By Alan Ahlgrim Jesus shocked a Samaritan woman by speaking directly to her. This was a remarkable, even unthinkable, departure from the social rules of the culture. No honorable man, much less a respected rabbi, would ever risk his reputation by doing such a thing. Relationships Trump Rules Clearly, for Jesus relationships trump […]
Where You Live–April 15, 2012
By Dan Lentz 1. Appoint someone to write on a white board or large piece of paper. Then ask the group to shout out current news headlines until you have a dozen or so headlines on a list everyone can see. Go around the group and ask each person, “Which headline stirs up a […]
Temple is cleansed–The Uniform Lesson for April 15
By Sam E. Stone John’s Gospel clarifies the length of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Because he mentions the various Passovers celebrated by our Lord, we are able to determine that his entire ministry was a little over three years. Christ did what was expected of all Jewish men—he came to Jerusalem each year in observance […]
Facing up to the Lord–Psalms 78-82
By David Faust Apparently I am a social media dinosaur, for I am not on Facebook. Who needs Facebook when I’m already surrounded by faces? Photos in my office show me the smiling faces of my wife, children, and grandchildren. The faces of my neighbors, coworkers, and friends greet me every day. I see faces […]
The Lesson and Life–April 15, 2012
By Alan Ahlgrim Toleration is the trademark of our time. Teachers are expected to tolerate the disrespect of their students. Parents are even expected to tolerate the disobedience of their children. Everyone is supposed to tolerate the immorality of the popular culture. Culture Contradicting Jesus contradicted his culture with an open expression of […]
