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Posts tagged with: Hebrews

A tired man staring at a phone screen

Vulnerability and Empathy

In imitating Jesus, we can learn to be vulnerable and empathetic with others.

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Part of the nativity set of Linda Roberts. Photo by Mark Roberts.

Our God Gets It

Merry Christmas! At Christmas we celebrate the coming of God as a human being.

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A baptismal shell sitting on the edge of a baptismal font, in front of a stained glass window

Christ Sat Down

Because Jesus made a single offering, because he sat down, we have a beautiful new kind of access to God and can rest in complete assurance of God’s love.

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A black and white photo of an old crucifix hanging on a nail

Jesus Knows Our Every Weakness

Our hearts are seen by the Word, our sin exposed, our entire being known.

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dove flying

Cultivate Hope

Hope has an inner sense of elusiveness at times, even and especially when one doesn’t seem to be able to catch it, capture it, or keep it.

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A beautiful Orthodox church in a snowstorm

Keeping Christmas Well . . . by Going to Church

Christmas should be celebrated in community with others as we gather to worship the Son of God, born in a stable and laid in a manger. This year, let’s be sure to gather for worship, even if we do so virtually.

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A person looking up at the aurora borealis

Unchanging Reality in an Always Changing World

Christian faith doesn’t provide all the certainty we might prefer. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen today, or tomorrow, or the next day. Our faith doesn’t insulate us from all the change swirling around us. But Christian faith does provide a solid, trustworthy, unchanging reality upon which to base our lives.

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An anchor with a boat in the distance

Anchored

“People are not afraid of change, they are afraid of loss.” There was a slow hum of agreement that reverberated in the room. This concept resonated deeply with my soul because it touched a nerve. I have always bemoaned that I do not like change. Yet, as I heard the chaplain speak it was then that I realized: Oh no, it is not change, but the loss that comes with change, that I fear.

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Sunlight shining through the ruins of an old Irish church.

A Legacy of Hospitality

Yesterday, we reflected on the life of Saint Patrick and the legacy he left as a leader. Patrick was known for purposely building relationships with the pagan chiefs in order to reach entire villages, setting up hundreds of churches and monasteries as each village king allowed. Some argue that the Celtic Christian movement finds its roots in Patrick’s legacy. And one of its hallmarks was the practice of hospitality.

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Silhouettes of a camel caravan set in the desert during sun down.

Devotions for Christmas, Part 8: Be Bold Like the Magi

As you reflect on the Magi in the Christmas story, as you are impressed by their boldness, don’t just admire them. Imitate them. Approach God’s throne boldly. Know that, because of Jesus Christ, God is ready to shower you with mercy and grace in your time of need.

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A person holding a gift tightly close to their chest.

Devotions for Christmas, Part 7: Jesus Understands Your Struggles

Jesus understands. He gets it. He gets us. So, when we’re hurting physically, or when our hearts are heavy, or when we feel abandoned, or when people disappoint us, or when those we love reject us, or when we experience the reality of being human in a fallen world, Jesus knows how we feel.

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A child waiting for help to place ornaments on a Christmas tree.

Devotions for Christmas, Part 6: Jesus is Able to Help You

At Christmas, we focus on the wonder of the birth of Jesus. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Christmas sermon on dealing with temptation. But, from the perspective of Hebrews 2, one of the life-changing implications of Christmas—the celebration of the incarnation of God in human flesh—is that Jesus will help us when we’re tempted. This is such good news.

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A heart shaped ornament hung on a Christmas tree.

Devotions for Christmas, Part 5: Why the Humanity of Jesus Matters So Much

At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the one who was truly God and truly human. Yet the birth of Jesus did not save us. Rather, his birth and his nature made possible the salvation that was yet to come, when Jesus died in our place on the cross and was raised triumphant on Easter. Christmas is, in this sense, a prelude to what comes later.

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A joyful person behind a cascade of autumn leaves.

Finding Joy Amidst the Pain

Yesterday, I shared honestly about the painful irony of my family experiencing so much hardship and heartache over Thanksgiving week. How did Jesus have so much joy amidst his own tremendous suffering?… How can I find joy amidst the reality of the presence of pain? I choose to believe that the writer of Hebrews was hinting at Jesus’s bigger vision of the cross. Yes, the cross was real pain and suffering, but it was also real redemption and hope.

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Difficult to look beyond the isolation of an autumn leaf.

How Was Your Thanksgiving Week?

I want to “get in the spirit” of this Thanksgiving season, but there’s just so much bad news that it’s just harder for me this year… As our churches prepare for Advent, I can’t help but think of the name, “Immanuel.” God with us. God in our skin. The Suffering Servant. So I will consider him this Thanksgiving week and trust that gratitude will find its way out of my broken heart and toward my lips in due time.

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