Paul told the disciples at Rome they were headed for glory through the resurrection of their bodies. But that’s not all he had to say on the subject. There was something else that was headed for the same glory—creation! Let’s look at his words in Romans 8:18-25. Creation and humanity have the same origin andContinue reading “From Groaning to Glory (2)”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
Mary Takes a Trip
Mary’s trip to see her relative, Elizabeth, is one of those episodes that’s unique to Luke’s gospel. In this early section of his gospel, Luke is showing Theophilus how God broke into the world to set up the kingdom of Jesus. Rather than tapping into existing power structures like the Roman Empire or the Jewish aristocracy,Continue reading “Mary Takes a Trip”
Scattered
The word “scattered” is used only four times in the book of Acts, but its significance is much greater than that number would suggest. By the time Luke wrote his gospel, “scattered” had a well-established meaning. It went back to the days of Babel when the people rebelled against God’s purpose for them to spreadContinue reading “Scattered”
It Seemed Good to Me
When Luke was writing the introduction to his gospel, he noted two groups of people: The first group would be the apostles, and the other would be a second generation of disciples who came after them. Luke would be part of that group. So, he began his treatise to Theophilus by acknowledging the original communicatorsContinue reading “It Seemed Good to Me”
Meditating on God’s Word
One of my favorite borrowed sayings goes something like this: “Our goal isn’t to get through the Scripture as much as it is for the Scripture to get through us.” I like that because I know from personal experience how easy it is to get distracted as you work your way through Scripture. You’re busyContinue reading “Meditating on God’s Word”
Saying Goodbye To Your Pigs
The man from Decapolis was anything but free before he met Jesus. He lived in the tombs among the dead, because for all intents and purposes—that’s what he was. But it wasn’t always that way for him. He once had a life. He was someone’s son, grandson, probably a brother, nephew, and cousin. Maybe heContinue reading “Saying Goodbye To Your Pigs”
Something To Think About
The Beatitudes are rich with multiple layers of meaning. Here’s a paraphrase I did a while back in an effort to uncover some of the treasures found in them. I hope it makes you think. Better yet, maybe it will make you want to try coming up with your own paraphrase! Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual poverty apartContinue reading “Something To Think About”
Revolution
You say you want a Revolution, Well, you know, We all wanna change the world. You tell me that it’s evolution, Well, you know, We all wanna change the world. John Lennon sang these words in 1968 in the Beatles’ classic, Revolution. Our country (and much of the world) was going through turbulent times—not a lot different than today in manyContinue reading “Revolution”
The Challenging Beatitudes
Matthew’s gospel alternates between six narrative and five teaching sections (5-7,10,13,18,23-25). Each of the teaching sections conclude with a statement to the effect of when Jesus had finished saying/teaching (all) these things (7:28,11:1,13:53, 19:1,26:1). Some think that Matthew laid the teaching of Jesus out in five sections to mirror the five books written by Moses. That mayContinue reading “The Challenging Beatitudes”
Staying Humble and Hungry
Most of us have heard of the John Godfrey Saxe poem, The Blind Men and the Elephant. It is based on a traditional Indian parable and tells of six blind men from Indostan who come across an elephant. As each touches a different part of the animal, they come to different conclusions about what theContinue reading “Staying Humble and Hungry”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 