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Category Archives: kingdom
Elevator speech
“The son of man has come to seek and save the lost.” That was how Jesus summarized his work one day shortly before he was murdered. He was sitting in the house of a rich man. He had invited himself … Continue reading
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go ahead. be a sheep.
As much as I would like to believe that I am not a sheep, I am one. Not, I suppose, a blind follower of a random mindless herd. (Unless that’s what all followers of Christ are). I like to believe … Continue reading
It’s not perfect
(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday.) Life down on this planet can be frustrating. Nearly everything we deal with has its problems. Even when we relax with a cool drink and look out at the perfect sunset, a mosquito … Continue reading
Waiting for mansions
In the King James version of John 14, Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” Many people have read that and thought, “Sweet. I’m gonna get me a mansion. I’ll be living good then, after I’m dead, in … Continue reading
do why I do.
We look for punishment. We want to know what the penalty will be if we don’t do something. We want to know where the boundaries are, how far we can go before we get hurt or scolded or destroyed. I … Continue reading
Pride in the name of respect
Peter is the only one who responds when Jesus washes feet. Maybe no one noticed it was Jesus. His point wasn’t to call attention to himself, after all, but to call attention to the hearts of the disciples, to the … Continue reading
big and small uses of time
(Paul Merrill writes here every First Friday) A few weeks ago, a friend mentioned that he told his pastor how wrong he was to clean the church’s toilets. This friend (let’s call him “Bob”) said how much wiser it would … Continue reading
the kingdom of heaven is a party, part 5
The expected celebrants reject and are therefore rejected. The unsuspecting marginals are in the seats of honor. The story Jesus tells in Matthew 22 is delightful to a crowd of ordinary people, depressing to the elite. But Jesus has one … Continue reading
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the kingdom of heaven is a party, part 4
So the king is enraged and destroys a city. That’s yesterday’s news. Though actually, it is today’s news in some parts of the world where insurrection is treated quickly and the murder of governmental employees is considered a significant crime. … Continue reading
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the kingdom of heaven is a party, part 3
Thank you for your patience. I am walking us through this story in Matthew 22 very slowly. In fact, we are taking a week. Why? Because it is a story that can easily be misunderstood. I mean, you read this, … Continue reading
