08
Dec 2017
I love the creeds. You might think they’re boring–so do I, at times–but they are so important to our formation as Christians. When I was in my mid-twenties, I had a crisis of faith. Some people find Christian college strengthens their faith, mine instead was weakened. I learned to question everything, but was never satisfied with the answers provided. Though I still believed God existed and that the Christian faith was the true faith, those beliefs only came through gritted teeth and fingernails digging in to the edge of a cliff. I had......
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08
Dec 2017
Gregory and Heidi Whitaker are Light of Christ’s first official overseas missionaries. They leave in early July for Cambodia, where Gregory will be working with the Anglican Church and Heidi will be doing medical missions. To stay informed about their ongoing work, you can like their Facebook page or visit their SAMS page and signup to receive email updates at the bottom....
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08
Dec 2017
Our rental house is going to become available in July and I thought maybe it was worth it to have you “list” it in LOC communications. The house is on 12th avenue here on the east side of Sheridan just off of 75th street. We used to live in it so it is a very nice rental house. Two story, 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath, washer, dryer, fridge, stove, central air, small maintainable yard, good neighbors, wood floors, very cute, walking distance to Walgreens, lake, parks. $1050 per month including water. Great......
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08
Dec 2017
On Saturday, a group of 90+ delegates and other congregational representatives gathered at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, IL to sign the proposed Constitution and Cannons of our Diocese in Formation, the Diocese of the Upper Midwest. Bp. Nathan Gasatura of the diocese of Butare, Rwanda delivered a message to from Nehemiah, chapter 1. Bp. Nathan emphasized that when our walls are broken down, we are driven to our knees in prayer. Nehemiah prayed first a prayer of repentance and from there found the strength to go before the King allowing that contrition to show......
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08
Dec 2017
Providentially, at the same time we were collecting our Good Friday offering, Makor HaTikvah has encountered a very difficult legal challenge to its existence. For those reading for the first time, it may be difficult to understand the context. It is not uncommon, unfortunately, for Messianic entities to be subject to legal threats from those in the Jewish community that despise them. It is a form of harassment that Jewish believers face in many areas of civic engagement. In this case, a loophole was found in the highly regulated registration framework, as the......
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08
Dec 2017
During Lent, we talked about going home, where the Father was watching and waiting for us, wanting to welcome us back with a celebration, and even begging us to come in. Today, we hear the Shepherd’s voice calling, and he says earlier in the same chapter that we follow him because we know his voice. We know him and, more importantly, he knows us, calls us by name, and gives us life. In the next chapter, Jesus calls Lazarus by name, and Lazarus, though dead four days, comes at his calling. As......
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08
Dec 2017
Peter and the other disciples have spent many months traveling around with Jesus. They have witnessed miraculous healings, food multiplication that would make a Holy Week coordinator green with envy, even people raised from the dead. And in the previous chapter of John, Jesus appeared to them in his resurrected body. And after all that, Peter says, “I’m going fishing.” And his fellow disciples chime in, “Hey, we’ll go with you!” As readers, our temptation is to respond, “Really? This is your response to Jesus’ resurrection?” And yet, isn’t this what we......
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08
Dec 2017
John’s Gospel holds the longest account of the evening before Jesus’ death. His actions paint a picture of someone under a lot of stress. As he washes Peter’s feet and Peter demands his head be washed also, you can almost hear Jesus count to 10 before he responds “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feed, but is entirely clean.” Jesus continually alludes to the fact that there is a betrayer in the room: Not all of you are clean. I am not speaking of all of you.......
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08
Dec 2017
On Palm Sunday, we begin our procession with three blasts from the shofar, a ram’s horn. This ancient instrument has great significance in Judiasm. Click here to read about the call of the Shofar in this article discovered by Jim Schatzman. ...
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08
Dec 2017
The sunrise is coming- Jesus is here, Hanging from the cross. Sorrowful, joy Painful, gladness. I can not take my gaze away from your face. Love bleeds red Across your cheeks and meets my sandals on the earth. My knees grow weak I fall to you, who took my sins away. “I am” you said, I am you are, Eternal is your Grace. This week that comes you will die again, as painful as that seems. But you will rise and bring great joy. Our hearts open to receive....
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