There were seeds that got thumb-printed into the ground, and there was bread dough that hadn’t risen. There were farmers and fishermen. There were women in labor, who groaned and bled into the darkness. Jesus saw what surrounded him and pulled it into the stories he told, because a King and Kingdom had come, were … Continue reading Like a Seed
I turned twenty last week. People say it’s a change, a milestone, so it’s good to remember Jesus turned twenty once. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness” (Heb. 4:15). But Jesus is also “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Years can’t weigh on … Continue reading A Little Older
When Jesus says, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning” in Luke 12:35, I get two images from Tolkien’s The Return of the King. The first is of Minas Tirith— a stone fortress towering against the enemy realm of Mordor. I see Pippin the hobbit bumping between soldiers who are rushing to find … Continue reading Part Three: Belonging in a Kingdom
November 8 I’m writing this at 7:30 on Tuesday morning. The polls have only been open for an hour, and I can’t try to guess what things will look like by the time you read this on Sunday. But I do know Sunday’s sun will rise on a new leader— elected or reelected. And Sunday’s … Continue reading King of This Tuesday in November
June 7 “Adam had no idea one bite could cause all of this.” Jackie Hill Perry’s latest Instagram photos have exposed the violence, hatred, fire, and war ravaging America right now. Her caption stung me. Violence and hatred and fire and war wouldn’t be ravaging us if Adam hadn’t stooped to join Eve in her … Continue reading “It Will Not Be So in the Mended Wood”
May 3 I want to be a gardener—to know my botanical names, to identify seeds, to plant them so they grow the best possible fruit. Someday, I want to be that little old lady who wears sunhats and keeps seeds in her sweater pockets. But I’m a beginner. If gardening is an art (which I … Continue reading On Gardening and Belonging
March 15 The world is bleeding, your sin makes you groan, you’re restless for the Day when Jesus renews all things. Maybe “Your kingdom come” is a prayer you’ve adopted. I mentioned last week that I’ve been thinking more about the kingdom and praying for it to come soon. But my study of Psalm 119 … Continue reading Part Two: Why Do You Pray These Three Words?
March 8 The older I get, the more I think about the coming kingdom. Maybe it’s because my sin is uglier. Maybe it’s because my suffering stings. Maybe it’s because I’m more in love with Jesus and the thought of endless days with him captivates me. I think about Christ’s kingdom, yes. But do I … Continue reading Part One: Do You Pray These Three Words?
In C. S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian, Lucy Pevensie shakes awake her siblings to announce she’s seen the lion, Aslan. “I can’t see anything,” said Peter after he had stared his eyes sore. “Can you, Susan?” “No, of course I can’t,” snapped Susan. “Because there isn’t anything to see. She’s been dreaming.”[i] But Susan later admits … Continue reading A Pevensie, a Pharisee, and the Imagination to See Reality
Christmas is closing in and I’ve been thinking about Jesus’s grandfathers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David. These were men with staffs in their hands and wool in their beards. Centuries before sheep and herdsmen welcomed Jesus into the world, shepherding personified Israel. Then came the age of kings and “shepherd” took on a new, royal … Continue reading The Shepherd of all Shepherds
