Eating is a great mystery, a mystery of metamorphosis. Whenever we eat, something is turning into something else. Eating is all about transformation. Not only is it true that you become what you eat (in one sense), what you eat becomes you. More peanut butter sandwiches turn into little boys than little boys turn into …
Learn the Passwords Now
In all of our lives, death is an unspoken assumption. Always there, we know that each of us will die, somehow and some way. But we tend to push it out of our minds, knowing that if we are young enough or healthy enough, our odds are good. But this trusting in odds is trusting …
Like a Toddler With Blocks
Father of all nations, we confess that we have found it too easy to trust in our horses and chariots, and not in You, the one who bestows military strength, and the one who takes it away. We confess that we have forgotten that You are the only one who establishes thrones and empires, and …
In a Multitude of Texts . . .
In Proverbs 10:19, we learn this: “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” In other words, as a general rule, lots of words create many opportunities for sin. This admonition from Scripture covers all uses of words, and not just the spoken word. It includes …
Feeding the Disreputable
In the gospel of Mark, when Jesus calls Levi or Matthew to follow Him (Mark 2:14-17), He does so by calling him from his vocation as tax collector. The fact that Levi was no mere functionary or drudge is seen in the fact that afterwards, Levi is able to throw a banquet, which Jesus attends, …
Not National Boundary Lines
Father over all nations, we confess that it too easy for us to see everything from our own vantage, and to do so in a way that justifies ourselves. Together with many men, we flatter ourselves and say that as a nation we have no sin. We confess this to you. We also have a …
Upending the Old Humanity
One of the more striking aspects of Christ’s ministry was His willingness to eat with sinners. In fact, that is what He doing here, now, in this meal. He is eating with sinners. But we have to be careful to understand this properly. Some have taken His willingness to associate with the lowly as an …
Called Into a Story
The gospel tells us that we have eternal life, and the gospel tells us that we must lay hold on eternal life. We have been given an earnest, a down payment, in the person of the Holy Spirit, and we are urged to lean forward to the time when all things will be made new. …
Our Own Glory
Father over all, we confess that as nation we have pursued our own glory, and we have not pursued righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, or gentleness. We confess this failing to You with grief, and we ask You to restore us again. We pray that we would repent of our self-sufficiency, and that we would …
Becoming a Certain Kind of Person
As we come to worship the Lord, and as we prepare our hearts to confess our sins, we have to take care that we do this as Christians. The carnal attitude toward sin thinks no more than about “breaking or keeping a rule.” This is the religious mentality. This is paganism; it is legalism. The …