Luke 22:54-62 {Prayer} Have you ever been caught by surprise in a store? Let’s say one morning your son’s car won’t start, so you get up and drive him into an early morning practice. You haven’t had time to shower or put on anything decent. On your way home, you decide to stop by…
John 18:1-11 {Prayer} January 17, 2004 … that is when a sixty-six-ton sperm whale died and was beached on the southwestern coast of Taiwan. Two weeks later, authorities decided to truck the dead whale to a lab where they could do an autopsy. It took fifty men and three lifting cranes a total of…
Luke 22:47-53 {Prayer} Today we continue to follow Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. This painting entitled, “The Betrayal of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane” was painted in 1308 by an artist named Duccio. The betrayal. That is what we’ve called it. And that word sums up the event. “On the night when…
John 19:1-16
Luke 22:39-46 {Prayer} Periodically, our world calls us back to simplicity. Simpler is easier, more profitable, better use of space, they seem to say. Companies downsize. Products are marked as being made with “all natural ingredients.” People are practicing the Paleo Diet. HGTV has shows like “Hot Mess House” which are designed to help…
John 18:33-40
Luke 22:14-38 {Prayer} The artist Rembrandt tried to paint the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. He did it twice. Twice he tried to help others see what faith looks like in that moment. The first time, Rembrandt made a grand painting. This was done early in his life. At that time Rembrandt was…
Luke 22:1-23 {Prayer} Caroline was a woman who had her place. If this was her church, it would there on the right-hand side, near the stained glass window with Luther’s Rose, and closest to the side aisle. That was where she worshiped and to her, that was her place. Caroline’s pastor learned this as…
Zechariah 14:8-11 {Prayer} Cities spend big bucks on marketing. In the 1970’s New York City was in chaos. Crime was running wild. As a means of scaring off tourists, unions across the city actually ran a campaign called “Welcome to Fear City”. Tourists were told that they should “stay away from New York City if…
Zechariah 12:10-14 {Prayer} “God is dead.” This is what a 19th century German philosopher by the name of Friedrich Nietzsche said. The expression, “God is dead,” is famously associated with Nietzsche’s book titled Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Nietzsche used the phrase figuratively. Zechariah, however, used the phrase literally. God. Is. Dead. But really? That’s…