The Hen
The metaphor Jesus' used, “as a hen gathers her chicks,” surely got his disciples' attention.
Articles for tag: Bread and Cup
March 22, 2021
Watched, Scoffed, and Mocked
Luke mentioned three groups of skeptical witnesses to Jesus execution. None in those three groups of people understood that Jesus chose to die willingly. Nor did they imagine they could be freed from their lethal bondage because of his sacrifice.
January 25, 2021
The Third Day
By Stuart Powell There are two days that define every person’s life. The first is the day of conception, when a new life is sparked and another image bearer begins their journey to meet God. That day harkens back to the highlight of God’s creative efforts. The second day is when physical death fulfills the curse that accompanied sin’s impact on every human. These two days have defined too many people throughout history, but these limits are not what God desired for humanity. In his infinite love, God prepared a third day that is available to every person. The third
December 7, 2020
Week 3: The Shepherds
By Stuart Powell Note: This is week three of a four-week series of Communion meditations in which we consider essential features to the story of the birth of God’s Son. This week we focus on the shepherds. Luke recorded surprisingly few details of what occurred in the stable on the day of Jesus’ birth. We might boil them down to these: Jesus was born, a feed trough was used as a cradle, and some excited shepherds arrived. There are many reasons why we wouldn’t put either of the latter two incidents in a story about God’s Son. We could use
November 2, 2020
The Spectacle of the Cross
By Stuart Powell The first-century Romans knew how to create spectacles. In the theater, stories from Roman history were glamorized to build legends. In their military parades, known as the “Republican triumphs,” the spoils of Rome’s conquests were prominently displayed. Even when carrying out executions, the Romans attempted to draw the attention of the crowds by putting the condemned on display as graphic examples of the consequences of rebelling against Rome. The intention of crucifixion was to create a spectacle by causing the one convicted to suffer in a visually striking way for their crimes against the empire. In Jerusalem,
August 10, 2020
Go and Sin No More
By Stuart Powell John 8 tells of an unnamed woman caught in adultery. The Jewish leaders presented the woman to Jesus and asked what he considered an appropriate punishment. There is little doubt the teachers of the law and Pharisees had already condemned this sinner. By presenting her before Jesus, they sought to expose how his compassion stood at odds with the Law of Moses. Without realizing it, they brought the guilty one before God’s anointed judge of all mankind. Jesus spoke first to the accusers by confronting them with the universal human condition of sin. He allowed that shame
August 3, 2020
Building God’s House
By Stuart Powell During the construction of the first temple in Jerusalem, Solomon received a message from Yahweh God: As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel (1 Kings 6:11-13). David designed the temple, Solomon built it, but God conceived the faith upon which Solomon’s temple stood. That temple in Jerusalem was one of a multitude built throughout
July 27, 2020
A Powerful Death
By Stuart Powell In his description of Good Friday, Matthew shared details about three events that corresponded with the time of Jesus’ death: At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people (Matthew 27:51-53). Why do we spend so little time pondering these three acts of God—the torn curtain,
July 20, 2020
The Servant of Slaves
By Stuart Powell How does Jesus enter our lives? In the same way he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday—as a servant. Jesus’ disciple described it this way,“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden’”(Matthew 21:5, English Standard Version). Jesus’ arrival at Jerusalem, before his suffering, opened with a scene foreshadowed in Zechariah 9:9. As he rode the donkey colt down the steep slope of the Mount of Olives, passing by the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus redefined the relationship between
June 1, 2020
The Conqueror
By Stuart Powell Julius Caesar led his Roman troops to victory at the battle of Zela in 47 BC in what is now northern Turkey. Details of the battle are relegated to history scholars and trivia buffs. Those accounts tell of a complete and rapid victory. A well-known Latin declaration of triumph is attributed to the conqueror: “Veni, vidi, vici.” In English that translates to, “I came; I saw; I conquered.” We can write these words off as the excessive boasting of an arrogant warlord who died centuries ago. But as believers, we can reapply this proclamation of victory to
April 27, 2020
The Time
By Stuart Powell John’s Gospel shares a conversation that occurred the Sunday before Jesus’ crucifixion which is often overlooked in the festive inauguration of Holy Week. Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. . . . Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour” (John 12:23-27, New English Translation). How often had Jesus looked ahead to “the time”? Did he ever pause as he washed his feet to consider where the nails
April 20, 2020
Gatherings
By Stuart Powell When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:14-16). Jesus’ apostles gathered in the large upper room of a house in Jerusalem (vv. 11, 12) to celebrate the Passover meal, the seder, together. They were there because of the one leading the meal, their rabbi from Galilee. As each course of food was eaten, those
February 18, 2020
Once For All
By Stuart Powell Many people see wooden fences as a nice accent in a rustic setting. Ranchers may use them to contain their livestock. But there is a problem with wooden fences: they are temporary. Rot-resistant wood can be selected and treated with all sorts of chemical preservatives but, in the end, the rails will begin to break and the posts will start to lean. If the fence is not maintained, it is only a matter of time before it falls to the ground in uselessness and decay. It’s the same way with every work that mankind attempts. Our work
January 21, 2020
Do You Understand?
By Stuart Powell John 13 describes the interaction between Jesus and his followers on the night he was betrayed. As the meal progressed, Jesus got up from the table, removed his outer clothing, tied a towel around himself, and began washing their dusty feet as a servant would do. “So when Jesus had washed their feet and put his outer clothing back on, he took his place at the table again and said to them,’Do you understand what I have done for you?'” (John 13:12, New English Translation). Peter didn’t understand. He thought it might be Jesus’ way of elevating
January 7, 2020
The Bond of Believers
By Stuart Powell When the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the believers in Corinth, he wanted to correct some wrong practices that tarnished their gatherings. Among the many details he called out was their disrespect toward each other when they gathered together at the Lord’s table. Paul desired that they focus less on themselves and more on the other believers who gathered to partake. He wrote, For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and after he had given
December 31, 2019
New Things
By Stuart Powell A spirit of optimism permeates our culture at the beginning of every year. The idea of newness is everywhere. However, it seems the “newness” quickly fades. Our government is still in strife. Our boss still makes unreasonable demands. Most of our resolutions are quickly broken. The temptations and sins that plagued us last year haven’t vanished. The old stuff that caused us to long for last year to end looks amazingly similar to the new stuff in our New Year. Israelites in Isaiah’s day faced similar struggles against the sinfulness of their age. They looked to God
September 3, 2019
Better Promises
By Stuart Powell Much of Christianity is understood best through the lens of the Old Testament. The history of Israel and the Law of Moses reveal how far humanity fell from the ideal God created. The earliest believers were devout Jews who had spent their lives looking forward to the Messiah spoken about in their Hebrew Scriptures. Considering all this, this New Testament passage is striking: “But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6, New English Translation). How did Jesus’ sacrifice usher in
June 4, 2019
Memory: Weak Yet Powerful
By Stuart Powell Suffering and sorrow stink! Pain—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—is seemingly ever present in our lives, and there often is no good way to deal with it. It never passes quickly enough. Some pain never diminishes. The death of a loved one gives birth to intense and enduring pain. Philip Yancey explained that God gave us memories of those who are absent from this life as a gift to help with the pain. The weakness of our memories is the best weapon we have to combat the pain of loss. Memory is limited, but memory also is a
February 19, 2019
Displaying our Testimony
By Stuart Powell Testifying to Jesus’ influence on our lives is an important part of the Christian faith. As we grow in our faith, we should have more to say about Jesus. His influence first affects our attitudes about living. Jesus replaces our impure inner desires by teaching us to live holy. When we grant the Holy Spirit permission, he also changes how we view other people. Jesus’ influence eventually enables us to sacrificially love those whom we formerly opposed. God teaches us to welcome all who are different. He leads us to fast for those who abuse us. Jesus’
August 14, 2018
Reflecting and Reactivating
By Joe Harvey Remembering can be powerful! Yet it all depends on how we go about it. We can remember that something happened: “Yes, I did pay that bill.” That kind of remembering is functionally useful. It answers a question or settles an uneasy feeling. That is not what Jesus had in mind when he told his disciples to “remember me” during the Lord’s Supper, however. Surely, he was calling them to a different kind of remembering—one that involves reflection and reactivation. Reflection is simple enough. It means revisiting the past and regathering the meaningfulness of that remembered moment. Jesus’
