May 22, 2023
A New Meaning to an Old Memorial
Who would claim that a national holiday would henceforth be all about him? . . .
Articles for tag: Jesus’ Sacrifice
November 14, 2022
Thanksgiving in All Circumstances
This time of year is always festive. Spirits seem a little brighter and thanksgiving flows freely in our hearts. Or does it?
September 26, 2022
Day of Atonement, Day of Remembrance
By Doug Redford If the Israelites of the Old Testament had the books that we have in our Old Testament, arranged into chapters as ours is, Leviticus 16 would have drawn their attention as the Day of Atonement neared much as Luke 2 gets our attention during the Christmas season. There we see outlined the proper procedure for observing that sacred day, which came to be known as Yom Kippur, literally the “day of covering.” The Jewish people will observe it this year on October 4 and 5. The final verse of Leviticus 16 captures the day’s significance: “Atonement is
April 11, 2022
April 17 | Discovery
Jesus committed himself into God’s hands (Luke 23:46). How can you follow the example of Christ in your commitment to him?
March 7, 2022
Different from the Herd
By Stuart Powell There is nothing strange about a herd of cattle in the farmland of Indiana. However, one herd contained a single member who stood out among the many. Amid the collection of four-legged bovine grazed a two-legged, feathered, web-footed, white goose. Nothing could hide the differences between the bird and the other grazing animals. Christians are called to be like that goose in the world. Just as a goose doesn’t belong in a herd of cattle, followers of Jesus don’t fit in with the ideas and priorities of worldly people. God expects us to intermingle with the rest
January 3, 2022
The Look
As we eat and drink, remember that Jesus knows our failures as clearly as he knew Peter’s.
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.
September 13, 2021
Sept. 19 | Discovery
What can the law do and what can’t it do?
September 13, 2021
It’s All About Jesus
No person mentioned in the Old Testament or New Testament could have imagined how history would one day come together and finally make sense at the cross.
June 14, 2021
Our Greatest Need
Mankind needed a mediator, a rescuer, to act as a go-between from God to people. We needed someone who understood the needs on both sides of the divide . . .
April 12, 2021
Where Is Our Hope?
Where is our hope? Do we fear life's ugly circumstances will become our grave? We need to build our hope on what God promised through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross
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
May 25, 2020
Safely Across the Bridge
By Adrienne Feldmann A young family went on a summer getaway to Chicago. They spent a long day walking up and down the Magnificent Mile—the city’s premier shopping district—and honestly, the kids did not find it quite as magnificent as their parents did! As the marathon shopping session was ending, Mom and Dad realized their children were worn out, so they did what most parents of young kids do—they made a beeline for the best playground they could find. Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is a park to end all parks. Slides are everywhere. There are incredible things to climb.
March 17, 2020
Remembering Amazing Things
By Stuart Powell Asaph son of Berechiah was a Levite musician (1 Chronicles 15:17) credited with writing Psalm 77. He lived in the time of Israel’s prosperity under Kings David and Solomon. Yet this psalm laments a time of pain in his life. The psalm begins with his petitions for help from a seemingly distant God. Asaph didn’t detail the source of his difficulty but described how he suffered most when, as he said, “my strength leaves me” (v. 3), “during the night” (v. 6), and when he felt cut off from God (v. 9). In those times, Asaph sought
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
December 24, 2019
Marking Time
By Stuart Powell In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on this very day, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there. By means of divine visions he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain, and on it was a structure like a city, to the south (Ezekiel 40:1, 2, New English Translation). In exile, Ezekiel measured the passing of time from two national
October 15, 2019
Again
By Stuart Powell I sinned again. The week had barely begun when I embraced the temptation and compromised my witness . . . again. It seems I’m continually choosing rebellion against God. No single temptation is entirely new; these are the same temptations I’ve fought for years. The Holy Spirit warns me. He corrects and confronts me about each temptation. But I keep stepping into the same trap over and over again. Don’t tell me it’s OK that I keep sinning against the creator. I’m willingly choosing my broken desire over the good plan of the sinless God. As the
