Word of Life Church Podcast

Mary’s anointing of Jesus at Bethany should restrain us from being too quick to judge some act of artistic worship as an unwarranted extravagance. In an age of secular pragmatism all prayer and worship is seen as an extravagant waste, the greatest of all wastes—the waste of time. The secular pragmatist says, “time is money.” But the worshiper knows better. The worshiper knows that time is a gift from God, and that we have not properly appreciated God’s gift of time until we return the best part of it back to God in prayer and worship.

The tenth station in the Scriptural Stations of the Cross ends with this prayer, "We love you Jesus; by your wounds heal us." The wounded of Jesus indicates that the way of Jesus includes suffering. Jesus suffered to leave us an example and on the cross he bore our sins, suffering so we could die to sin and live the life of justice. The cross is the center of our faith. The cross is where we see God enthroned. The cross is where we see sin condemned. As we continue to trust God, the wounds of Jesus can heal us, over time, both body and soul.

Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son recast in a contemporary setting and told from three different perspectives. Robert's story, Mike's Story, and Lloyd's story.

Christ above me...Divine
Christ below me...Incarnation
Christ before me...When Seen
Christ behind me...When Unseen
Christ at my right hand...When I’m Strong
Christ on my left...When I’m Weak
Christ all around me...Cosmic Christ
Christ within me...Formed within me

The way of Jesus is the way of peace and mercy. It’s what Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount. It’s what Jesus lived all the way to Calvary. It’s the practice of enemy-love and radical forgiveness. This road is demanding, but it’s the narrow path that leads to abundant life. The question we face today is this: Do we believe in Jesus enough to follow him in the narrow way that leads to life? The stakes are high. If by nurturing fear and clinging to self-interest we choose the way of anger and resentment, hatred and scapegoating, nationalism and militarism, it will lead us to hell…and it will lead us to hell every time. Right now the Church desperately needs to live up to its lofty calling to be a city set on hill shining forth the light of Jesus. America needs the Church to be a beacon of love and mercy illuminating the way of peace.