The first words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Mark are these: "The time has come...The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15). That little word "repent" has quite a big meaning, but it may not mean a lot to us today. It's unlikely we would ever …
A Resurrection Collision: a poem reflection on Luke 7
James Tissot, The Resurrection of the Widow's Son at Main, Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper; 1886-1896. I wrote this poem as a reflection on the story of Jesus raising the dead son of a widow on the outskirts of Nain. You can read the text from Luke's gospel below the sonnet, but all …
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Mary, Rejoicing in God’s Mercy and Love
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:46-48) “Love is blind.” At least, that is how the saying goes. The phrase means that when love is in …
Living to Please God?: singing our joy back to God
"As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more." (1 Thessalonians 4:1) I was talking with someone the other day about this passage …
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A Prayer of Thanks for the Melody of Good News
"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it." (Luke 16:16) We heard it ringing in the air—Your voice proclaiming, "Good news! God's Kingdom is here!"Our hearts rose up and our ears perked …
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Matthew Erickson 