When Jesus proclaims that “the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15), He draws upon a powerful idea that pervades the Hebrew Scriptures and history. There was an expectation in the Hebrew Scriptures that God’s kingdom would catastrophically break into the world. The Scriptures described a figure—the Messiah or Son of Man—who would inaugurate …
Christ and Culture: exploring an important topic in conversation with H. Richard Niebuhr
This past weekend in my message, "Approaching Authority with Need," I turned to the unique passage where Nehemiah approaches King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1-10) with his heartbroken desire, birthed in prayer, to return to his peoples' land to rebuild and repair the walls of Jerusalem as part of a larger project of restoring his people. I …
The Holy Spirit is Like…: Three Images of the Holy Spirit in Scripture
In Scripture there are three commonly used images for the Holy Spirit. These symbols of the Holy Spirit's presence help us understand who the Holy Spirit is and what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit is Like WindThe first of these images is wind. We read about this on the day of Pentecost in …
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Why Does Jesus’ Ascension Matter?: 3 reasons worth knowing
John Singleton Copley, Jesus Ascending to Heaven; oil on canvas; 1775. "After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:9) Today we celebrate Ascension Day, the event after Jesus' resurrection when He ascends to the Father's right hand in glory. I believe the …
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Sin’s Disruption and Disordered Love: Insights from St. Augustine
When Adam and Eve turn from God and His will by choosing for themselves and their own will, they were in essence choosing to love themselves over God. Sin can be both the decision for and experience of disordered love. Saint Augustine, the 4th century Bishop of Hippo in present-day Algeria, described this reality when …
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Matthew Erickson 