What did Jesus come to do? What is the Gospel? What is the good news for all people? Jesus said it, very simply, in his first recorded sermon: “I have come to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…and to set the oppressed free.” Jesus came to bring revolution. That is the Gospel. That is the good […]
On the sixth day of creation, Genesis tells us, God formed a man from the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And he named this man Adam, which basically means “creature made out of earth”. And from the beginning, God designed Adam to act as his ambassador. It was Adam’s job, […]
Moses’ creation story began in darkness and silence. But it was not the kind of darkness that leads to rest, it was not the silence of peace and serenity; it was the darkness of chaos, the silence of the vaccuum. Just as one famous sci-fi horror movie pointed out in the 1970’s, “In space, no […]
Let’s jump right back in where we left off last week: the Israelites have been moving ever deeper into a wilderness named the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. Now, Elim, if you recall, is that oasis of fresh water and palm trees where God gave them almost a month of vacation. […]
In the beginning, God created the heavens above, and the earth beneath, and the waters under the earth. Now, it is easy for us, as modern people, to misunderstand what Moses meant when he wrote this. We have been trained to think about our universe in very scientific, naturalistic ways. So when we hear “the […]
Last week, Peter told the Christians of Roman Asia that their new Father God has very high expectations of them: like obedient children, they are supposed to be holy in all they do. And that sounded pretty scary. Especially when Peter then quoted from the Old Testament Book of Leviticus. The Book of Leviticus is […]
The Lord commands his people to be sexually faithful. But what does sex have to do with heaven? In one great ceremony, the Lord marries, adopts, and is enthroned over his people, and in the process proves that he loves them, that he will love them forever. CDPCKL · The Covenant of Adoption (Exodus 24:1-11) […]
Adam and Eve began their lives in a garden that contained everything they needed: stars to mark the planting and harvest seasons, soil rich with precious stones to delight the senses, trees to eat from, water to drink, animals to feed and train, with themselves as the gardeners. But it is equally clear, right from […]
Bong-bongggg… Last week, on “Echoes of a Far-Off Country”: King Xerxes of Persia: “Oh, I am such a loser! Who knew the Greeks would resent being invaded so much? I am so angry right now I swear could just impale somebody!” The king’s personal attendants: “Uh, your royal highness…” Xerxes: “WHAT?!” Attendants: “Ummmmm…have you heard […]
Asian Christians are under pressure from the Roman empire, and aren’t sure how to respond. Peter begins his answer by digging right down to the foundations of reality. Asian Christians ask Peter for a cost/benefit analysis of their new citizenship in Christ. Peter begins with the benefits. Peter continues his cost/benefit analysis for Asian Christians. […]
It has been a while, so before we get back into our story we had better do a bit of review, so we know where we are. Right back at the beginning of Luke a messenger from God appeared to a young unmarried girl and told her she was going to have a baby — […]
So the last time we saw Cain, he was travelling eastward, into the land of Nod, the land of wandering. He can never stay in one place for very long. He has to move constantly and always be on his guard, because he can never be sure if the next person he meets will greet […]
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. In other words: in the beginning God created all the raw materials he would need for the construction project he […]
Well, congratulations, everybody: we are now, officially, three-quarters of the way through the Book of Revelation. Back in the introduction, if you remember, I mentioned that this book is basically organized into four main vision cycles: John witnesses the events leading up to Judgement Day four times, from four different perspectives. We have now finished […]
