“The handwriting’s on the wall…” “We’re walking into the lion’s den…” It might not surprise you to hear that these well-known English idioms trace their way back to the biblical story of Daniel. Daniel is best known for his journey into the lion’s den when he defied a monarch’s edict. The story of Belshazzar’s …
A Letter from Prison (Philippians, pt 2)
This is the second in a series of posts in which I reflect on Paul's letter to the Philippians. These posts are personal reflections taken from devotional reading of the book. Paul looks at the motivations behind how we live. He wants his readers, and us, to live worthy of the gospel, be like-minded, and …
Retelling Scripture: Pär Lagerkvist’s Barabbas
In the gospel telling of Jesus' journey to the cross, one small character catches our attention for an instant and then disappears from the rest of the biblical account. We read about him in Matthew 27:15-26: 15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they …
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Taking the Great Commandment Literally
As we continued our series, "Will You Be My Neighbor?", at Eastbrook this past weekend, JC Heiden led us into an exploration of what it means to take the great commandment literally. Jesus once had a conversation: 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must …
A Prayer by Teresa of Avila
It is a comfort, Lord, to know that you did not entrust the fulfillment of your will to one so pitiable as me. I would have to be very good if the accomplishment of your will were in my hands. Although my will is still self-centered, I give it, Lord, freely to you. By St. Teresa …
Matthew Erickson 