Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
Hebrews 1:1-4 Introduction Despite being raised in the church, I became an atheist during my teen years. It was during my time in university that I returned to faith. But faith in what? I would love to say that I awoke one day to the emptiness of my atheism and embraced Jesus Christ as my … Read More “God the Son” »
Hebrews 5:5-10 Introduction What is Jesus like? For Christians, this is one of the most important questions we can ask. Think of it in these terms: When you picture Jesus in your head, which hymn seems most appropriate? What a Friend We Have in Jesus or Crown Him With Many Crowns? One focuses on the … Read More “A High Priest Brought Low” »
Hebrews 13:15-16 Introduction I will be honest and say I don’t remember a lot about my church experience growing up. I remember being there, but a lot of the information did not stick. But one thing did stick and surprisingly it was a banner that was hanging on the wall in the sanctuary. It had … Read More “Embodies the Good News” »
Hebrews 13:1-2 Introduction I will confess that sometimes I say things from the pulpit, things that are not necessarily a part of my sermon, without thinking about how people are interpreting my words. One example is my expressing of my love for potluck meals. I really do love potlucks. But sometimes I have talked about … Read More “Radiating Hospitality” »
Hebrews 13:20-21 Introduction One of the things that really bothers me is when something important is missing. This could be putting together a complex puzzle and after dedicating all that time, you get to the end and find that there are one or two pieces missing. I still enjoying making model airplanes and it is … Read More “Becoming Complete” »
Hebrews 2:10-18 Introduction A few weeks ago, I reminded you of the way that God chose to communicate with us. God didn’t just send another teacher or prophet, God sent his Son. Not a half-god but the exact reflection of God’s glory. In some mysterious way, when God was sending his Son, he was sending … Read More “A Jesus Like Us” »
Hebrews 1:1-4 Introduction Why are you here? Seriously, what are you doing here? More specifically, for those who identify as Christians, why do you bother? Why would you want to be a Christian? Why would you want to follow Christ? Those might seem like strange questions but they are important. For many people, the answers … Read More “The Greatness of Christ” »
Hebrews 12:1-2 Introduction Throughout this season of Advent, we have looked at Jesus as our Hope-Giver, Peace-Giver and Love-Giver. We now come to Jesus as our Joy-Giver. It is not difficult to find the concept of joy in the Christmas story. When the pregnant Mary visited her relative Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the … Read More “Jesus: The Joy Giver” »
A devotion based on Hebrews 4:15. The author of Hebrews is writing to Christians, probably of Jewish origin, who are struggling with their faith. Should they remain Christians or should they return to their former Judaism? The author has a very carefully crafted response that focuses on the identity of Jesus. Loyalty to Christianity stands or … Read More “Devotions: Hebrews” »
Whenever the topic of cessationism comes up, I am used to 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 coming up. “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the … Read More “Cessationism and Hebrews 1:1-2” »
Hebrews 11:1-6 Introduction As a child, I was always someone who was unsure of myself. It is not that I could not do anything, I just lacked the confidence to try. The people I envied were not the people who could do everything but those confident enough to try things without anxiety of possible failure. … Read More “Being a Confident Christian” »
As you may know, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is co-eternal with the Father. Instead of God incarnate, they see Jesus as the archangel Michael. One of the first problems that they have to deal with is that the first couple of chapters of Hebrews make it very clear that Jesus is not … Read More “Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Problem of the Archangel Michael” »
