Interior of the Santa Maria Goretti Church, Mormanno, southern Italy, completed in 2021. The New Testament consistently teaches that the church, the “body of Christ,” exists because of the gracious initiative of God. The Father sent the Son into the world to announce the coming of God’s kingdom and to accomplish redemption; the Son sent …
Celebrating God’s presence in worship
Let me ask you a question: What is the most important thing the church does? I expect, in any crowd, there would be a range of answers: prayer, preaching, teaching, fellowship, pastoral care, social justice, mission, evangelism. Probably not committee work, or building maintenance! Each of these features is vital to the life and effectiveness …
What on earth is God doing?
Michael Osterholm was director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asked when he thought Covid might become endemic, he said, “Every morning I get up I scrape five inches of crusted mud off my crystal ball. And every day, it seems cloudier and cloudier … Any modeling that looks beyond 30 …
What’s in a benediction?
At the close of many services of worship, a leader stands and, often with one hand raised, palm facing the congregation, he or she speaks words of “benediction.” What’s in a benediction, and why are they important? The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious …
Four more purposes of creeds
Delegates celebrating unity at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Karlsruhe, Germany, September 2022. In my last post, I outlined three core purposes of creeds. Here, I outline four more purposes of creeds that guarantee their enduring relevance for the church. First, creeds serve an apologetic purpose. While Judaism has the Shema, Muslims have the Shahadah and Tashahhud, and some …
All Told 