grace

Welcoming Samaritans

“The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” – John 4:9 Yesterday, we talked about lepers, the first of four kinds of “untouchables” whom Jesus willingly touched. Today, I want to look at the second set of outcasts He welcomed to His midst, and those were Samaritans. Many of us who grew up studying the Bible, especially the story of the Good Samaritan, know that this particular group of people was hated by the Jews, but we may not understand why. The reason they were especially despised by the Hebrew people is because they were considered “half breeds.” They held certain Jewish traditions, but they had their own Torah and their own synagogue. In essence, they believed that their religion was the “true” form of Judaism —

May 22, 2021 1 Comment

The Hands of Christ

“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” – Luke 24:39 It’s interesting how much we can learn about people by looking at their hands. Whether they’re wrinkled, tough, well-manicured, or scarred, they tell a story if we choose to pay attention. Yet no matter how young, old, or worn our physical hands are, as disciples of Jesus, our palms are spiritually pierced. Because our Savior was wounded for our healing, as we follow in His footsteps and seek to lead with His heart, we take on His scars, and His sacrifice inspires us to touch the untouchable. In fact, when we study the ministry of our Lord, His healing virtue is nearly always imparted through physical contact. Though His words spoke the universe into existence, when He touched people,

May 20, 2021 No Comments

The Harm in Hypocrisy

“The Lord answered him, ‘You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?’” – Luke 13:15,16 Something we should be careful of whenever we hold someone else to a rigid standard is a lurking evil called hypocrisy. Unfortunately, the church is no stranger to this contradiction of word and deed, and it’s been prevalent in religion since the beginning of time. However, Christ had authority to call it out, because He alone could read the thoughts and intentions of human hearts. In fact, He had no qualms about speaking boldly to the Pharisees when they made a villain out of Him for healing a demon-possessed

May 16, 2021 No Comments

Love is Greater Than the Law

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’” – Luke 13:10-12 We’ve been examining the idea that having the right vision for our lives and leadership empowers us to “break the rules” in order to put people first. Today, I want to look at how Jesus modeled this behavior for us, and what it teaches us about living as His disciples in the modern world. Much to the chagrin of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, our Savior constantly set aside the mandates of religion to give priority to loving people. One of the most famous examples of this is

May 15, 2021 No Comments

Return to Your First Love

“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” – Revelation 2:3,4 To wrap up our discussion about the church at Ephesus, I want to look at the words John wrote in the book of Revelation. In the Apostle’s vivid vision, which happened while he was exiled on the island of Patmos, he was given messages of wisdom and instruction for each of the seven churches in Asia. As we’ve seen over the past couple of days, the Christians in Ephesus lived in an atmosphere of persecution and hostility. Because they wouldn’t worship the image of Artemis or bow down to the emperor Domitian, they were oppressed and mistreated. Nevertheless, they endured and stayed strong in their convictions. However, through John, the Lord communicated the one thing He had

April 20, 2021 No Comments

The Tenacity of Paul

“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.” – Acts 19:8 The life of the Apostle Paul always amazes me. When I think about a stubborn and gritty guy, he is at the top of my list. Before meeting Jesus, he was so zealous for religion and the law that he dragged hundreds of Christians from their homes and had them killed. He was passionate for Judaism and sold out for “righteousness,” but it never occurred to him that the Jesus he was persecuting was actually the Messiah…until He appeared to him. Blinded by the light of the Son and humbled before the Lord of All on the road to Damascus, his prideful heart was brought low, and he received a new call. God saw fit to change his course and invited him to use his brilliant mind to reason

April 14, 2021 No Comments

The Overflow

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” – Psalm 23:5 Have you ever had a drink that’s so full to the top that you have to walk slowly to ensure that it doesn’t spill over? If so, then you understand the image that the Bible uses to describe the abundance that the Lord gives to us. Like that overflowing cup, God not only provides what we need to get by in life, but He gives us excessively more. Even in the midst of adversity and affliction, His grace gushes like a fountain, and He constantly fills our souls, minds, and spirits with His bounty. Being reminded of this is especially important after we’ve navigated the shock of a world-wide pandemic that has subjected millions to extreme loss. While we’re still dealing with the lingering effects of

April 8, 2021 No Comments

Joy Isn’t Found in Power

“Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.” – Jeremiah 10:23 Today, I want to sum up our lessons about King Herod by saying that his legacy is proof that wealth and prestige can’t buy happiness. In fact, when I look at his story, I don’t see joy or success, I see narcissism and rage. Even though he had everything that money and power could procure, he was miserable — constantly fighting to maintain his position and worrying about who he had to conquer next to stay on top. As hard as he tried to make his name immortal, like the compounds and shrines he erected for his glory, he himself came to ruin. And while to his contemporaries he had no rivals, his life is evidence that we cannot gain joy from power. Since the fall, our natural

March 18, 2021 No Comments

You’re Not What You Do

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8,9 I’m passionate about people understanding their worth apart from what they do. This is the heart behind the Creed of the Beloved that we say each week at Shepherd’s Grove, and it’s something that I believe we continually struggle with societally. Of course, our bent toward defining human value based on achievement goes back centuries, first to the Roman Empire, one of the greatest and most influential civilizations in the history of the world. Rome was the first meritocracy, which means that attaining power and influence in their culture was based entirely on accomplishment. So true was this that families would permanently memorialize notable members using something called death masks. Moments after a person passed away,

March 14, 2021 1 Comment

Rest For Your Soul

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 Today, I want to assure you that there is rest for your soul, especially since you may be feeling pressed down by the weight of this time. Before COVID-19 hit, most of us were already leading busy lives and finding it challenging to maintain our emotional and spiritual balance. However, now — with all the crazy news cycles, the intense fear that’s fighting for our minds, the constant barrage of new and conflicting information, and the routines that have been thrown off — we’ve assumed a mental load the likes of which we’ve never known. That

February 22, 2021 No Comments

Welcoming Samaritans

The Hands of Christ

The Harm in Hypocrisy

Love is Greater Than the Law

Return to Your First Love

The Tenacity of Paul

The Overflow

Joy Isn’t Found in Power

You’re Not What You Do

Rest For Your Soul

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