In my life, I have once seen a shepherd personally. We were on a mission trip with a group of students, and it was a rainy day. We were traveling up and down windy roads in rural Portugal. Out in the downpour sat a shepherd. I think he had a rain jacket on. (I can’t remember if he had an umbrella.) But there he sat in the rain, watching his flock. That image has stuck with me. It was an insider look at true shepherding: muddy and cold, longsuffering attentiveness. It was not the idyllic … [Read more...] about Our Shepherd
Our Salvation Is Sure
Because Christ is risen, our salvation is sure. When Jesus walked this earth, he made an audacious claim. Jesus said he was the Son of God. He said he was the Messiah. And he said he had come to die for the sins of the world. In fact, just before he was executed, he had a passover meal with his disciples, and he said the bread of the meal, which was broken, symbolized his body that was about to be broken. And he said the wine poured out was to remind them of his blood that was about … [Read more...] about Our Salvation Is Sure
Resurrection and Sorrow: A Tender Easter
On an Easter kept through a pandemic, I am reminded... Easter does not mean that Christians do not weep, that we do not hang our heads in sorrow when a grandfather says goodbye too soon, when the cancer returns in the young dad, when the smoke smothers a man in his bed, when the strength of the boy is spent, when breath grows short, when legs curl up under covers. We do cry. Jesus cried a lot (John 11:35; Matthew 23:37; Isaiah 53:3). And we cry. When Moses died, the people of God … [Read more...] about Resurrection and Sorrow: A Tender Easter
The Meaning of Good Friday
On Good Friday we remember the death of Jesus. But why all the hoopla? Lots of people die. Lots of people died on crosses. Why does the death of Jesus stand out? Let's ask Jesus about Good Friday. Jesus clearly understood the immanence, nature, and significance of his future death. Early in his ministry Jesus begins to point to his death and its meaning. Comparing his ministry to shepherding, he says to his students, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for … [Read more...] about The Meaning of Good Friday
The Explicit Gospel
THE EXPLICIT GOSPEL By Matt Chandler, with Jared Wilson In The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler (with Jared Wilson) seeks to clearly explain the content, scope, and trajectory of the Gospel so that it is, well, explicit. By "explicit," Chandler means both full and bold, as well as clear and obvious. Full and bold because our understanding of the Gospel is too small. Clear and obvious because we simply assume the Gospel too often. On both accounts Chandler succeeds in making the Gospel … [Read more...] about The Explicit Gospel
On Keeping Calm
Keep calm and carry on. I like this old slogan. I am making it my own. I have found it helpful, and I think it expresses some biblical sentiments. It’s helpful because so often the only option we have is to, well...um, keep calm and carry on. It says when you don’t know what to do, don’t panic. Keep going. Try not to fret over what is. By God's grace, life has a way of sorting itself out. Perspective and peace will come as you move. But this slogan is more than catchy and … [Read more...] about On Keeping Calm