May 22, 2023
A New Meaning to an Old Memorial
Who would claim that a national holiday would henceforth be all about him? . . .
May 22, 2023
Who would claim that a national holiday would henceforth be all about him? . . .
November 25, 2021
In a 1954 editorial about Thanksgiving, Burris Butler wrote: "As a nation we have been blessed with abundant material benefits. For these we may properly give thanks, but our thanksgiving should not stop there . . ."
By Rick Chromey It’s so easy to forget. Most often our memory fades with time. We forget how we felt. We forget details and even reasons. Our memory of something can become jaded, biased, foggy, or lost. Sometimes our memory is damaged by age. It’s not that we want to forget, but rather, we simply can’t remember. God understands the peril of human forgetfulness. Our minds sometimes need a little jogging through a metaphor, object lesson, or visual cue. Sometimes we need to re-create the experience. The ancient Passover meal was something God used to remind the Israelites of their
June 23, 2017
By Rick Chromey From mainstream Starbucks and neighborhood bistros, the local coffee cup has evolved into a symbol of connection, companionship, and community. The coffee experience is about family and friends, because great coffee naturally takes time. The beans must be roasted and ground. The coffee is percolated, heated, and even specially flavored. And, of course, every cup is sipped and savored to the last drop. Consequently, coffee is the perfect nonalcoholic drink of choice. It”s the ideal beverage for gathering because great community also happens with time. Friendships are grounded and grown. Relationships emerge through connection and communion. In
October 28, 2016
By Ron Davis One of the curious elements of the Passover Jesus shared with his apostles in the upper room, as recorded in Luke 22:14-20, is the comment, “he gave thanks.” Thanks? For what exactly? Jesus is hours away from being arrested, cruelly abused, and murdered in humiliation. And he knows it full well. Thanks! For what? For the material elements themselves? A simple “loaf” of unleavened bread, the commonest of food, better suited to fill a stomach than to nourish. The drinkable juice of a plant that grew clusters so large and plentiful and of which some shriveled on
February 1, 2016
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the January 31 issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott The driving metaphor of religious practice in the Old Testament is a party. That is rather unique. Islam has its five pillars. Buddhism strives to achieve a state of Nirvana. Hinduism pilgrimages through several Vedas. But for the people of God in Scripture the word is
November 4, 2013
By Sam E. Stone “The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah,” writes C. F. Keil. “But for this a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward severance from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward severance from everything of an Egyptian or heathen nature. This consecration was to be imparted by the Passover””a festival which was to lay the foundation for Israel”s birth into the new life of grace and fellowship with God, and to renew it perpetually in time to come.” God gave
March 18, 2013
This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone To the Jew, Passover was the most important of all the annual observances in Jerusalem. Passover was celebrated on the 14th of Nisan. At this feast, Jews remembered their deliverance from Egypt. They would eat bread that had not had time to rise, just as their forefathers had done as they hurried to escape Pharoah and his soldiers. At the feast, each family group would first sacrifice a lamb, then roast it for the meal. Luke
June 8, 2012
By Nancy Karpenske Imagine family and friends around your picnic table at Memorial Day. The head of the family is explaining to the youngsters about the origin and importance of the holiday. But instead of reciting history, as one would expect, he puts himself in the middle of the meaning, as if he is going to leave your family picnic and volunteer to give his life for his country. He even claims that from now on, Memorial Day will focus on his sacrifice more than on the remembrance of previous veterans. You might be glad this imaginary family isn”t yours””or
March 16, 2012
By William Baker The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30; John 13:28; 1 Corinthians 10:21). Friends gathered together in a large second-story banquet room to share a meal. But they did more than eat; they talked and sang and celebrated. This was a Passover meal, a festival meal reliving God”s rescue of the Jewish people from slavery and infant genocide. They ate greens and bitter herbs dipped in a spicy sauce, along with flat, unleavened bread. They drank wine, sharing sips out of at least three passed cups. They ate meat, one of
August 22, 2011
By Ben Merold I walked up Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to get a view of the path of the first flights made by the Wright brothers. They gave proof to the world that a heavier-than-air flying machine could lift off under its own power, fly, and make a safe landing. This was the place of first flight, and a large monument marks the site. I found myself thinking that the entire area is, in one sense, a memorial. However, everything seems to focus on four large stones that mark the distance of their first flights. On