The first mention of thanksgiving in the Bible comes in Leviticus 7, the concluding chapter of those outlining the Mosaic sacrificial system. The Bible calls the sacrifice described in this section (Lev 7.11-36) the “peace offering.” The distinctive feature of the peace offering is that it is a fellowship offering, where the believer consumes a…
1 Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices, who wondrous things has done, in whom his world rejoices; who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today. 2 O may this bounteous God through all our life be…
Part I: The Basis for Prudential Limits on Association1 There are many issues determined by direct Biblical statement or clear biblical principle. In such matters, our obligation is loyalty to the Scriptures. Other issues are matters of preference. In these areas, we should defer to others in Christian love. I believe, however, that there are…
As a boy, I regularly visited Birmingham Drugs on Woodward Avenue to spend hard-earned lawn mowing money on comic books and a Coca Cola. I remember vividly when the orange Michigan Lottery kiosk was installed near the cash register. What caught my attention was the workers from Jax Car Wash down the block coming in…
Probably the most iconic Thanksgiving themed painting is Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” illustration produced as part of his “Four Freedoms” series. All those excited faces around the table as the grandparents set the bird out for a Thanksgiving meal is the idyllic happy moment we all want to remember as our own. What many…
Is there something you wish you could bring back from past? Everybody has something they miss. Whether you find yourself reminiscing of dear people from days gone by or treasured memories when your children were small like family vacations, ball games, and Christmas morning. Or what about stuff they just don’t make anymore? I miss…
“Billy Graham was perhaps the most significant religious figure of the 20th century, and the organizations and the movement he helped spawn continue to shape the 21st.” (This is the opening sentence of Christianity Today’s special issue about Graham.) Christianity Today’s coverage of Graham’s funeral emphasized the ecumenical character of the event: “Up until Billy…
The first verse of the hymn “Rock of Ages”ends with these words: “Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure” (Majesty Hymns, 451). Interestingly, some hymnals have an alternate reading: “Be of sin the double cure, Cleanse me from its guilt and power” (Hymns for the Living Church, 149.) Fortunately,…
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27 The word “religion” is defined as “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” It can also…
Chaplain Gary Fisher preached for us on this Veteran’s Day. In a discussion afterward he shared how he and another Chaplain tried to take the brunt of some stressful situations on themselves because they believed that because they were more prepared to handle it. They thought they would be strong enough. “We were not,” he…