Archive for 2013

            In the first two parts of this series, “Recognizing the Risen Lord,” we saw that the risen Lord is recognized by identifying him with the crucified Christ and that this fact is so contrary to the human heart’s desires that God’s grace is necessary to grasp it.  In this post we shall examine how the identification of the crucified Jesus with the risen Lord contradicts human religion. Read the rest of this entry »

            One of the films that I enjoyed watching with my mother was the delightful 1948 movie about Norwegian immigrants “I Remember Mama.”  Remembering our parents and being grateful for them is not only an aspect of obeying the fifth commandment to honor our father and mother but also is critical to our emotional health.  I’d like to remember my mother, who, though not dead, is struggling these days. Read the rest of this entry »

            Have you ever been troubled by the fact that Christians fervently pray for a parking spot at a crowded mall on December 24^th but don’t pray for those suffering under oppression in North Korea?  Worse yet, maybe that describes your prayer life.  If so, Psalm 2 is for you. Read the rest of this entry »

            In the first of this series, “Recognizing the Risen Lord,” I argued that the earliest disciples recognized Jesus as the risen Lord by identifying him with the crucified Christ.  I concluded that the fact that the risen Lord is the crucified Christ is a truth so radical that it challenges human religion, reason and politics and thus calls for a change in the human heart that only can come about by God’s grace.  In this post I want to discuss the need for God’s grace to affirm that the risen Lord is the crucified Christ.  The discussion will again center on Luke 24. Read the rest of this entry »

            How did the first disciples of Jesus recognize him as the risen Lord?  The answer is by recognizing him as the crucified Christ.  The question is not an inconsequential detail of biblical trivia.  The devil is in the details and so, not infrequently, is the truth.  Nor is the answer so obvious that there is no need to mention it.  The profound is often hidden in the obvious.  Both question and answer lead us to the heart of the Christian faith and life. Read the rest of this entry »