The Revised Common Lectionary skips the evocative story of Legion and his many demons, and their demise in a herd of pigs who could not swim, much less fly. (Luke’s version will come up in Year C.) Instead we skip ahead on the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time to Mark 5:21-43, another “sandwich passage.” As […]
Is Faith Simple? Should it Be? (Heidelberg Catechism Q60)
Question 60 is one of the unsung heroes of the Heidelberg Catechism (you know — that’s the summary of biblical Christianity from a Reformed perspective that I’ve been blogging on since it’s 450th anniversary in 2013). Maybe it’s better to say it’s one of the hinge points. You might argue it’s the culmination of the […]
The “YES!” that Changed Everything: The Annunciation of the Lord
There are a few moments on which the history of the world swings like a hinge. People my age remember exactly where they were when the Twin Towers fell. For Christians the real hinge moments are long before our own lives: Jesus’ death on the cross on Good Friday; his rising from the grave Easter […]
Here’s the Secret of Where Faith Comes From; Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 65
You’ve probably heard it as often as I have. “You just need more faith!” “Just believe!” “Just let go, and let God!” The subject is faith, and the common theme is the modifier “just,” making it sound really, really simple. Like flip a switch, and suddenly I’ll have strong life-changing faith. But where is that […]
What Being a Christian Is For — and From: Heidelberg Q. 32
“But why are you a Christian?” It is a question shy evangelicals desperately wish somebody would ask. “Be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you,” but hope you don’t have to bring it up yourself. “Why are you called a Christian?” Take the question slightly differently and it sounds a […]