503 results for tag: blog

The Real Beginning – Greg Albrecht

It's here! The end of another year. What a year this has been! The grumps, the curmudgeons, the gloom and doom prognosticators, the fear mongers and the Jeremiad prophecy buffs have been selling their wares. Thankfully, the vast majority of the party poopers who scream and shout within Christendom agree on one thing—only Jesus Christ can clean up this mess! It does take Jesus, doesn't it? As we end a year of endless varieties of Christ-less promotion and hype in his name, it might be helpful to compare and contrast the understated way the good news first came into our world. Jesus' birth passed with little fanfare. Books about his first coming ...

Q & R: “Not counting our sins against us” Part 2 – Brad Jersak

"Not Counting Our Sins Against Us" In a previous post, "Not counting our sins against us," I wrote concerning Paul's remarkable claim that at the Cross, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself not counting our sins against us." (from 2 Corinthians 3:18-19). That last phrase is a stunning repudiation of every claim that God is beholden to some higher justice that requires payment or punishment as a condition of forgiveness or reconciliation. Further, it shines bright among a constellation of similar verses that wipe out any sense of record-keeping on God's part. Two others that come to mind: * Hebrews 8:11-12 citing Jeremiah ...

Q & R – Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? – Greg Albrecht

Q: Should Christians celebrate Christmas? I believe Christ was born, but I haven't read anything in the Bible that says we should commemorate that event! I don't see anything wrong with celebrating Jesus' resurrection, since we know that was in the Spring—but we don't know the date of his birth. And, according to my research, Christmas seems to be a Roman Catholic invention, not a biblical one—and I tend to view anything coming from Rome with great mistrust. A: Perhaps we should define the word "Christmas." For some this word simply means an endless round of parties, concerts, gift giving, decorating, etc. MUST Christians do this? NO. ...

Separation vs. Alienation & “the fear of God” – Brad Jersak

“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he FEARED.” Hebrews 5:7 KJV My friend Lazar Puhalo recounts his memory of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth on a new-fangled invention called the 'television. It was June 2, 1953. During the coronation of this graceful and gracious 27-year-young woman, the same style of King James language used above referred to the new queen as our 'fearful and 'terrible sovereign, which sounds ominous indeed. And yet, those who 'feared her with reverence and awe' also felt a deep ...

No Christmas Without Christ – by Greg Albrecht

Friends and Partner Letter for December 2014 He is both a speechless child and He is the Word…He lies in a manger, but he holds the world in His hand; He is nourished at the breast but He feeds the angels; He is wrapped in swaddling clothes but He clothes us with immortality… He does not find room in the inn but He makes a temple for Himself in the hearts of believers. For Strength took on weakness that weakness might become strong. – Augustine, (354-430), Sermon 190. As we begin this last month of the year, we see another frenzied Christmas shopping season of excess, with retailers unleashing promotional devices and marketing ...

Hitting the Resume Button Is Not Our Ultimate Goal – Greg Albrecht

I am old enough to remember television sets whose channel selections and volume controls were located solely on the front of the television – thus necessitating someone rising out of a chair (or off the floor in my case) and “changing the channel.”  You know the old televisions – the kind with rabbit ears on the top of the set.  Wiggling and adjusting those rabbit ears was another manual labor task involved in watching the television.     When my family was finally able to afford a television, it didn’t always work.   Television tubes had a habit of refusing to co-operate.  One of my memories ...

We’ll All Be Home for Christmas – by Greg Albrecht

Friends and Partner Letter for December 2021 1–Greg, your brother in Christ, to my dear Friends and Partners in the gospel, who are scattered all over this world (with apologies to the Apostle Paul as I borrow the style and content of his epistles, and with thanksgiving for the 1611 Authorized King James version, some of whose terminology and language I adopt and excerpt in this letter). 2–Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3–Blessed be God, who has saved us by his grace, through his Son, who came to us, becoming one of us, as the one and only God in the flesh, and that he might self-sacrifi...

On the Great Flood (2021) Brad Jersak

Abbotsford Flood (2021) ON THE GREAT FLOOD (2021) In retrospect, documentaries may call it ‘the Great Submersion’ or ‘the Sumas Prairie Deluge.’ It has already been identified as the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history. I’m referring to the catastrophic flooding that we have experienced around my city (Abbotsford, BC) through the final week of November 2021. After high winds and a historic downpour across southern BC (our November monthly rainfall fell in under 48 hours), rising waters either submerged or shattered all the highways out of the port of Vancouver, cutting off supply ...

The Joy of Thanksgiving by Ed Dunn

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving… (Psalm 95:1-3, NIV) Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is. – Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea An amazing thing happens when we offer thanksgiving to God. When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy. - William Law I can still remember several unmistakable signs that Thanksgiving Day would soon be upon us. I remember a cold so bracing I thought I caught the scent of ice in the air with each deep breath. I recall the smokey ...

“Father, forgive them” – Particular & Universal – Brad Jersak

"Father, forgive them.” When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine. “If You are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!” Above Him was posted an inscription: THIS IS THE ...

Neither Poverty Nor Riches by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from November 2014 Here in the U.S. the month of November includes a nationally mandated Day of Thanksgiving. If you are one of our Canadian Friends and Partners, you already have memories of your Thanksgiving Day observed on October 13. Thanksgiving celebrations usually center around expressions of gratitude for physical blessings. Thanksgiving observances often involve filling ourselves with physical food, but as Christfollowers we are far more thankful to God for filling us with his grace and mercy. Of course, the physical blessings we enjoy do cause us to stop and consider the plight of others in our world. ...

Understanding Theological (and Political) Anger – Brad Jersak and Floris Kersloot.

The following are my takeaways from advice I received from my psychologist friend, Floris Kersloot. The topic was on how to understand and respond as peace-builders when faced with angry reactions over theological (or political) convictions.   Even when (and especially when) sharing something so basic and central to Christianity as "God is love" or "Jesus calls us away from violence into cruciform enemy love," we often see people of faith and good will triggered into what seems like inexplicable anger and defensiveness. For theological perspectives to cause angry reactions rather than lively discussions should seem strange. What ...

All Things Come of Thee – Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner letter for November 2021 “All things come of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given Thee.” All Things Come of Thee is a traditional hymn and prayer, whose message reminds us that giving thanks results, for Christ-followers, in giving. All Things Come of Thee confesses that anything and everything we give to God ultimately belongs to him for he gave it to us to begin with. Our Thanks-Giving is but a minimal return to God of his greater and supreme gifts he lavishes on us. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to acknowledge that all we have, from the money in our pockets, to the food in our refrigerator and the ...

Sacrifices, Offerings & the Cross – Brad Jersak

1603-1604. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Sacrifice in Human History and the Torah Sacrificial religion is far more ancient than human history itself. Archaeologists have even discovered signs of burial ritual even among Neanderthal graves. And sociologists such as Rene Girard have developed theories of how sacrificial offerings (of flowers or food) developed into sacred violence, whether it was the slaughter of humans or the vicarious sacrifice of animals (cf. Rene Girard, Violence and the Sacred). By the time the Jewish Torah was composed in its final form, we have a narrative that walks readers through these stages: ◦ God provides ...

Fact, Fiction or Truth … or Why Aren’t You Reading Novels? Bradley Jersak

I frequently encounter surprise and even occasional disdain when I recommend works of fiction as a critical element of one's spiritual or theological diet. "What's the point? Novels aren't true," I'm asked with incredulity. Or sometimes, "I only read spiritual books," with a judgmental edge. As if works of fiction are neither spiritual nor true. This belies a fundamental lack of understanding about the nature of truth. Truth, especially God's truth, is true regardless of the genre by which it is delivered, whether fiction or nonfiction; prophecy, poetry or parable; apocalyptic or dystopia, and so on. Add to the literary genres other ...

Grace ‘writes off the debt’ – Brad Jersak

You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff…  I’d be in big trouble if Karma was ...

Q & R: What are the Limits of Everlasting Mercy? – Brad Jersak

"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:3 "For the LORD is good; His loving-kindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 100:5 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever." Psalm 136:1  Question: If God's Spirit "shall not always strive with man" (Genesis 6:3), then what are the limits of God's mercy? David proclaims God's mercy as enduring forever and his loving-kindness as everlasting. But doesn't his patience run out? Doesn't the story of Noah, for example, show that God is ...

The Power of a Tireless Minority by Greg Albrecht

Friend and Partner Letter from October 2015 “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather a tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds."– attributed to Samuel Adams, an American Founding Father (1722-1803). IT DOES NOT TAKE A MAJORITY TO PREVAIL! Throughout history, authentic Christianity seems to have thrived when it was a distinct minority. On the other hand, it seems that the pure gospel and faith taught by Jesus and proclaimed in theNew Testament was polluted and corrupted when Christendom became the official, state religion and it was enforced and institutionalized. Setting brush fires in people’s ...

Punisher or Pushover? How Is Wrath “God’s” – Brad Jersak

How, why or when is 'wrath' God's? Why does the Bible talk about 'the wrath of God'?  As we continue to preach and teach the NT message that "God is Infinite Love," embodied in Christ and revealed on the Cross, it is right that we should continually challenge and be challenged by "the wrath of God." That challenge requires us to keep returning to the Scriptures and to the Lord for greater clarity, because such great potential for error persists. We dare not slander God, either as a violent punisher or a spineless pushover, because such images serve as stumbling blocks, especially to those suffering under the consequences of their ...

Christ-centered faith vs Christless religion/spirituality – Brad Jersak

Lately, I’ve been noticing subtle differences between the popular ‘spirituality vs. religion’ and ‘faith vs. religion' Some prefer ‘spirituality’ because it only implies one’s own spiritual self or soul (sans any god at all). So hiking the mountains is ‘spiritual’ because it nurtures the soul. True enough. However,  I personally prefer to speak of ‘faith’ because my spiritual self or my soul has been freed and fed by a Love greater than my own … and indeed, faith freed me from religion in a way that spirituality hadn’t. As one Orthodox priest says, ‘Religion is a neurological disease and faith is its cure.’ I’m also ...