Posts from April 2026

Read John 20:11-18 It is natural for people who have been separated for a period of time to shed tears when they are reunited. I remember the first time I came home from USC during my freshman year.  I had never been away from home for more than a few days at a time before this—but this time I had been in California for almost three months before my quick visit in October.   I was excited to see several…

ReaD Matthew 27:57-66 “Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.” (Matthew 27:59-60) On Good Friday we celebrate the real sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, remembering His suffering and the cost of our salvation. On Resurrection Sunday, we celebrate Jesus breaking forth from death…

Read Luke 23:46 and Psalm 31:5 “Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (Psalm 31:5) In seminary in the 1980’s, we were taught that one of a pastor’s most important tasks was to “teach people how to die a good death.” In my career, I ended up walking with hundreds of people down that path, preparing them to “meet their Maker,” sometimes…

ReaD Luke 22:14-22 A well-known hymn by Robert Robinson says: Here I raise my Ebenezer;hither by thy help I’ve come. The word “ebenezer” is a reference to 1 Samuel 7, in which the Lord brings the Israelites to victory and the prophet Samuel responds by setting up a rock as a physical testament to the Lord’s deliverance. He calls the stone “ebenezer,” which means “stone of help,” and as he leaves it where the battle was won, declares in holy…