“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself and [...]

“When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’” (John 11:43-44)  Our Lenten journey with Jesus is beginning to draw [...]

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” (I Samuel 16:7)  Continuing on our Lenten journey we [...]

“For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10-11)  In my [...]

“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.” (Gen. 12:4a) As we continue to follow Jesus through this season of Lent, we meet one of the first followers of God: Abram.  Abram is often referred to as the “father of the faithful” because of his willingness to leave a [...]

“Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:18-19)  In one of the more [...]

“But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.” (Matthew 17:7-8) This is the last Sunday in the season of Epiphany and on it; we mark the great manifestation of Jesus’ glory – the Transfiguration.  It must [...]

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.”  [...]

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we [...]

Are we encouraging laypeople to embrace their work as ministry and vocation?  Recently, Art Lindsley of the Institute for Faith, Work and Economics listed five ways that pastors can help laity understand that their work as meaning and it is the primary way that they serve Christ.  Lindsley says first, lose the “higher calling” language.  [...]