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William Blake, Moses Indignant at the Golden Calf We become what we worship. This idea is something we encounter throughout Scripture. What grips our hearts—what holds our attention at the center of our lives—motivates us, moves us, and leads us wherever it desires. We see this clearly in the sharp contrast between Herod the Great …
Continue reading "What Has Your Heart?: Jesus, Herod, and the Temptation toward Idolatry"
There are times when we falter in our pursuit of God. The wind and rain of life's pressure comes against us to put out the fire of our passion for the Lord. Jesus' parable of the seed and the soils is fitting for times like that. In that parable Jesus describes how we receive God's …
With loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. (Luke 23:23-24) No law can withstand human demands. No governor forestalls foregone conclusions. We stand amidst the crowd, shouting For the death of our God to satisfy Our anger. With no words for the …
The man who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. (Luke 22:63) The mouths made by Him through whom all things were made - The mouths in which the gift of language was given to bless - Those mouths now rage against their Creator with cruel curses. The hands held by Him from the …
Holy Week is the pinnacle of our Lenten journey, drawing us into the Passion of Jesus. This year, our Holy Week journey finds us simultaneously facing into one of the worst crises of our lives with the COVID-19 pandemic. This past weekend I reflected on the significance of this intersection of Holy Week and COVID-19, …
Continue reading "10 Reasons Holy Week Can Become More Powerful during the Time of the Virus"
Matthew Erickson 