Lent is coming. That means you still have a few days to get ready to take a dive into repentance. Chances are that doesn’t sound like such a great offer. Especially in the Protestant world we have a pretty hard time with repentance. We associate the word “repent” with our lunatic fringe, carrying signs about the […]
The Joy of Lent — via Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 89
So why, you ask, do Christians keep an annual season — 40 days — devoted to self-examination and repentance? Isn’t that a bit of a downer? Not really. But then, I’ve always liked washing windows. I don’t wash them nearly often enough, but that’s another story. When I do, it is fantastic. I usually start when […]
Vocabulary Lesson: “Lent,” “Ash Wednesday”
Today is “Ash Wednesday,” the beginning of the most serious season in the Church’s year: the forty days, not counting Sundays, leading up to Easter. We call the season “Lent.” For non-native speakers of Christianity, here are a couple of vocabulary lessons: Lesson 1: “Lent” comes from a medieval English word meaning “Spring,” from source […]
Advent 3: Thinking About Jesus’ Earthly Ministry (Heidelberg Catechism Q. 90)
We are backing our way toward Bethlehem. We’ve looked to the future return of Jesus, and at how Jesus comes to us in our own lives. On Advent 3 we look at Advent through the eyes of someone focused on being prepared for Jesus’ earthly ministry. Still no baby in a manger, but we’re getting […]
I’m dead! Now what do I do? (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 88)
My favorite scene in Les Miserables is also the most important scene: the interaction between Jean Valjean and Bishop Bienvenu. It is the scene where Victor Hugo sets in motion the driving issue of his great novel. It is a picture of redemption as both death and new life — a demanding, imperfect, complicated new […]