In a sense, I got it.

They have a different role.

But I can’t help but wonder if there is an undercurrent of clergy versus laymen sneaking into the Churches. So let’s explore what is the Biblical view of leading roles in the church.

Pastor:

In looking for the word pastor, I only found one. Ephesians 4:11. I thought it was odd that it only found in the NLT once, so I looked it in greek. To my surprise, the word only means Shepherd, which is used many times in the New Testament as well as the Old Testament. Pastors are merely watching the flock. Making sure the sheep/people are taken care of. It’s an important role for now while the Great Shepherd is gone, but more on that in a second since it ties in with another role.

Preachers

You might be asking why I am mentioning something generally attributed to pastors, but the New Testament has a more wide open tradition than the Church today.

The word preacher is found 1 Timothy 2:7 and 2 Timothy 1:11 in the english. The greek uses a word that is a term for an official herald or a public announcer (sometimes of a divine being). Paul says that he is God’s herald in these cases, though he say that it is only because God gave it to him. He reflects a person who is lowering himself to being under a more important being and cause.

This word is used many times for people who proclaim things. The high value proclamation in the New Testament is about the Good News that God is still working out a good plan for the world He created. That is something that all Christians are commanded to do.

Some translations have the term in 1 Corinthians 8:18. Although the word itself is not there in the greek, the idea of proclaiming the Good News is there.

It makes sense that preaching is not a limited activity by leaders in the Church, but by all of God’s children.

Elders:

I know some people from some traditions use this position. Trust me, I am not wanting you to deconstruct and trash your traditions, but to see them with a good light. Elders are from the word we get Episcopal from. In the greek, it can mean a position of responsibility or oversight. It is seen mostly in I Timothy 3:1-2, 5:19, Titus 1:6, and 1 Peter 5:1-4.

The important passage for my purposes 1 Peter. It starts with the term for Elders. So we recognize that there are Elders in the New Testament on some level.

However, the Greek muddles up a couple roles. Peter starts talking about shepherding and the Great Shepherd. Sound familiar? Look back to the Pastor section.

Which is it?

I think it’s safe to say that there is not one position over the other, nor is there a differentiation in Peter’s eyes. Pastor is shepherd is elder. What is the most important part is that Peter says they are going to see the Great Shepherd revealed one day(look ahead to Revelation). When that happens, there will be no other shepherd worthy of mention. No name above that name of Jesus.

Deacons

This is another position that some denominations use. Once again, I am not saying ditch your tradition, but keep trying to see it in a good light.

What is a deacon? That is something that you could get a million answers to. One thing that is definitely true is that the New Testament had people that were called by that name. The meaning, however, was slightly different than how we might use it today. Every New Testament use except for 1 Timothy means servant/minister (this is my opinion even for Romans 16:1). This is interesting. This shows the highly valued term to be that of simply a servant, which is a reflection of Christ Philippians 2:1-11 and Romans 15:8.

Conclusion

So we have pastors (shepherds), preachers (public announcers), elders (episcopal ?), and deacons (servants). Some of what we have talked about is applied to pastors of today and sometimes leaders in the church. Other things sound more like things all christians should be doing. Although we probably might disagree on how the specifics of the roles should work, what we can agree on is that it must reflect Christ. If you have to be a leader be a servant.

Do not just say it…

be the servant.

We do no have to be afraid of the positions of authority since they have a purpose, but you do not have to be a pastor or deacon or elder to do the work of the King..

Just be a servant and reflect Christ.

Hear the words of N.T. Wright, “There are…no “special Christians. Ordination, for those called to it, is simply a sub-branch of Baptism, setting certain persons aside (as in Ephesians 4) so that, through their ministry, the whole baptized body of Christ may continue to function as such and grow together to maturity. Every Christian has a different calling. But all callings are marked with the same water, the same cross.”

Pastors, this means be humble, because you are in your place because God allowed you to be there.

Everyone else, be ready to do something.

Grace and peace.

Reason 1: They told me to do it.

Businesses love to sell. They advertise very well. If you look at almost every college, there is a degree in advertising. Things get made and they have to get off the shelves. In and of itself, trying to advertise well is a good way to make sure our economy runs. So it’s good. Until you reach the point where hype creates hysteria. Black Friday advertising is about creating lines of anxious buyers who will hurry up and buy everything. The only bad thing is that some of these buyers are overly anxious and will do anything to get the item they want. The news reminds us of that almost every year.

Reason 2: I can get quality time any other day.

One phenomenon of Black Friday is that we will spend an entire free day fighting to get a sale. It has not always been this way. People originally used this day to spend time with family and friends. Relaxation. Football. Even turkey sandwich masterpieces that defy all reason. That seems to be missing these days. Families and friends are replaced with great sales, door busters, and some occasional black eyes. (If I’m getting a black eyes, it should not be from someone trying to get the last porcelain cat decoration

Reason 3: The perfect sale

“I’m saving money!” the lady said. Most people do not seem to realize that these sales are like most sales at the end of every month of the year. If you pay close enough attention and study the websites and papers, they do not seem all that great, especially when you compare them to normal prices. You want to save money, then wait.

Reason 4: I’ll crush you.

This is the attitude people can develop towards each other during this sale, particularly when two see the last item at the same time. And this is where the bruises start. That’s not to mention the poor souls that get hurt trying to open the doors to let customers in (such as the elder person earlier in this post).

Reason 5: I’ll build bigger barns.

What do barns have to do with anything? Jesus told a parable about a rich man who had so much crop one year that he decided to tear down his barn and build bigger ones so that he could store every last bit of it (Matthew 6:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27). That does not sound bad to the 21st century American Capitalist, but to Torah believing 1st century Jews like Jesus, this was like murdering a helpless person. In the first five books of the Old Testament, God speaks through Moses to tell the Jews to only go over crops once and leave behind the rest for orphans, widows, and foreigners/immigrants (Leviticus 19:9-10).

As the story goes on, the rich man is killed by God and the wealth of crop is assumed to go to whoever needs it. In other words, God’s will is done and the helpless get help.

The way this applies to us is that in our culture we think that we can spend money and resources any way we choose. And we can get resources and money and keep it by any means necessary. This is not what the Bible teaches. Had the rich man in this story worried more about his relationship with people in his community, he would have been able to take part in God’s plan of love and kindness instead of being moved out of the way.

Try doing something different this year.

Spend time outside.

Throw the ball with the kids.

Take a hike.

Take the morning to nestle up to the love of your life.

Sit down for a minute and read Revelation 17-18. Place yourself in the shoes of the merchants. Ask yourself what you would do if you learned that what you were doing was actually causing pain and was a danger to your spiritual life. Then ask yourself what you would do if what you were doing was what would get you into trouble one day. Remember, it’s not about how many toys you have before you die, but about how you shared the joy of those toys with others as you lived.

Grace and peace to you all.

Related Readings:

• Ben Witherington, Jesus and Money
• John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life
• About anything from Shane Claiborne

And with that, let’s pause.

Take a deep breath.

Take another.

And let’s look at the history of this really confusing holiday.

I do not have official sources, but I do prefer a couple blog postings:

One is by an up and coming Doctoral student who I had the pleasure of attending church with at Seminary. His name is Michael Halcomb. He does seem a little more abrupt in challenging others to be accepting of Christian participation in Haloween. But he does bring a mix of thought and history into the argument.

The other is by Dr. Ben Witherington. A highly respected author and an excellent Biblical Scholar in the New Testament field. He seems a little more subtle about the point first, but he does eventually say that he thinks Christians should be more historically grounded in their critique of Halloween. An easy read that still explores history and still pulls some points that are not easily ignored.

So what do you think.

This holiday has gone from All Hallows Eve to Halloween.

From remembering saints, martyrs, and the dead to pretending to be Ghosts, Witches, and Freddy Kreugers, this holidays has been a hot bed for the church for a long time.

I say that the two bloggers I have mentioned are right. Let’s truly look at the actual holiday, even you still disagree or agree with participating with it in the end.

Grace and peace to you all.

- It recognizes sin

- It handles our guilt

- It is easy to explain.

Many in my own denomination and most Protestants in the western church have grabbed on to this image. And it’s not all bad. Many are on the ship of salvation because of this way of explain God’s great work. I know that I on some level have been saved by this narrative.

I recently read a story about a Japanese man who looked at the story of salvation through this lens. He made the point that it didn’t make sense in traditional Japanese culture, which is based on honor and shame. It’s difficult to think of salvation on these terms. It’s just flat out different from people in America

But we know everyone is different.

Every culture, family, judicial system, country, or whatever. There always something to throw you off and make you either frustrated or rethink your approach.

What does this do to explaining salvation? It opens the doors. When we think of missions and evangelism, we’ll need to know that some Christian language is foreign. And since it is foreign, we will need to develop understanding. There is one way to get to that understanding. Listen to their stories.

Some will have a bad father, so you might want to focus on God’s motherly attributes.

Some come from lands where there are dictators, so you might want to bring up the idea of God as King later.

Some will be glad to hear God is distancing himself, so you might want to say that God is actually pursuing them.

When we read the Scriptures, we see a God pursuing and connecting, even before Jesus comes to earth. Enoch walked with God. Abraham recieved the covenant. Jacob wrestled with Lord. David was after His heart. Even the blessed Mary, mother of Jesus, was talking to the angel of God before she was pregnant. If this God is making covenants and talking to His people, how separated should He be? Is He separate from us, sin, or both? God is very present in Scriptures, even in the Old Testament.

This would change the way you view the salvation story. God, a pursuer. Not a God who has built a wall. This is great news for any person coming out of a spirituality that is about escapism or distancing yourself.

What about Jesus Resurrection? We celebrate it every year and even our sundays are really little easters through the year. Resurrection shows us that God never gave up on us. The Christian story is nothing without it.

And for those who want to rest on Paul’s explanations, let’s explore Galatians 3. Galatians 3:7 says that the “real children of Abraham…are those who put their faith in God.” This chapter goes on to reference the Old Testament as looking forward to this time of salvation. In other words, all of Scripture is a history of Salvation.

The important things of salvation is found in the classic passage, John 3:16. God loved this place so much that he would attempt to connect with us, even in the form of his Son. Although we can reject it, God continually pursues us. We found ourselves slaves to death, but God offers a way out of death. If you read verses 16-21, you learn that God isn’t doing the judging, the world has already been judged by His mere presence through His Son. Believing is the thing that is considered accepting God’s way out of death, but to believe means more that just thinking that God is God. It has more to do with trust. Which means placing equal if not more emphasis on following God in real world situations and in action than in just confessing his existence.

I haven’t really explained the salvation story clearly for some of you, nor do I intend to. Salvation is simply this, God has come to rescue, so come to Him.

Instead of drilling it into someone’s head that they are a sinner and cannot connect to God in their current condition, try telling someone that God has been trying to connect with them despite them having sinned.

All the above said, one rule applies at all times. GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS CREATIVELY.

Once they decide to follow God, they’ll continue to grow.

Grace and peace to everyone.

I keep coming back to how I experienced the 9/11 tragedy. I was sad, and yes I put an American flag on my car. It’s funny how a tragedy can make a people feel solidarity. I also remember that it was not long until we found our culprit, Osama Bin Ladin. There was a tape, a claim, and a people who believed that God was on their side or at least that they were on the side of good.

The details of how we got to Afghanistan are fuzzy, since it was so fast. But we went and fought. And we’re still there.

Then there was Iraq and the WMD’s. No one really saw these things recently (the intel was all from the 1980′s), but we knew that Sadam Hussein was up to no good. We went, we hung the man, and Iraq is still a very troubled area today.

It makes you wonder if the 3,000+ of the twin towers matches with the death count we have wreaked on the middle east did any good. We have more than doubled the deaths compared to 9/11. What do we have to show for it?

We finally found Osama, but all we really produced was a dead man who brought out a piece of everyone that is not a Christian way of thinking.

Think about how much we wanted to kill the Muslims.

Think about how happy we were to see that man shot and killed.

Think about how many soldiers have been killed that civilians are not thinking about.

Think about the people innocently killed due to the military effort.

The Scriptures talk about how the Gates of Hell will not prevail against His followers, but Christians have been slow to critique many things about this country. Gates are the entry into a castle, and the Church is supposed to attack, infiltrate, and strike from the Gates of the Evil Castle. But we’ve been shy lately. What castle are we attacking?

Is the fight against flesh and blood with guns and knives, or are we fighting on an different level?

The Scriptures shows us in Matthew 22:17-18 shows us that God’s Kingdom is not nationalistic. Many have tried to say that being a good Christian is being loyal to your country. But that does not seem to match that idea that even though “Caesar” may need your money, God owns all of you and what you own. Caesar is always subject to God. And being a child of God, you are directly subject to him.

The book of Romans puts it even better. Many refer Romans 13:1-7 as the go to verse for living, breathing, and dying true blue American (or what ever country you may be from). Many miss the fact that before that Romans 12:1-2 says to “not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It just reinforces Matthew 22 that I just mentioned.

The Church is part of something bigger and greater than America. We have so much good to do to this country, but sometimes the best thing to do to a nation is to critique it and show it a better way.

What is that better way?

Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:7-15. Now, you say that forgiving does not affect consequence, but think for a second. These words were spoken to the Jewish people who saw their men brutally killed and their sons carted off into exile by multiple foreigners before Jesus said this. This was a very real and troubling idea for them. Forgiveness meant not seeking revenge. It meant not buying into being a Zealot. It meant not being a nationalist and forgiving those who attacked your country.

As we seek to be about the Gospel and about becoming more and more like Jesus, let’s consider that Jesus was not a very violent man. Kurt Willems makes an excellent point about Judas and Jesus in the upper room. Judas has planned to betray Jesus already and Jesus knows it.

Does Jesus call down angelic hordes?

Does he get his other disciples to beat him up?

No. He washes his feet. The man who should probably be called the greatest traitor in human history, is treated just as well as the great leader of the Early Church, like Peter, James, and John. This is a far cry from what I originally thought we should do about 9/11. This is a hard teaching. It’s something I struggle with everyday.

The hardest thing about being a pacifist is that you end up not wanting to be a pacifist sometimes. Even those who seek to be peace makers when possible can find it hard at times to even think of peace.

That’s the challenge of Jesus.

Why do you fight?

What Castle are you storming?

Grace and peace to you all.

“Say to those that hate and curse you, ‘You are our brothers!’” – Theophilus of Antioch

Gnosticism: : the thought and practice especially of various cults of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries distinguished by the conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through special knowledge.

As I read the article, it was mentioned that a group of Gnostic Christians abstained from the following things: meat, alcohol and sex, and marriage. According to the article, these people believed that “women were the work of Satan and wine was venom from the Great Serpent.” I found this intriguing because at different times in the mainline church these things have been proposed for different reasons.

I am technically part of one that abstains from alcohol among a few other things (smoking and gambling just to name two). The decision was made based on its mother church the Methodists, who were honoring John Wesley, who attempted to control alcoholic beverages based on them being social problems (there is some debate on how much John Wesley would prohibit).

I think what grabs me is that I have to constantly question why I am abstaining from certain things. I always have to be careful that I don’t call anything of this earth evil. The reason is that the Christianity has to take creation seriously. The two creation accounts in the beginning of Genesis show us that God of Heaven is the creator of the earth. This God, according to the Gospel of John Chapter 1, and the rest of the New Testament, is the same God that sent Jesus. And that Jesus, who was God, was also very human.

If God can be that invested in the material world, I have to be careful (all Christians should be). Plenty of Wesleyans and other denominations have been no stranger to Gnosticism. Some have been proud of escapism theologies. Others have focused on the “world” being evil (which is a huge misreading considering what John 3:16 says). This is Gnosticism. Western Christianity after the 1800′s has gone this direction and has made the world follow it.

Wesleyans and other denominations that partially define themselves by abstaining from things need to listen to history. Many of our local believers think they are escaping into something or have to defy the material world like its evil. We have to be more scriptural than that. The Bible teaches us that the earth will be redeemed. As a matter of fact, Jesus has already begun that through the resurrection. If you don’t agree, then you have to go to the Apostles Creed, which was formulated before the books of the New Testament was even labeled as Canon (Scripture). It specifically says, “I believe in the Resurrection,” which is not the Rapture or spiritual escape into bliss. It is just what it says. I am going to be raised from the dead and walk the earth after I’ve died. I am going to be raised exactly as Jesus was raised, body and all. That sounds very invested in this world as something that can be good.

I cannot tell you not to follow prohibition or believe a certain way about the material and the afterlife. That’s not my place as a servant.

But I can say that the Early Church Fathers would want you to think about it with core Christian values (The Apostles Creed). Pastors should start using that as the primary commentary for the Scriptures. If we want to hold on to what makes us Christian, let’s always listen to our history. We have not taught it to our congregations well and our churches have suffered. Escapism will lead to churches approaching the world and saying, “I don’t have time for you.” We will see ministries like feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned, clothing the naked, and comforting the hurting disappear. It will be useless since all material things will have no value. The only thing that will mater is sitting in a pew and getting special knowledge in order to escape. The only that will matter is being a goat as we approach the judgment.

To every denomination, be careful. Think.

Make sure you’re following the good news.

Make sure you’re following the Scriptures and the creeds (Apostles and maybe the Nicene Creed too if you need to).

And remember that God has already redeemed and will fully redeem in the end.

Grace and peace to you all.

As this passage begins, we are encouraged to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. This seems easy by itself. Thanks Paul…

But wait. There’s more to say. Paul talks about men and women and about how they relate to each other (men being the head of the women). It’s odd when Paul states that man is the head of the woman has to be modeled after Christ being the head of the Church. I know that Christ has been lifted the right hand of the Father, which means he’s pretty high up there in rank compared to the rest of us. The only reason (as seen in Phillipians 2) he has be raised is because he lowered himself. I would actually go on to give the interpretation that he can only stay lifted up if he keeps lowering himself.

So how did he lower himself. There are some common passages to look at. The first one is about Jesus and what His position as a leader looks like. Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 portrays a servant leader. I do not mean someone who says he’s a servant leader but really acts as any other manager according to the world’s standards. This position is submissive and downright lowly. It makes sure that the other is served. Even when Jesus washes the disciples feet in John 13. The disciples have this deeply engrained sense that their teacher should not wash feet like a lowly, submissive servant. If there are no servants around, then the lowest of the students should probably do that job. But Jesus challenges them.

I think of the classic position of some Christian traditions and how the woman is to obey the husband. I understand that. I believe that be that is just as legitimate as my egalitarian view or the complimentarian view. But I know this, the Kingdom of heaven is no place for control. To seek to control in the Kingdom will eventually run against God.

Do you seek to control your significant other?

Or maybe you feel exhausted from trying to feel appreciated and honored?

Whatever the situation you are in, remember that the thing that brought the Fall of Adam and Eve in the first place was usurping control from God. And when that happens, it’s only a matter of time before you treat others that way. The curse is not simply the woman trying to wrench control from the husband. It’s constant struggle of both sexes and the man tends to dominate.

Original intent is love, community. Philippians 2 shows that Christ is full of the original intent. Remember, to go upward in God’s world, you must go down. If you try to climb up, you only fall away from the glory that God can give you.

Let’s live out the original intent.

Let’s live out Christ.

Whatever role you fill as a couple or any other relationship, turn it over on its head. Don’t let people simply tell you that this is how it is. Test it against what God has spoken and what Christ has done. Submission is for all God’s children.

I know it doesn’t make sense, but in the Kingdom of God, it works.

Grace and peace.

I’ve decided not to do that.

There is enough hurt and pain over this issue to spread around. I have heard stories of death, debt, and doubt being built on this expectation that has ended up being empty. I don’t personally know the people who followed this hope, but I’m sure there are questions. And there is no doubt that someone will leave the Christian faith for this experience.

Who will laugh at those who are confused?

Who will scoff at those who are hurting?

Who will turn away those who are so at a loss for answers that they will turn to anyone for hope?

I wish that no church will do this, though there will be some. My encouragement is that we would not become prideful in our own theology just because someone else’s has failed. We all have bad theology. We all are up for correction. We will be tempted to say “I told you so.” But that’s not going to help.

Let us exude the motherly attributes of God that wipes tears and comforts.

We will have time to correct (and that may take a long time). And when God returns, we will all be corrected.

To Harold Camping and the others who were adamant about May 21 being the date of the rapture:

I love you and hope that you do not lose hope in God’s actions for us. I would be one who would sit with you to some coffee or tea (iced sweet tea if you prefer) and chat with you about what has or has not happened.

Grace and peace to you all.

Stage 1: Thankfulness

Although some of us have problems with this country on some level, whether it is inconvenience or moral problems. One thing is true, it’s so much easier to express our beliefs and live in tolerance of other people here. Thank God for allowing this country to exist. It’s not the perfect country and it’s not exactly the Nation of God, but it is helpful to Christians and other religions. Take time to give thanks.

Stage 2: Pray for Peace

Whether you are a pacifist or a just war type, one thing that we all admit is that war is part of a problematic world of evil. We all have the dream to beat our knives into spades one day. Let’s ask God to bring that to this earth swiftly. Peace is our goal.

Stage 3: Pray for those like you

Pray that those like you to try to gain perspective. We may disagree on some issues here, but we all can admit that we can use a little better perspective on current issues. So pray for those in your camp that think completely like you. Pray that you all can journey together towards the Kingdom of God and away from the kingdom that we have created, broken and imperfect.

Stage 4: Pray for those who disagree

There are people out there who would go fist to cuffs over some of the things you have thought or saying. We all have different opinions. I tend to stray pacifist, but plenty of my friends stray more toward believing in Just War’s (which means that a just cause should drive us to a just war). I want to say that I think that we should just sit and listen when someone else wants to talk. It’s something I’m fighting to learn. Something I am fighting to accept. But I pray for both sides, whether it has been tough or easy to be what you are today.

Stage 5: Pray for the Enemies

This is the toughest thing of all to do. When we think of an enemy today, some of us may think that our enemy deserves death. That it’s proper to kill and never forgive. I want to challenge you be saying that Jesus always seemed to push for forgiveness. “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Some are thinking that a day is coming for the “crime” that was committed today. Though I am not touching that subject today, I want everyone to know that God transcends the pacifist and just war people. He transcends the boundaries of Arab and American. He knows now Republican, Democrat, or Independent. He doesn’t care if we wear a ball cap or a turban.

God sees His humanity.

He sees His image.

He wants better things for us since he sees himself in us.

He is the truest form of loving others as himself.

If you want love to win (sorry, Rob Bell, I had to steal the title today), let love conquer you and take you to the place you don’t want to be. Just remember that when you get there, you may find that you belonged there this whole time.

Read, Reflect, and Pray.

Grace and peace to you all.

Okay, so that’s not exactly the way a salvation message is usually worded, but you get the idea that evangelicals and fundamentalists tend to focus very much on the death of Christ. This is a major issue in the Church and has major implications for understanding God’s love for us, but I think we need to place this in perspective.

“Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.” – 1 Peter 1:21

You may be wondering why I have “raised” in bold here. I think it’s very important to think about resurrection in our faith (if you’re a Christian remembering Christ, also includes Muslims and Jews.) According to Peter, the thing that gives us confidence is this one event. Just think, if a man died, even if it was for you, you would feel sorry for him, but it doesn’t mean that you would follow him. As a matter of fact, you may question him and keep away from him, because his way of life might get you killed too (which is exactly what the early church dealt with).

Another point that I would like to make is that in the books of the Maccabees, the death of these martyrs is explicit, graphic, and in every detail you could imagine and more. It’s almost sickening in some places. This is not too far from the time of Jesus. Now, why didn’t the writers of our New Testament put more detail into Christs death. Why don’t we hear a full description of his lashing and beating? Why don’t we hear more about his murder on the cross?

Now ask more questions. Why do the disciples change after His resurrection? Why does Paul say that we are fools if we follow Christ and there is no resurrection (1 Cor. 15:14 & 17, this link is actually the entire chapter, but read it. It’s important)?

I think we begin to see that Christ’s death is not the pivot for our seesaw of salvation. Christ died so that God’s glory would be revealed (which is Christ being raised and showing God never gives up on us).

People know there is good.

And if they are honest, they know that it seems very absent from the earth. They can see hell here on earth. They get that humanity is in trouble without something or someone point towards a better way. Even Christ’s death for Christians points to the evil of the world. So why follow a dead man? The trick to answering that is saying if He is actually dead.

And he is not. He is alive!

Here is our faith: It is hope, love, peace, kindness, mercy, grace, comfort, knowledge of God’s great and ferocious love for us. And when we are raised from the dead, we will see a world that God is already bringing back to Him.

That’s a God I can believe in. That to me is good news.

So which one will you look towards as the greatest hope, death or life?

The Grave or the Resurrection?

Grace and peace to you all.