By Paul Koch – Happy Maundy Thursday. This day in church history is rich in the themes of our faith and the proclamation of our hope as the children of God. After all, it is on this night that our Lord was betrayed with a kiss and that Peter cut off Malchus’ ear just for … Continue reading Hijacking the Mandate
By Cindy Koch - It’s not Christmas. The neighbors haven’t plastered their home with Easter lights, nor has the Easter tree been trimmed with ribbons and bows. The little children don’t bubble with excitement in quite the same way. The grownups don’t stay up late shopping and preparing for the long-anticipated Easter Eve. It’s not … Continue reading Ancient Easter Joy is for the Kids
By Joel A. Hess - Who would have thought that such a glorious building would go down in flames? Flames, of all things. Not an atomic bomb or any of our glorious manmade tools of destruction, but something as rudimentary and old as fire. All the hard work of well-intentioned men was destroyed in a … Continue reading Destroy this Temple
By Paul Koch - Palm Sunday is a day of great motion and transition in the life of the church. It marks the beginning of the greatest week of observance and celebration as we go from our Lord riding triumphantly into Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna!” to being unjustly condemned with shouts of “Crucify him!” … Continue reading Fear Not
By Cindy Koch - I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.Genesis 3:16 The pain is not simply pregnancy, although it permanently marks our body and changes our life. The pain is not simply childbirth, although it is excruciating and traumatic to the point that most mothers will … Continue reading Children are a pain in the…
By Paul Koch - I have been doing this for a long time now. As a pastor, I realize that I’m at that age where the old guys no longer try to give me any advice, but I’m too young for any of the young guys to care about my advice. Yet overall I’ve been … Continue reading Handing over the Goods
By Paul Koch – There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.Ecclesiastes 2:24 This statement by Solomon is fundamentally offensive to the Christian. This is because it attacks our fundamental desire for glory. We desperately want our comings and goings, our eating and … Continue reading Eat, Drink and get to Work
