Introduction:Today, the Thursday before Easter is traditionally called Maundy Thursday. This is pretty much the only context in which the word “maundy” is used in English. So, what does the word mean? Well, it comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “command.” This Thursday is called Maundy Thursday because we are meant to remember … Continue reading Pastor Note #125: A Maundy Thursday Devotional
Quote of Note #162: Worldly Power vs. Christ-like Love
photo by GAC "Ever since the snake said, 'The day you eat of the tree your eyes will be open and you will be like gods knowing good and evil' (Genesis 3:5), we have been tempted to replace love with power. Jesus lived that temptation in the most agonizing way from the desert to the … Continue reading Quote of Note #162: Worldly Power vs. Christ-like Love
Quote of Note #161: The Biblical Mandate for Civility
photo by GAC "The truth is that civility is not something that stands over against biblically based convictions in a kind of 'tension' relationship. To put it bluntly: the obligation to be civil is itself a matter of biblical conviction. This is very clear, for example, in 1 Peter 3:15. . .'Always be prepared to … Continue reading Quote of Note #161: The Biblical Mandate for Civility
Quote of Note #160: Respect for All
photo by GAC “Jesus rebukes every us versus them, erases every in versus out, banishes every elite versus outcast, and calls us to a strange Kingdom living and loving where Calvary levels all. To disrespect any person is to slap the face of Jesus and to slander the person’s Creator, God.” Leonard Sweet, Rings of … Continue reading Quote of Note #160: Respect for All
Blog Note
I was part of a team which created a Lenten devotional guide. The guide is built around the Apostles' Creed plus some entries for Holy Week and Easter. Please check it out. Here's the link: https://www.newcityabq.org/s/LENT-GUIDE-2024.pdf
Quote of Note #159: The Politics of Humility
photo by GAC "But for most people, to be able to simplify issues so as to see only the definite external enemy is extremely exhilarating and brings about the bright eye and the springy step that go so well with the political uniform. This is an exhilaration that the Christian must deny himself. It comes from an … Continue reading Quote of Note #159: The Politics of Humility
Quote of Note #158: Christianity and Nationalism
“Mr. [Middleton] Murry holds that ‘the real conflict that is preparing is the conflict between Christianity and anti-Christian nationalism’: but surely a nationalism which is overtly antagonistic to Christianity is a less dangerous menace for us than a nationalism which professes a Christianity from which all Christian content has been evacuated.” T. S. Eliot, Christianity … Continue reading Quote of Note #158: Christianity and Nationalism
Quote of Note #157: Love vs. Power
photo by GAC "What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Jesus asks, … Continue reading Quote of Note #157: Love vs. Power
Pastor Note #124: Forgiving–Why Should I?
Let’s start with this key truth about forgiveness, one that runs counter to much of what we tend to think and what we hear from our culture. Forgiveness does not start out as a feeling. It starts out as a decision. We almost always decide to forgive someone who has hurt us before, often long … Continue reading Pastor Note #124: Forgiving–Why Should I?
Prayer Note #63: Only in Jesus
photo by GAC So much of the time, Lord, I am utterly absurd and ridiculous in my own eyes. I don’t see myself as other people see me. I see what is unseen by others. I see what goes on in my mind. I see what I do when no one else is watching. I … Continue reading Prayer Note #63: Only in Jesus
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 