The heart is a tricky thing. In one sense, it’s that rhythmical muscle in our chest, pulsing with life. In another sense, it’s the deepest of emotions, both positive and negative. There is yet another sense that Jesus uses when he talks about “heart.” Check it out: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they […]
Has the comfort zone taken over our discipleship? Everyone has a comfort zone. It’s a natural part of life to be comfortable with certain things and uncomfortable with others. Here’s how Wikipedia defines comfort zone: “The comfort zone is a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set […]
It’s no wonder why we love to read Paul’s letters. We love to dive into the depth and the logic of Paul. We love his systematic approach to Law and Gospel. We love Paul’s passion and his steadfast adherence to the confession of Jesus Christ. Paul makes sense to us! In so many ways, Paul […]
There are few things that get me more excited than a baptism. Seriously, it’s thrilling. I find it especially exciting when I get to perform the baptism, but just witnessing someone’s new birth in the Triune name of God does it for me too. It’s such a deep reaction. It must be the Holy Spirit […]
In Jesus’ great commission, he tells his disciples to be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Mat. 28:20). So, over the last year, our congregation has paid close attention to Jesus’ commands in Matthew so that we can be disciples who make disciples. It’s amazing how Jesus teaches us everything we need […]
At Bethel Lutheran Church we have been reading through the book of Matthew. As it turns out, the end of Matthew coincides with Advent and Christmas. The irony is not lost on me. The crucifixion occurs during Holy Week, not Advent. Resurrection is for Easter, not Christmas… or is it? For as long as I […]
As many of you may know, I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease. It seems my body attacks my small intestine when it finds gluten in my system. Over time, the damage results in malabsorption and all sorts of other bad things can happen with that. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. So, […]
The Bible is filled with ideas. Some ideas are beautiful, others are challenging, some give us comfort, others bring a deep fear. But Christianity is so much bigger than ideas. Just reading through the Gospel of Matthew can convince you of that. We may be tempted to think that Jesus is all about ideas, but […]
Mammonaholic? What’s that? What’s Mammon in the first place? We usually think of Mammon as “riches,” and that’s quite true. However, Mammon is much broader than that. Mammon is the misuse of God’s good creation through prideful expressions of power, prestige and possessions. In essence, Mammon is the power of Satan in and among us. […]
We are so easily insulted. We take offense at the smallest of things. We use the word “hurt” for our feelings as much as we do for bodily injury. Our automatic response to being insulted, offended or hurt is almost always self-defense. We must defend our pride. We must not let them get the upper […]
