A Modern Parable of Christmas

This Sunday, December 21st, is the fourth Sunday in Advent. Imagine this: God, who could have crushed the world because of sin, instead came into the world to be crushed for our sin. God both pronounced the judgment, and took the judgment upon himself. God’s entrance...

“What Were You Expecting?”

I stumbled across a baby book with a few twists that might be given to young parents. It’s meant to be a bit of a parody on what to expect when navigating raising children, but also has colorful pictures that could be read to an infant. “This is a house. It’s a lot...

When God Breaks In

This Sunday marks the beginning of the church year, the season of Advent. Advent is the season of preparing and waiting for the birth of Christ and for his Second Coming at the end of time. The story is told of a young boy playing hide-and-seek with his friends. He...

How Gratitude Changes Us

Do you ever get down or catch a case of the moody blues?  One of the things that has helped me when I feel that way is reading Psalms of thanksgiving. Martin Luther claimed Psalm 118 as his chosen Psalm. Verse 1 reads, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: his...

Who Am I

When God calls Moses to confront the Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of bondage and into the Promised Land, he is anything but excited. In fact, his first excuse is: “Who am I” that I should be the one to take on this monumental task. God responds, “I will be with...