John 6 may be my most favorite chapter. From v. 22 on, I find a pull in my spirit every time I read this passage. The words of Jesus draw me deeper every time. He is dealing with a crowd and finds a way to thin them out. Jesus wanted committed followers, not crowds.
Category Archives: Lent
The power of the crucifixion
No one has helped me more with the complexities of the crucifixion than Fleming Rutledge and NT Wright. We’ve tried to make it a battleground where “my way is it and the other views are just wrong.” Rutledge cuts through the harsh battle lines and brings history into the equation. THIS INTERVIEW is well worthContinue reading “The power of the crucifixion”
Sin, death, resurrection
Today is the Fifth Sunday of Lent. A reflection from Fleming Rutledge’s book, The Crucifixion:
The identity I must face
“…participation in Christ means abandoning our pretenses, openly acknowledging our identities as sinners in bondage, and in the same moment realizing with a stab of piercing joy that the victory is already ours in Christ, won by him who died to save us.” Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion (p. 171)
We keep striving for greatness and power while Jesus constantly calls us to service
I am not a fan of the phrase “servant leaders.” I think it’s a cop out phrase in large part. Just serve. If people notice and follow in that path, then you’ve led in some way. Just not the way that people who throw out the phrase “servant leader” meant to say “lead.”
The release we need in repentance
Lent is a season of contrition. It is sensing the sin against God and dealing with the ugliness. We have fallen short of the glory of God and there is a feeling in that, not just a forensic fact to have presented in court.
The purpose of Lent
“Lent is a season of repentance and preparation. In many churches, it is a time when those who will be baptized prepare for their new life with God. It is a time when those who have been estranged from the church can be reconciled to the body of believers. It is also a time forContinue reading “The purpose of Lent”
Why I follow Jesus
Lent is less than a week away. It is time for deep reflection on what Christ has done for us. It is a time of spiritual assessment. Why do I follow him? We follow Jesus because he succeeded where we failed. He resisted the temptations that have conquered us all… When we find ourselves trapped,Continue reading “Why I follow Jesus”
The beauty of the liturgical year
I grew up in a very different tradition than where I am now. It’s only in the last 5 years I have come fully into the Anglican tradition. Lent approaches and I am reading a new book on Lent by Esau McCaulley in preparation. I will then revisit Fleming Rutledge’s powerful book, The Crucifixion.
Idolatry
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;rather, he made himself nothingby taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himselfbyContinue reading “Idolatry”
Apprentice 2 Jesus 