These last two Beatitudes on Jesus’ list are not easy to digestJesus envisions a grim future for us – and if so,- we’re expected not only to survive it, but to rejoice and be glad• John Chapman was the Abbot of a monastery in Bri...

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that Godbecame Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.C. S. Lewis, ". . . In the Christian story God descends to ...

Jesus is sitting on a mountain overlooking Sea of GalileeHe is teaching a course on “Christian Spirituality”- we are now five weeks into his introduction: The Beatitudes• prior to teaching this course, Jesus had been announcing, ...

When I began preparing today’s talk, there was a sudden moment when I felt very smallThe spiritual wisdom of Jesus rivals every other enlightened text- even gurus, like Gandhi, who rejected Christianity have admired the Sermon• r...

Welcome back to Jesus’ Sermon On the MountHe begins with the Beatitudes – not to be confused with "benedictions"- they are more like a series of riddles• he describes conditions in which people are already blessed◦ already ac...

Recently, I came across an interesting ad:The caption said, “Free AI Sermon Generator”“Free AI sermon outlines help you preach a confident, creative message. AI sermon starter ideas make your sermon fresh and relevant.”- I realiz...

Last week I gave my introduction to the Sermon On the MountThis week we’re going to look at Matthew’s introduction- but first, I have a question – and it’s for me as much as anyone:Are we ready for this?- the Lor...

A couple weeks ago someone told me,“Your next series of talks should be about The Sermon On the Mount”- that title has a pleasant ring to it, doesn’t it?• isn’t that where Jesus talks about birds and lilies? Love your enemies? Do...

The prophetic ministry of Elijah provides one of the most entertaining stories in all the Bible. When it comes to phenomenal miracles, Elijah’s only rival would be Moses. His spiritual stature as a man of God is equal to the greatest heroes in ...

Psalm 3 is the most loved, most quoted, and best known of all PsalmsThere are lots of reasons for this.It’s short – just six verses. But though it’s so short it’s incredibly deep.It’s simple – easy to understand.  The Lord, ...

 This first sentence of 2 Kings is an odd way to begin a new chapter. The transition from the previous book to this one could have been much smoother. For instance, the last lines of 1 Kings provide all the explanation we need for this new...

 King Ahab left the battlefield, victorious over the Syrians, but he arrived home moody and sullen. In theory, there’s no reason for kings to be “moody and sullen.” If they are troubled, they have counselors. If they feel sad, the...

 Today’s episode requires an explanation, because my plan was to skip this chapter. For the past seven weeks we’ve been immersed in the story of Elijah, but for some reason he does not appear here; not even his name is mentioned. But that ...

 The Elijah with whom we spent time in the previous chapter is hardly recognizable in this episode. He is no longer the prophet who lost heart and had been wallowing in defeat, sulking in a cave. He was transformed. Once again he is on the...

 Elijah was excited–an energetic excited–an excited he had not allowed himself to indulge until now. The tide was turning. The entire crowd witnessed God’s answer from heaven. They had been won over. They had chanted, “Yehovah, he is God! ...

 Elijah found King Ahab sitting off by himself still as a statue, staring into nothing, and his face coated in confusion. Ahab wondered, “What just happened? How could it have happened?” His feud with Elijah had ended suddenly in a phenome...

 There must have been court officials who wished they could restrain King Ahab’s poor decisions and thoughtless actions. But those with enough skill in diplomacy to hold a position in the royal court also had enough sense to value their li...

 The village where Elijah had been living was on the Mediterranean coast, so I find it easy to imagine him walking the shoreline, allowing the onshore breeze to be refreshed. He listens to the rhythm of the waves and the squawking seagulls...

 Picking up from last week, directed by the word of Yehovah, Elijah came to the home of a widow in Sidon, north of Israel’s border. She had helped Elijah when he was hungry and homeless. She let him stay in her home, in the small room upst...

A crooked king, a wicked queen, and a foreign god. You know this is going to be a great story. That’s because in literature (and storytelling), evil is more entertaining than good. We can predict a good person’s actions–they will be honest, kin...

This week a nearby church hosted a Vacation Bible SchoolMy fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Adrianna, volunteered to help out- on Friday, a friend sent me a video that she filmed the day before• when I watched it, there was Adria...

In this final chapter we come to the end of the visionTo me, it feels like waking up from a dream- just before I woke up yesterday morning, I was enjoying a pleasant dream• I heard someone call me, and I was immediately awake...

Once again, John begins to describe an event with “I saw”We are reminded that this entire book is a mystical vision and uses the strange language of images and symbols- however, we could be tempted to read last two chapters ...