A Letter to the President

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Tom Foreman is a correspondent on Anderson Cooper 360.  I actually read through his letter the first time thinking that it was written by Anderson Cooper, and although it’s not, it is written by one of his guys and displayed by CNN on their website.  Foreman has been writing President Obama a letter each week since he took office.  Here is a sample of his latest offering, in reference to Christians in America, since Easter is this week:

People of faith sometimes mistake their own fist for the hand of God; non-believers sometimes mistake scientific findings for proof that God is not there. Faith by its very nature is not subject to proof one way or the other. If you had proof, it would not be faith. If you need proof, faith is far away.

And if we can learn to accept those opposing stances in each other, we’ll be a stronger nation where both the faithful and faithless can share the peace and wonders of our world…

Read the entire letter here, and tell me what you think.  Is Foreman’s take on religion in America just about right?

An Easter Sermon

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But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.   -Isaiah 53:5-7

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—  this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.  God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.    -Acts 2:22-24

In John 10, Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd; and we are very much in need of a shepherd.  He is also described as the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrificial lamb that takes away the sin of the world.  When we need a shepherd, he is our shepherd.  But when we need a sacrifice… Jesus is that for us too. 

Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection.  He is the Lamb that was slain, but he is so much more.  In short, he is an all sufficient savior. 

Listen to the sermon Jesus, Sheep or Shepherd

Final Thoughts on Holy Week

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jesus_crossThis year for Holy Week I pointed out that Jesus died.  We all know that he was crucified, and was raised to life again, but the real miracle here is that God died.

We asked the question Jesus, sheep or shepherd? That post will be my sermon for Easter Sunday.  I’m preaching twice in the morning.

Another thought was on Jesus’ prayer from the cross.  He didn’t pray just for his followers or his family, but he prayed the prayer of intercession for the people who were crucifying  him.  “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  This is the Christ that we are supposed to be like.

There are some older posts I thought about re-posting, but instead I will just link them here.  He Cannot Save Himself is a poem about the crucifixion.  It is based on the sermon I preached for Easter last year.  Feel free to copy and paste it, print it in your church bulletin, or read it outloud.

Other good topics for Holy Week are Jesus’ Examples: Washing Feet and Passover Becomes the Lord’s Supper.

Thoughts on Holy Week: Jesus’ Prayer from the Cross

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jesus_crossIn his first sermon (Mark 1) Jesus offers a simple message: “Repent and believe the gospel.”  As he hangs on the cross some 3 years later, what is Jesus doing?  We have only a handful of words spoken by Jesus during the crucifixion, but there are some powerful lessons to be shared in them.

As he hangs on the cross, he was in between two thieves.  One of them mocked Jesus, but the other asked to be remembered by him.  Jesus replied that he would be with him in paradise.  Even while dying on the cross, Jesus won a convert!

But even more amazing: Jesus said the prayer of intercession for the very people crucifying him that day. Not just of the Roman soldiers, but for those really responsible, including the Jewish people, the priests and the Sanhedrin.  “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  He prayed for the very people taking his life.  Taking the form of a servant is one thing.  Washing feet is another.  Praying for those that despitefully use you is another entirely.  But none of those compare to asking forgiveness for the very people that are nailing you to a cross, where you will slowly bleed and die.

Jesus, Sheep or Shepherd?

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jesus_shepherdThe LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

The 23rd Psalm; a very familiar passage and perhaps the most quoted poetry from the Old Testament.  In John 10, Jesus explains that he is the good shepherd.  He is not a hireling, but loves the sheep, and would lay down his life for them.  He has been entrusted by the Father to care for the sheep.  And of course, we’re the sheep.

We’ve all seen pictures of Jesus holding a lamb.   But it’s more than a cute analogy.  Sheep must be cared for.  They have few natural defenses, and are very near sighted.  They need the shepherd.  We too are no match for the devil, often nearsighted (or blind), and desperately need the Good Shepherd.  Continue reading →

It’s like a trip on Jesus.

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student_bible_study“It’s like a trip on Jesus.”  That’s exactly what the young man said who shared his testimony this evening.  Those are the words he used to sum up his salvation experience.

I don’t write much about the youth ministry I’m involved in, but feel like I must share this story.  A Christian should be able to share his or her testimony.  Maybe not in front of a church congregation, maybe not even in a group.  But a believer should be able to tell another person, even if just in a one on one conversation, what God has done in their life.  So tonight at BCM Celebration!  (Baptist Campus Ministry) we talked about what it means to share a testimony. Continue reading →

Thoughts on Holy Week: Jesus Died

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jesus_crossI know, perhaps you’re thinking “Well duh.” But give it just a little more thought than that. This is God’s only son we’re talking about here. As a matter of fact, Jesus is God.

On Easter we will celebrate the resurrection. Jesus wasn’t just resurrected, he IS the resurrection. So we’re not simply celebrating the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. He was not the first to rise again. That miracle had happened more than once already. But when Jesus hung on the cross, it was the first time that God had ever died. Two of the gospels recorded Jesus’ birth; all four record the crucifixion. In Matthew’s Gospel, he records the sky going dark until the 9th hour (3 p.m.).  Only Matthew goes on to say that the veil was torn in the temple from top to bottom, and the graves of the saints opened up.  The Old Testament saints went through the street of Jerusalem prophesying (Matt. 27:45, 51-53).  The darkness, the earthquake, the veil, the saints, all highlight an extraordinary event taking place that day.  I’m thinking of a few other scriptures beyond the gospels: Continue reading →

Tithing Rap

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There is no denying that these are tough economic times. Large corporations and banks are failing, so you can imagine what’s happening to charities and ministries that rely on the generosity of the giver to fund their operations. You do what you gotta’ do, right?

People can’t give what they don’t have. But what if we could make tithing cool? Maybe like with a rap or something? Thanks to Bob’s Occasional Musings, I give you Tithing Rap!

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Bible Survey, Creation Week

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bible-pagesIt’s done!  The much awaited first installment of Bible Survey, Creation Week, is now online.

The first 12 chapters of Genesis cover a period of centuries, and present us with some major events from early history.  The Gen. 1 post is lengthy, and this looks like it may be a slow go for a few posts.  After we meet Abraham in Gen. 12, we should be able to take wings and fly.  Here is an excerpt:

God is all-powerful, and created all that exist from nothing, confirmed by Heb. 11:3  and Rev. 4:11.  Critics might argue that Hebrew is an ancient, difficult language, and that no original copies survive due to the passage of time.  Many times, however, the truths of the Old Testament are quoted, illustrated, or otherwise affirmed by the authors of the New Testament.  Their writings are more recent, plentiful, and easier translated from Greek and/or Aramaic.  That God created the universe and all that is in it is one of those fundamental truths.

Read Creation Week at Bible Survey.

Bible Survey, Intro. to Genesis

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bible-pagesThe Master’s Table survey of the Bible is up and running at last.  Bible survey posts are located at their own unique URL, biblesurvey.wordpress.com  The first (and only at this moment) post is an introduction to Genesis.  The next post, Creation Week Gen. 1:1 – 2:3, will be up in a couple of days.