Tag: Jesus’ love

It Was Always on Purpose

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The idea of something being the beginning of the end seems odd. Endings should just be endings, not beginnings. And yet, the sequence of things that lead to that end have to begin somewhere. The final beginning of Jesus’ end in this life started with dinner. It unfolded from there into a series of events that looked from the outside-in like they were all spiraling out of control, making Jesus a helpless victim of His circumstances. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing Jesus did ever happened by accident. The things that happened to Him weren’t an accident either. As we continue our journey through Luke’s Story of Sacrifice this week, we are talking about just how in command Jesus really was. Let’s dive right in.

It Was Always on Purpose

In the late 1500s, an English Protestant preacher and scholar named John Foxe wrote a book that quickly became an enduring spiritual and devotional classic. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs sought to tell the stories of believers who had been persecuted for their faith, many of whom paid the ultimate price in that persecution. His goal was to encourage other believers with these powerful stories to perform great acts of faith and faithfulness in their own lives. These kinds of stories are indeed powerful. They are inspiring. Hearing gripping stories about incredible acts of devotion has a way of motivating copycats in the best possible sense. It can encourage those who are facing similar troubles in their own lives. It can grow the church in remarkable ways. As the early church father, Tertullian, once wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” 

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Advent Reflections: Psalm 40:1-3

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“I waited patiently for the Lord , and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the Lord.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Misery loves company. This saying is true in a couple of different ways. The first is that someone who is miserable will often try to make the people around him miserable, dragging them down into the much of life with him so that he isn’t alone down there. That’s the more common meaning of the phrase. It is also true, though, that someone who is in a miserable place in life can find hope and comfort by knowing she is not alone in her striving and struggling to get through a hard season of life. The season of Advent is a reminder that even when it feels like all the people around us are leaving us to our own miserable devices, there is one who is always ready to meet us there and bring comfort to us. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Romans 5:8

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“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

As we prepare for the great celebration of Easter, there are a lot of different things to which we give our attention. We’ve already covered a couple of them in the last couple of days. Jesus’ death really was necessary because sin really is that big of a problem. We talk through various apologetic defenses of the crucifixion and the resurrection. We talk about the implications of the resurrection. That one alone provides enough material to keep us going for quite a long time. Just when you think you’ve run out of material, more shows up. The ramifications of Jesus’ walking out of His tomb on Sunday morning are vast beyond reckoning. But in the midst of all of these important conversations, there’s one that often gets missed. I want to see if we can thread a needle this morning and talk for just a second about something we don’t often consider: None of this had to happen.

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Digging in Deeper: 1 John 3:16

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“This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I finally watched it, and now it’s time to talk about it. The finale of Loki season 2 dropped last week. Marvel has been going through a bit of a rough spell lately. Their content isn’t getting as many viewers as it once did. Their newest film, The Marvels, a Captain Marvel sequel, came out last week and scored the worst box office opening of any Marvel movie to date. More and more people are talking about superhero fatigue after 15 years. Loki season 2 proved to me they’ve still got what it takes. Let’s talk about what made this story so good.

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