Matthew
592 results found.
Sunday, July 20, 2014: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
We all see weeds, but we shouldn't make it our business to separate them.
by David Lower
Sunday, July 13, 2014: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Jesus' parable presents not differences between people but different kinds of terrain within each of us.
by David Lower
Sunday, June 22, 2014: Jeremiah 20:7-13; Matthew 10:24-39
Jeremiah has great resolve—at least in retrospect.
Where words and numbers fail
It seems a little backward on the Sunday after Pentecost to receive instructions that have already been successfully carried out. Peter and the disciples blew them away last week, preaching up a storm of fire and spirit like a host of Rosetta Stone experts. But today we go back to the place where Jesus told them what to do: Go and make disciples.
Sunday, June 15, 2014: Matthew 28:16-20
Go and make disciples? More like wait and welcome converts.
From fear to calm: Spiritual direction on stormy waters
These Gospel stories can seem so familiar. But sit with the disciples in the little wooden boat, and Jesus' power will render you speechless.
by James Martin
Save us
A few years ago, while wandering through the Old City of Jerusalem, I stumbled upon a spray-painted sign on the side of a small factory building. It called out in English: “We need peace.”
It seemed to me like a modern-day cry of “hosanna” coming from the people of Jerusalem.
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, April 13, 2014: Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66
How does a crowd turn from shouts of joy to cries of murder in such a short span?
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, April 13, 2014: Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66
How does a crowd turn from shouts of joy to cries of murder in such a short span?
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, April 13, 2014: Matthew 21:1-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66
How does a crowd turn from shouts of joy to cries of murder in such a short span?
Warning: The last shall be first
Who is this leader who issues this warning? Do we even begin to believe that he's the Christ?
by Gordon Cosby, with Rebecca Stelle
Sunday, March 16, 2014: Matthew 17:1–9
The Transfiguration has a hundred sermons in it. But to me the most touching element is the subplot.
by Maggi Dawn
Sunday, March 9, 2014: Matthew 4:1-11
If temptation were all about blatant wrongdoing, it would be far easier to avoid.
by Maggi Dawn
Transfigurations
Jesus’ transfiguration is a mystery that defies a straightforward explanation. I find that instead of clarifying anything about his unique nature, it only adds more confusion.
By John W. Vest
Contemplative congregation: An invitation to silence
We began our business meeting in the chapel with dimmed lights. I led the board through several calming prayers, noticing our breath and heartbeats.
Sunday, March 2, 2014: Exodus 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9
I grew up in Southern Baptist congregations. By the time I left high school I knew the four steps to salvation and the meaning of Jesus’ sacrificial death as a substitutionary atonement for my sins. I could articulate this understanding of salvation in clear and simple terms. Within the metanarrative of evangelical Christianity it made perfect sense and was logically coherent.
Then my fundamentalism began to unravel.
by John W. Vest
The Transfiguration, by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1483–1520)
Art selection and commentary by Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons
Bedbug epiphany: A Three Kings pageant
The frankincense gift needs to be taped back together. So does the stable wall.
Post-Christmas blues
I don't much like the days and weeks after Christmas. Christmas takes so long to get here, with preparations and anticipation building from mid-November on. And then, sometime during the day of December 25, it all collapses.