Sometimes a particular translation of a Scripture just seems to leap off the page and grab me. That’s what happened as I was feasting on the Psalms and ran into Eugene Peterson’s translation of Psalm 65. Here is a rich one. “Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place!” Once again … Read more
It’s Saturday morning and I’ve just remembered all the items I failed to pick up for Easter dinner. Not wanting to deal with crowds, I crawl out of bed after my morning coffee with my husband and head out to Hannaford. Oh, good. The parking lot is almost empty and only a few shoppers are … Read more
Yes, you heard me right. Daffodils, not lilies. This is April in New Hampshire, and lilies are yet to come. Did anyone else notice their bright yellow heads dancing valiantly in the snowy wind just last week?Jesus talked about lilies, not daffodils, in the gospel of Luke. But perhaps there is a commonality between the … Read more
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow … Read more
Certain well known theologians are gaining popularity by preaching a skewed view of the Cross of Christ. Don’t fall for it. The Cross is not just a metaphor for human suffering. It is a space/time event. It is a visceral, literal blood and guts tearing, ripping open of the flesh and blood body of Jesus, … Read more
“When I survey the wondrous CrossOn which the Prince of Glory diedMy richest gain I count but lossAnd pour contempt on all my pride.”Thank you, Isaac Watts, for these words that reach across 300 years of time to reach us as we struggle to grasp the enormity of the sacrifice of Christ. Think of it. … Read more
Early Sunday morning, and darkness still shrouds the Judean hills. The Roman guards stamp their feet and shiver against the chill, longing for the warmth of the sun’s first rays. It’s been a long night. Then suddenly, out of the blackness, the Lion of Judah roars! The earth heaves and trembles with Resurrection power. Satan … Read more
The air was thick with the smell of fear. The powers of darkness, armed and dangerous, converged on the little group in the Garden. Jesus knew His time had come. There was no turning back from the Cross. Suddenly Peter reached for his sword. This was his moment to lay it all down for the … Read more
The work of the Cross is endlessly faceted. “It is finished,” Jesus proclaimed as He released His spirit to the Father. The work was done. He bore our sins in His own body on that Cross, but he bore something else…our griefs and sorrows. Isn’t that astounding? Isaiah tells us this through the Holy Spirit, … Read more
Easter morning. Tucked in between my mother and father on the church pew, shivering a bit from the walk through the spring rain, I’m drawn into the swell of the organ music, the joyous fervor of the singers around me. A feeling I can’t quite explain transcends my childish delight in my new plush bunny, … Read more