Palm Sunday was yesterday, marking the beginning of Holy Week. A week when Christians remember Jesus’s path toward crucifixion and His subsequent overcoming of death. While both Palm Sunday and Easter are filled with joy, the joy of Palm Sunday is striking in how the crowd was joyful – at least in part – for the wrong reasons.
We’re in the midst of Lent, the pre-Easter period in which many of us who are Christians are called upon to give up some pleasurable item or practice. I am not a theologian, so don’t risk your immortal soul on this, but my impression is that the sacrifice should have some real meaning, be genuine: It doesn’t count if you forego hitting your head with a hammer or eating liver (unless you love those things, alas).
What is grief, but love persevering? Disney+’s WandaVision is one of the best series I can recall gracing the small screen in decades and that question posed by the Vision (Paul Bettany) captures so much about what allows the show to be profound beyond the strictures of either of its roots: classic sitcoms and Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I read Mr. Butler’s piece with great interest, because he’s a great friend, and I know that he’s a touch more conservative than I am politically. If I’m honest, when Rush Limbaugh died, I thought, “good riddance,” and I caught myself.
Today brought news that the legendary radio host and provocateur Rush Limbaugh had died. Almost immediately after the announcement, phrases we will not print on the pages of OFB trended on social media as many gleefully celebrated a man’s death. A shocking number wished Rush an eternity in Hell. What has happened to us?
I do not spend a lot of time reading the buzz about celebrities. I made an exception this week as the social media tempest highlighted (in spite of itself) something important as it raged against Chris Pratt. The controversy is a good reminder about how we should treat others in two different ways we desperately need right now.
Pastor Tim turns back to 2 Peter to wrap up the series “Growing” by looking at the hope we have as we look towards God’s promises being fulfilled in the future.
Feeling a bit stressed as the week starts? In our weekly Monday night Scriptural encouragement, Pastor Tim turns to 2 Peter for a reflection on God’s acting in history. If God has acted in history in the past, we can have confidence he continues to do so with the things we are presently facing.
On Sunday, as I led the church I serve at in prayer, the prayer naturally related to the Reformation. Four hundred and ninety five years ago today, a monk and professor by the name of Martin Luther nailed a list of issues he had with the church up on his local church door and — unbeknownst to him at the time — unleashed what we now call the Reformation. As a Protestant, I view the Reformation as a good thing, yet I also prayed a prayer for unity in the church.
Have you ever had the experience where you had a conversation that seemed relatively ordinary until after the fact? Most of us have experienced this sort of retroactively meaning in our lives. Life would be different now, because what was normal ended.