The Most Honored Seat at the Table
The most honored seat for the most respected guest was to Jesus’ immediate left. On this night, Judas sat in that honored position. . . .
Series: Communion Meditations
July 25, 2022
The Rock
I know of a rock that God created that can’t be moved by anything in all of creation. . . . Jesus described that rock as he was teaching his disciples . . .
The Family Table
Some families still gather around the dinner table at the end of a long, hard day to break bread together. It’s a place to talk, laugh, and cry. In much the same way, Jesus gathered with his disciples around a table at the Last Supper. . . .
In Times of Darkness
The Lord’s Supper was instituted in a time of darkness. And, so, when we are going through dark times of our own, we can partake of Communion and remember Jesus, and what his sacrifice means for us.
July 4, 2022
More Than Characters
Authors, artists, composers, architects, and car restorers are all creators who develop attachments to their work. Have you ever heard someone refer to something they’ve created as their “baby”? God feels that way about us.
Resolve
The Declaration of Independence spoke great words about freedom, but even greater words were spoken 2,000 years ago.
June 20, 2022
Boasting in Our Weaknesses
By Michael C. Mack As the apostle Paul told his story, he wrote, But [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9). Most of us are good at boasting about our strengths: our natural abilities, our giftedness, and the talents we have worked hard to develop. We have physical strengths, intellectual capacities, emotional competence, relational aptitudes, and spiritual giftedness. There are even assessments that measure our strengths.
June 13, 2022
Honor the Father
By Michael C. Mack Today is Father’s Day, a day we set aside to love and honor our dads. And it’s good that we do so! The fifth commandment instructs God’s people to “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you” (Deuteronomy 5:16). The commandment is repeated several times through Scripture. Jesus discussed it in his teachings, and the apostle Paul referred to it as he taught Christ followers how to live together in Christian households. So, it is right and proper to give honor to our dads. But we must remember that we
June 6, 2022
Motive
By Randy Ballinger “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:28-29, emphasis mine). Imagine being on that Galilean mountainside as Jesus amazed the people with his words. Jesus didn’t simply recite Old Testament Law—as the scribes and Pharisees did—Jesus provided God-ordained insight. For example, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said . . . ‘You shall not murder. . . .’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother or
May 30, 2022
The Heavenly Harvest
By Doug Redford Today (Sunday, June 5) is Pentecost Sunday, celebrating the beginning of the church on the Day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. In the Old Testament, Pentecost was one of the three most significant feasts observed annually by the Israelites (Passover and Tabernacles were the others). Pentecost as instituted in the Law of Moses was primarily a harvest festival, coming seven weeks, or 50 days, after the Passover celebration (thus the name Pentecost, derived from the Greek for fiftieth). It was also known as the day of firstfruits (Numbers 28:26) because the first loaves made from
Marking a Memorable Day
Every Lord’s Day at the time of Communion, we mark a day in history when our Lord Jesus engaged in a battle to reclaim the world to spiritual liberty.
May 16, 2022
Trust in God
By Stuart Powell In John 13-16, Jesus prepared his disciples for their next big step in following him. They had left their family’s trade and their parents’ house. They spent years listening to their rabbi speak and were astonished by his authority over weather, diseases, and demons. But what came next shook their faith in God and in him. They witnessed the heart-breaking evil of this sinful world that Jesus came to face and conquer. To help prepare his disciples, Jesus spoke these words to them: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me”
May 9, 2022
The Life of the Cross
By Randy Ballinger Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34, New Living Translation). This statement no doubt caused many fireside debates among Jesus’ disciples. They had seen men carrying crosses before, and they knew it had only one outcome: a painful and humiliating death for the one bearing that burden. One disciple, Simon Peter, was adamant that Jesus would not suffer in such a manner. But Jesus would have none of Peter’s argument—Jesus would take up his
May 2, 2022
Near the Cross
By Victor Knowles “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother . . .” (John 19:25). Today is Mother’s Day. It is also the Lord’s Day. In this verse are three images: the cross, Jesus, and the mother of Jesus. Mary is positioned where we should be—“near the cross.” The Lord’s Supper does something both wonderful and horrible for us. It brings us “near the cross.” The Lord’s table becomes Mount Calvary. The bread and cup become the beams of the cross. There is wonder and horror at the cross. The wonder comes from the wonder of God’s love for
April 25, 2022
Indispensability
By Doug Redford As the 20th century was ending, numerous attempts were made to select the “person of the century.” Time magazine suggested Albert Einstein. A good case certainly could be made for Einstein; he was likely the most brilliant mind of the century. The late columnist Charles Krauthammer’s nomination was Winston Churchill. Krauthammer made a very strong argument on Churchill’s behalf. At the tail end of 1999, Krauthammer wrote, Take away Churchill in 1940, and Britain would have settled with Hitler—or worse, Nazism would have prevailed. . . . Civilization would have descended into a darkness the likes of
April 18, 2022
The Fruit of Hope
If God can raise his unjustly crucified Son from the dead in an unredeemed world, what else can he do?
April 11, 2022
Mary’s Pain
We need to dig into our own memories of despair to approach the tomb with the same weight Mary carried on Easter morning. . . .
April 4, 2022
Passover
Today, we are about to do something that completes the third panel of the story. Our Communion time is our Passover. . . .
March 28, 2022
Not My Will
How do you respond when life presses down on you and your situation overwhelms you? How do you cope with hard news that takes your breath away? Where do you find the strength to take the next step?
March 21, 2022
Focus
By Michael C. Mack Focus is vital for success in many areas of our lives. One place we see this illustrated is in sports. A wide receiver in football runs the right route and then focuses on the ball into his hands, regardless of all the other things going on around him, even to the point of getting hit once he catches the ball. A basketball player focuses intently on the front of the rim as she prepares to shoot a free throw. She has trained herself to ignore the screaming of the opposing fans and those waving wacky signs
