Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor

“Almighty God, you have taught us through your Son that love is the fulfilling of the law.  Grant that we may love you with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.[1] Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he … Continue reading Pastor Note #134/Bible Note #55: Love of Jesus, Love of Neighbor

Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional

Introduction:If saving non-material human souls is all that matters, what is the point of the bodily resurrection of Jesus?  If the goal of the Christian faith is to get souls into heaven, then the bodily resurrection of Jesus is irrelevant and unnecessary.  And yet, there can be little doubt that the New Testament writers were … Continue reading Pastor Note #128: The Resurrection–A Devotional

Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional

Introduction:At the very core of his being, our God is a relational God.  Every fiber of God’s nature is biased toward relationship.  We see that in the mystery of the Trinity—one God in three Persons, woven in a profound interrelationship of love, one with the other. We also see this relational nature of our God … Continue reading Pastor Note #126: A Good Friday Devotional

Pastor Note #125: A Maundy Thursday Devotional

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

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

Bible Note #48: Justice for the Weak–Ezekiel 34:11-22

Here God proclaims his love.  God proclaims the bias of his heart.  God proclaims the direction of movement of his heart. photo by GAC Above all, he is for the weak.  Above all, he is for the vulnerable, the wounded, the broken, the lost.  (Does this sound familiar?  “For the Son of Man came to … Continue reading Bible Note #48: Justice for the Weak–Ezekiel 34:11-22