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OVERCOMING OUR PAST AND HEALING THROUGH REPENTANCE

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Ezekiel 18 gives us a proverb that was being repeated among the Jewish people living in exile in Babylon: “ The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge .” In other words, the people were saying, “ Our ancestors sinned, and now we are the ones suffering because of it .” They were beginning to think, “ What can we do? We are doomed because of what our parents did. There is nothing we can change .” But God’s response was clear: each person is responsible for his or her own sin. God was saying, in effect, “ Do not use your family history, your past, or someone else’s wrongdoing as an excuse to remain where you are. Turn from sin and live .” God was calling His people back to repentance and back into a faithful relationship with Him. He wanted them to understand that their past did not have to determine their future. They could turn to Him. They could repent. They could live. We hear that same kind of appeal in our Gospel lesson today. Jesus is calling people...
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GOD'S MERCY FOR THE UNDESERVING

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Jonah’s story has so much to teach us about our deepest human impulses. But ultimately, it is a story about God’s forgiveness—a story about His character. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, even in the face of our flaws and failures. Like all of us, the Ninevites had gone far astray from God, their Creator. Their city was marked by evil, and God sent Jonah to warn them of the coming consequences. Yet, remarkably, they listened. They obeyed. They turned from their evil ways. And when God saw their repentance, He forgave them and withheld the calamity that had been announced. Then comes the unexpected part of the story: Jonah was extremely displeased. My Bible commentary says He was in great heat about it! He did not like it at all. Why would a prophet be angry when people respond to God? Why would he be upset when a whole city turns from evil and receives mercy? I began to understand Jonah more clearly when I considered who the Ninevites were. ...
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FACE PAIN AND SELF-DENIAL TO FOLLOW CHRIST

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We live in a world where we are constantly encouraged to pursue a version of success: a better career, more money, a stronger appearance, healthier relationships, greater influence. Our culture often defines success as winning in every area of life. But is that truly attainable? And what is the real cost of chasing that imagined life? At some point, something has to give. Will it be our family life or our work life? Our health or our ambitions? There is a cost to everything. The question is whether we are honest enough to recognize what this pursuit of success is taking from us. So often, we look for the best and easiest path... the way that requires the least sacrifice and inconvenience. We do this because we don’t like to suffer. We avoid pain, discomfort, loss, and sacrifice whenever we can. The words of Jesus call us to discern a better way: not an easier way, but the way we were truly meant to live. Jesus gives us the map when He says: “ If any want to become my followers, let t...
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THE GOD WHO LOVES OUTCASTS

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Matthew 15: 10-28 . It can be surprising to learn how human societies organize themselves. We draw lines between the in-group and the outsiders. God knows this about us. The trouble comes when we go too far—when we decide certain people are “anomalies” to be pushed out, rather than neighbors to be loved. From the beginning, God wanted to correct this impulse. To Israel he said, in Ex. 12:49, “ There shall be one law for the native and for the alien residing among you .” God knew how quickly we would create laws for different people and decided to clear this up. History tells us that we have done this over and over again. Yet humans became creative at building walls. Let me tell you Angelique’s story. When the civil war broke out in Rwanda, she was caught in the violence, badly injured, and left unconscious. The Red Cross found her hours later, under a pile of dead bodies, and pulled her out. Society had decided she was the ‘anomaly’ to be eliminated. That same ‘in-group’ mentality is ...
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Towards Life As A Child Of God: The Good Seed

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There is so much we don’t understand about the mysteries of God’s Kingdom. It’s no wonder Jesus used parables. They give us pictures—snapshots—of what the Kingdom looks like in the middle of real life and in an imperfect church. I’m not trying to be heretical here, but let’s put in some everyday words. What does God’s Kingdom of heaven look like here on earth? Even better, What does it feel like in the middle of our busy schedules and stress, our anxieties and ambitions, our hopes and disappointments? Paul reminds us in Romans 8 that, as life rushes along, there is a spiritual trajectory underneath it all. Some people are being quietly pulled along by an unseen force that leads toward decay, destruction, and separation from God. Many don’t even realize it’s happening. A friend of mine recently sent me an album of American rap to listen to. He said it's important to listen to the lyrics of today's youth because, their aspirations and experiences are all there. But the question ...
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War On Sin: God's View

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We live in a world that is losing authenticity more and more. There is so much fake around us that it can be hard to know what is true anymore. Every day, for example, on my phone I get ads promising miracles that are clearly AI, not real: an image of a dish soap that can make an old pot look brand new, (and believe I have old pots so it pulls me in) or a lotion that will supposedly erase all wrinkles. I have to admit, I’m sometimes surprised by my own heart — I catch myself wanting to believe it and considering to order the product. Of course, I would love to say I never fall for any of it, but that would not be completely honest. Paul helps us understand why this happens. Of course sin disguises itself as good but it's fake. Paul speaks about the luring power of sin working in our natural selves (our ability to fall for the fake is stunning!) Paul even cries out, “ Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death ?” That is the reality of our connection to sin ...
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God's Intention To Heal The Sufferer

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Today’s Scriptures give us a front-row seat to God’s priorities. Have you ever stopped & wonder what God values most? A helpful way to think about it, is this: how well do we really know people in our own families? What do we understand about their hearts, their aspirations, and even their struggles ? Some of us may be surprised to get some of the questions wrong! This is a good test for us, because the same applies to our relationship with God. What do we know about God? When Israel first arrived in the wilderness of Sinai, they found themselves in a very uncomfortable place, especially when compared to Egypt. But it was there that God spoke to Moses and reminded them, “ You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself .” God was not just leading them geographically; He was leading them spiritually, bringing them out of fear/panic and unrest into a place where they could learn faith, healing, and trust. What is so striking is t...
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