gold to give them security and stability. We do the same thing: there’s a Golden Calf Maker in all [...]
The wisdom the Bible offers on the topics of sex and marriage is extremely unpopular these days, sometimes even for those within the Church. Some may even consider the Seventh Commandment against adultery to be immoral—that it’s perverse and unhealthy to restrict our “natural” sexual impulses in any way. But the Bible tells us that [...]
Heading into the new year, it’s the season of much planning. Aided by technology, we plan more than ever and more efficiently than ever—and, perhaps, more mindlessly than ever. All our New Year’s resolutions and detailed plans are harmless, right? Maybe not, James tells us. There is a way of approaching our plans for tomorrow [...]
For many generations, Israel longed for the day when God would come again to the wilderness and not leave his people to be “like sheep without a shepherd.” Then Jesus performs a great miraculous sign to announce that the long-awaited, Moses-like shepherd–the true Shepherd–is finally here! To those who are worn out and exhausted, he [...]
The themes of food, meals, and hunger are found throughout the Bible, often used as metaphors to communicate spiritual reality. This shouldn’t be surprising to us—we know from experience that eating is sometimes a near-spiritual experience: the intimacy that’s shared with a friend over a meal; the way we turn to “comfort food” to feed [...]
Everything, no matter how mundane or seemingly insignificant, should be done to show forth the beauty, character, and worth of God (his “glory”). Even in activities like eating (or not eating) a meal—or walking in a park, or filing papers, or changing diapers, or mending bodies. Paul shows the Corinthians why this is so and [...]
When confronted with food sacrificed to idols—or a job promotion you deserve, a “thank you” you’re owed, or a certain standard of living you maintain—how can you let go of things you feel entitled to out of love for someone else, even at great cost to yourselves? Paul answers this question for the Corinthians. He [...]
Every one of us tends to tie our circumstances too closely to our standing before God and others. The result? A preoccupation with upgrading our lives—hankering after better jobs, new relationships, etc. The cure? Paul reminds the Corinthians that they were bought with a price and now belong to Jesus. This gives us power to [...]
Getting to know the cross of Jesus is never love at first sight.
For people who experience the grace of God in their lives, fresh starts begin not with what we resolve to do but what God has already done for us in Christ. New beginnings in the Christian life begin at the finish line-the place where Jesus accomplished all that was necessary to give us life and make us right with God once for all. Hearing Jesus’ bold declaration afresh is how we should start the new year: “It is finished!”
There’s a longing in every one of us for nearness to God, intimacy with God, access to God, contact with God. Our hearts wonder together with Joan Osborne: What if God was one of us? If God had a name, what would it be? If God had a face what would it look like? Matthew 1 gives us answers those questions: God did become one of us as a Jewish baby. His name was Jesus, and he would be the King, Mediator, and Savior of sinners.
The gospel is a new way of relating to God: surprising mercy towards sinners and an unexpected experience of joy. Jesus tells us that his grace is so radically different that it will burst your old religious categories and practices. He offers us this “new wine.
We do everything we can to “scrub” ourselves clean–trying hard to rid ourselves of the nagging sense that we’re “blemished” and “unpresentable”–but it never seems to work. Jesus tells us this is because our problem runs deeper than we often believe: we all have a terrible “heart condition. Mark shows us how Jesus alone can make us truly clean.
Jesus
Our love for others tells the true story of our hearts�whether or not we know personally the love of God offered to us.
The work of missions, the global extension of God’s grace, begins with a local experience of God’s grace in Christ. Psalm 67 reminds us of this, and shows us how grace changes our navel-gazing into nations-gazing.
Outward appearances can be deceiving: the church in Philadelphia was small and insignificant but strong in its loyalty to Jesus. Jesus comforts the church with a vision of his power and intimate presence.
Worship is the act of valuing something as having supreme worth. The Christian worship of God includes treasuring his grace through thanksgiving and prayer, and treasuring his image in our neighbor through deeds of love and justice.
Facing pain and hardship apart from God�s grace often leads to one of two extreme coping responses: triumphalism and despair. But the promises of God enable us to endure with honesty and hope�with the assurance that hardship is a loving Father�s way of nurturing his children.
Sometimes forgiveness is easy. At other times, absorbing the cost of someone
Only when we embrace the heavenly verdict of acceptance and justice pronounced through Jesus are we freed to extend radically other-centered love and forgiveness even to those who harm us.