January 24, 2022
His Face
Since God sent Jesus “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4), we must conclude it is God’s will that we worship the person of Jesus instead of the image of Jesus.
Articles for tag: Crucifixion
January 10, 2022
Extremist for Love
At Calvary, Martin Luther King Jr. contended, "Jesus Christ . . . was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment."
November 1, 2021
The Greatest Love Song of All Time
By Jerry Harris What is the greatest love song of all time? Ask 10 people and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. It’s said music is the language of emotion, and if true, then singing is its spoken word. Our emotions come directly from being made in God’s image because our God is an emotional God—a God who feels. Our God not only feels emotions, but he also invented them . . . and some of the best emotions are called the fruit of the Spirit. That list in Galatians 5 begins with the greatest and highest of all emotions:
October 4, 2021
Flesh and Blood
As Paul was instructing the church at Corinth about the reality of the resurrection of the dead, he declared that our sin-stained physical bodies face a barrier to God’s holiness through which we cannot pass.
Truly Marvelous
What the world needs is someone who can do what the heroes of the Marvel universe cannot—kill evil at its root.
July 1, 2021
Mary: Waiting with Faith
Mary used her mind to inform her heart. She observed, she listened, she reflected, she sought wisdom and understanding. We can do the same.
May 10, 2021
Mary’s Testimony
Look through Mary’s eyes at the bread and the cup. Listen to Mary’s voice as you thank God for paying the price for our sins. This was Mary’s testimony about God’s Son: “Do whatever he tells you.”
April 1, 2021
The Repentant Thief’s Story:
A Beautiful Reminder of God’s Amazing Grace
The repentant thief on the cross who put his faith in Jesus is one of my favorite people in the Easter narrative. Possibly more than any other Bible character, this man shows that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and it is truly never too late to trust in Jesus. The repentant thief shows us today can be the day of salvation! While this crucified criminal is mentioned in all four Gospels (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27, 32; Luke 23:32-33, 39-43; John 19:18, 31-33), it may seem we know little about him. But Matthew and Mark used the
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
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
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
March 15, 2020
The Apostle John: Transformed by Love
By Vince Antonucci Researchers tell us our identity drives our behavior. We think we make decisions based on a rational analysis of pros and cons. But far more often we make choices based on what James March called the “identity model.” March, a Stanford University professor who died in 2018, said when making a decision we essentially (and mostly subconsciously) ask ourselves three questions: Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What would someone like me do in this situation? What you do is determined by what you think of yourself. Growing up, I was quickly and consistently
February 26, 2020
The Power Room
By Brian Cook Three people gather quietly around a small table. Their bodies hunch forward as their lips move silently. The drone of electrical machinery whirs around them, punctuated only by the soft rustling of Bible pages and the gentle creaking of chairs. The sign on the door says Power Room. It is a cramped electrical closet situated on the far side of the stage in our worship center. Our churchs facilities have been updated significantly over the years, but its sturdy mid-century bones can still be seen amid the bulky circuit breakers and snaking wires that inhabit this secluded
February 11, 2020
A Restored House
By Stuart Powell Presidents’ Day, which we will celebrate Monday, February 17, now honors all presidents, but in the late 1870s it was originally set aside as a federal holiday to honor only one—our nation’s first president, George Washington, born February 22, 1732. Let’s fast-forward to the end of that remarkable man’s life. On December 14, 1799, George Washington died at the age of 67. His death occurred less than three years after completing his service as first president (1789—1797) and then retiring to his beloved Mount Vernon estate. When his widow, Martha Washington, died in 1802, the Virginia property
November 12, 2019
Impressions
By Beau Bruton We all have people we look up to for one reason or another. After meeting someone, it’s common to say, “They made a good impression on me.” The word impression can mean your first thoughts on someone, mimicry of someone, or the imprint of something. Many people look up to the rich and famous—musicians, athletes, movie stars, and sometimes politicians. People of note leave indelible marks on society, sometimes for good things but often for bad. Kirk Franklin sings, “America has no more stars, now we call them idols.” (He obviously is referring to TV’s American Idol.)
April 9, 2019
Faith: From Sorrow to Joy
By Stuart Powell Is there anything more difficult than hearing someone you love say goodbye? We typically react with sadness. That feeling is amplified when the goodbye comes at the threshold of death. Jesus’ disciples experienced that situation on the night of his betrayal. Jesus warned his disciples what was about to happen: I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy. When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she
April 24, 2018
Three Prayers
By Jackina Stark A few years ago, Anne Lamott wrote a little book on prayer titled Help, Thanks, Wow. Many of our prayers can fit those informal labels. It is not surprising that Help is first in the list. News outlets remind us the world is full of need. Help, Father. Children all over the world are being sold as labor and sex slaves. Help, Lord. Hurricanes and fires and earthquakes and mudslides and tornadoes and floods are taking homes; they’re taking lives. Help. Maniacs are shooting people at concerts and in churches. Help. Corruption and greed are ravaging the
March 30, 2018
The Forensics of Good Friday
An ER Doctor Examines What Jesus Experienced from the Garden to the Cross By Dwain C. Illman The resurrection is the keystone and the capstone of Christian belief. The crucifixion was required as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Every time I read Isaiah 53, I’m filled with awe and sadness as I marvel at detailed predictions surrounding our Savior. Consider Isaiah 53:5: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” As a physician who saw some
