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Mary’s Lamb; Behold the One Who Takes Away the Sin of the World
“Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 Our last glimpse of Mary interacting with her son is recorded in John 19:26-27. She is near the cross, where he hangs cruciform, held in place by metal stakes, his breathing raspy, heavy with effort. She is being held up herself, by the other Marys, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Three women clinging to one another as they witness the unfathomable, their Jesus, fulfilling a purpose Mary would not have chosen for her beloved son. Jesus calls to his mother and to John, “Dear woman, here is your son, ” and to…
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Kingdoms Falling; A Look at Peter
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before Me; your throne will be established forever. 2 Samuel 7:17 The Twelve are the closest followers of Jesus Christ while His human feet stir dust on this planet. Men whom Jesus calls, grants authority over demons (Matthew 10:2), appoints (Mark 3:16), designates as apostles (Luke 6:14) and chooses (John 6:70). They walk in step with Him, watch Him, listen to Him, eat with Him, learn from Him. They do life together as Jesus carries out His earthly ministry. The Twelve are a band of hooligans consisting of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, brothers, tradesmen, tough guys from tough places, led…
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It’s Just a Dream; When God Plants a Seed
“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45:8 I feel spring in my bones, not just warmer air and longer days, the birds noisy in the morning. I feel restlessness stirring in my heart, I want it to hurry up already. I run it out, begging the terrain to pound against the soles of my shoes. I am not running because it feels good. It does not. I feel the impact against my joints as I run, I will feel it later. It is the rhythm I am after, the rhythm of breathing and of the pavement hitting my feet. I engage in the…
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So You Want to Follow Jesus? Grab Your Muck Boots
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18-19 A welcomed change to the weather creeps into West Michigan. Hopes of an early spring dance in with sunshine and balmy (35 degrees plus, balmy is relative) temperatures. Hats are left indoors and snow boots are exchanged for muck boots. If you reside in a warmer, dryer climate perhaps this does not resonate, the need for muck boots. But if you live in West Michigan in March, it will click. The promise of spring does not initially reveal itself with peeking purple…
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Trading Jesus; Missing Out When We Get What We Want
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 I am stuck, early in this walk, bartering with Jesus. I cannot seem to move past what I want and the lengths I will go with Him to get it. I take a queue from the persistent widow in Luke 18, and I ask repeatedly. I mean, I ask repeatedly. I quote to Him in my prayers, “ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it”…
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Digging Out; Where Does Your Help Come From?
I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 The boy’s day starts long before his sister or I consider waking. Winter brings challenges to our West Michigan home, primarily in the form of a relatively long driveway built on an incline. There is a slight curve in the middle, identifying those who belong to this driveway and those who do not. Experience is required to navigate both an entrance to and an exit from the home that sits atop the hill, experience or a four-wheel drive vehicle. The boy’s…
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He Loves Me, I Loved Him Not
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him. Mark 10:21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:21-22) I want to know the rest of the story. What becomes of this young man who so earnestly ran and knelt before Jesus, referring to Him as the “Good Teacher” and asking how he could earn eternal life (Mark 10:17). Will he lose what he desires to gain what…
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For Glory and Beauty; The Unlimited Goodness of God
You shall make them for glory and beauty. Exodus 28:40 Snowflakes are falling in West Michigan. Walking through cold January air I find myself captivated by their fleeting beauty. One in particular catches my eye, landing on my mittened hand. I study the intricate detail and wonder how many there must be stacked upon the ground and floating in the space around me, touching cold against my face. So much beautiful encapsulated in such a tiny package. As I walk, the lyrics of Gungor’s “Beautiful Things” roll through my mind. You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things…
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Weariness; When Inadequacy is a Gift
But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his arms were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12 Somewhere between “Moses! Moses! Take your sandals off your feet” (Exodus 3:4) and “there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10), we find a man desperately inadequate doing a mighty work for God. Reality confronts Moses in Exodus 17. His people are grumbling, blaming him…
