Read: Matthew 8:18-34 It is easy to look at the various stories in Matthew 8 as though they are isolated events, individual vignettes without any overarching narrative, but the truth is that they are all leading up to a point.  Jesus has healed a leper, saved the life of a Roman centurion’s servant, restored Peter’s […]

Series: This Way to the Kingdom of Heaven Read: Matthew 4:23-5:12 On my second trip to Israel, I decided to break away from my group when they were going down to the Dead Sea so that I could have a day to myself in the inner city of Jerusalem. It was a friday, so as […]

Series: Jesus in the Wilderness Read: Matthew 4:18-22 One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to go on vacation to my Grandpa’s in Shady Valley, Tennessee. He had a pond in his backyard and we used to go fishing. Now, I have never been commercial fishing or even sport fishing, but […]

Series: Jesus in the Wilderness Read: Matthew 3:13-17 In the Baptist conviction in which I was raised, it was important for individuals to approach baptism as an individual decision to make a public proclamation of one’s faith. My problem, however, was that I was incredibly shy. I remember when my mom came and got me […]

Series: Jesus in the Wilderness Read: Matthew 3:1-12 John the Baptist must have been a strange sight to behold. He dressed in an outfit made from camel’s hair tied together with a leather belt and ate locusts and wild honey. If you know anything about me, then you know that I like to grow my […]

Read: Matthew 2:13-23, Revelation 3:14-22 There has been a common trend in the last decade or so to write complexity into the motivations of villains in cinema, television, and literature. Gone are the days of simple conflicts between good and evil, arch-nemesis who simply mirror each other’s complexities, or evil masterminds bent on world domination. […]

Read: Matthew 2:1-12 We have made it through another Christmas. Arguably, this was a little more unusual than previous years, but we got through it all the same. That is, we are past the first day of Christmas, but there are still 12 full days of celebration. Our resilience to listen to Christmas music into […]

Matthew 1:21, 23 Merry Christmas Eve! It is a day when children of all ages experience the overwhelming excitement of celebrating, arguably, the best holiday of the year. Yesterday was Christmas Adam. It’s the day before Christmas Eve. Being the good uncle that I am, I have made a big deal of “Christmas Adam” with […]

Part 4/5 Read: Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:10-14 Christmas is the time that we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The baby Jesus is the kind of Jesus that everyone likes. It’s why Christmas is celebrated by so many people, even those who would never find themselves going to Church every Sunday. I’ve even heard people pray […]

Part 3/5 Read: Matthew 1:21, Isaiah 35:1-10 Christmas is a season that we are reminded of the story of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. It’s a familiar story and, perhaps, familiarity has caused us to grow disenchanted by the whole affair. We are much more likely to get excited about the entailments of Christmas, like […]

Part 2/5 Read: Matthew 1:18-25, Isaiah 40:3-5 Are you ready for Christmas? I think it is safe to say that nobody is ever really  ready. There is a lot to prepare. Sometimes it feels like too much to do. During this second week of Advent, we are focusing on preparation, so I encourage you that […]