Commitment to Biblical Authority 5.7.2026

    The primary framework for faithful ministry is a commitment to Biblical Authority. All other frameworks derive from this starting point. Though this seems like a basic, even instinctual matter for believers it has become increasingly complicated. 

    Like many other matters I have discussed in these essays over the years let’s put an analytical grid over the top of the issue to help us come to grips with a topic which should be easier than it is. The three categories I commonly apply for this kind of analysis are: What the Bible says. Historical development. Theological extension. 

Bible: The Bible claims to be “inspired” and authoritative. Two cardinal NT texts:

“2Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 2Timothy 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

“2Peter 1:20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 2Peter 1:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”(2 Peter 1:20-21 ESV)

Historical: How has the Church and culture used the Bible throughout history?

     We simply do not have the time to go through a thorough examination of how the authority of scripture has fared throughout history. The Bible’s place as waxed and waned both within and without the Church. Liberals and Conservatives alike have adhered meanings to inspiration and authority which are culturally driven rather than extensions of Biblical meanings. 

    I do think it is interesting that the current understanding of each camp is essentially the same. The history of interpretation has largely arrived at a position where each ideological camp looks to the Bible as a source of facts to either be accepted, rejected, reconfigured, or reimagined. Cultural assumptions of truthfulness, in the interpretation of Scripture have replaced Biblical assumptions based on Biblical words. This is an historical development in that it has taken around 600 years to arrive at this position. 

Theological: The politics of “pop”, “plural”, and polarized thinking.

    Theology in the 21st century is largely driven by popular culture (both in the Church and outside of the Church). For example, “Christian” or not, if you can listen to your favored artists on the radio, view Christian video content, or follow your favorite Christian influencer, your worldview is at that point only barely based upon either the Bible or History. It has become a pop-theology reducible to a “praying hands emoji”. Rather than being a considered, reflective process of integrating Scripture into the whole of life, theology becomes part of the game of psychological self-awareness, creating a contentless “Christian” self-identity.

    In keeping with its pop-culture devolution Post Modern Theology must concern itself with pluralism. And though there are different ways to use this term my point is that pluralism is neither new nor should it be intimidating. Pluralism is both a simple factual reality (racially, religiously, politically, and for Christians, doctrinally), and an ideological framework. The 21st century development is the positive or negative politicizing of, what otherwise, is a simple, accurate description of reality—there really are many different people, perspectives, places, and things. Diversity (also a pointlessly politicized term) is what makes the world interesting and challenging. 

    Popularity and pluralism, have fully coalesced around polarized positions, unhinged from actual Biblical or Historical realities, which “Christian” people use to stake out positions in the culture wars. The nature of the conflict? The true definition of “Christian” and (ironically) an accurate understanding of the content of the faith. Yet the contemporary conversation of pop, plural, and polarized conventions is incapable of answering those basic questions of identity and understanding.

    Ok then. That is a lot of diagnosis. We are aware of the challenges facing a commitment to Biblical Authority, now, what do we do to articulate and practice this disappearing discipline?

1. We must realign personal Exegesis with collective Exposition. And I don’t mean blogs like this or quick-hit social media fixes. I mean reading and study of Scripture in the Church, for the Church. 
2. We (the Church) must hold each other accountable for what we believe, think, and say. It is easy to claim that the problem is theological ignorance. The actual issue may be either irresponsibility or even intransigence. 
3. We must dispense with the nonsense about regenerative faith being separate from or even unrelated to incorporation into the Body of Christ. Yes, Christians follow Jesus. Christians are also answerable to the Church. The beginning of a commitment to Biblical Authority is a commitment to Biblical Accountability. 

    And this is a good place to conclude this week’s discussion. We need to extend this discussion over the next several weeks about how we come to know and understand scripture though the teaching office of the Church, sound leadership, and proper Church organization—things which in the last 150 years have been largely subsumed by insular, individualistic, consumer driven spirituality that has yielded our conflicted circumstances. 

    Biblical authority is essential to the well-being of the Church. A local congregation is part of the larger whole of the Body of Christ. Each congregation gathers in catholic solidarity with the Church throughout history. Current confusion over the direction of the Christian enterprise is largely the result of many who wear the name of Christ, while defining the content of their theology in selfish isolation rather than submission to the Christ who died to make our salvation and the Bible which informs it present realities.

Frameworks 4.30.2026

 There are three primary definitions of the term “framework” in Terminology the computer dictionary I most commonly use. Each is relevant to today’s discussion. To summarize they seem to indicate one of three concepts: 

1. A hypothetical model.

2. Underlying structure. 

3. Containment structure. 

    Another way would be to describe a framework as modeling, forming, or embedding a concept. I like all three aspects of this broad definition. I think it validates the title for this essay. Essentially there are three frameworks for considering the structure of an entity, in this case a sermon, lesson, address, or essay. 

    To illustrate what I mean consider the primary external ordering tool used by a variety of authors—preachers in particular, to frame their work: the humble outline. An outline provides structure. An outline is a model for an entire sermon (or essay). An outline contains all that the essay or sermon envisions. Most of us are taught how to analyze the written word using this kind of framework. In this sense, these frameworks can be understood as a perceptual guide to the underlying grammatical structure of language. Instead of using connectives like adjectives, adverbs, and particles an outline uses coordination, indentation, and subordination to provide a more visual, transparent frame for our thoughts. 

    During the month of May I intend to post several essays in this space regarding what I consider to be minimal frameworks for understand Biblical ministry. Approaching them as frameworks allows us to consider some synthetic commonalities that will help us to understand the work to which we are called as individuals and into which we are tasked with leading our congregations. 

    The strength of a good framework is flexibility. A framework must combine rigidity with pliability. We want to provide order as we work but we also want to be able to easily reconfigure what we write as we go along. A framework is not the completed task. A framework provides order that allows us to combine, rethink, reconfigure, refocus, and yes, reframe our work. 

    Our primary touchstone in the ministry of the Word is, the Word. So, a condition of the frameworks we will discuss is how they help us to remain faithful to the Scriptures. In framing (outlining) these essays I have tried to consider how to rightly order them so that they yield a compounding understanding of the function of Scripture in defining the various tasks of ministry. As frameworks they need to be consistent and related, and they need to build upon one another. 

    One of the things that I find is that the outcome—any time we write—is not always obvious at the beginning. What provides security and tangibility, what makes our work consistent is a commitment to frameworks that provide structured direction to what we are doing. Frameworks function as preliminary and provisional signposts that allow for freedom in exegesis, composition, and execution. Hermeneutics requires a consistent approach to the work and the kind of frameworks we will consider allow enough breadth to give direction without dictating end product.

Throughout the month of May, we will focus on four commitments that serve as frameworks for the ongoing work of ministry. 

• The commitment to Biblical Authority.
• The commitment to Biblical Preaching.
• The commitment to Biblical Leadership.
• The commitment to Biblical Ecclesiology. 

These commitments help us to structure our entire ministry around what is most essential. It begins with a general commitment to scripture as the guiding authority and ends with a discussion concerning the Church as the recipient of that authority. The underlying assumption is that each of these components has an essential role to play in the work to which God has called us. Vague discussions about the truthfulness of the Bible are not nearly so helpful as specific, concrete circumstances of who, how, and where God’s Word speaks truth. The authority of God requires an obedient people of God. Those people must be led and they must be taught. 

These frameworks for ministry are practical, theological, and workable. They have been touchstones over centuries for the organized messaging of the Church. Each preacher is embedded in relationships defined by these frameworks. We come to this work extending a conversation much larger and far older than our few meager years. There is nothing more exciting, more necessary, or more rewarding. 

Complexities 4.23.2026

     Ministry is not easy. Some would say that it is among the hardest of all jobs to do well. There are some sectors that do not even like to discuss the nature of professional ministry because they think such terminology creates a division between “clergy” and “laity”. Whatever terms are used, even when some think terms un-scriptural (which they may be, but that doesn’t wholly invalidate them), people still like well-crafted sermons, ably crafted programs, properly considered leadership, and properly prepared ministers. In other words, terminology aside, virtually everyone prefers a professionally credentialed person to help the local church navigate those complexities. 

    Over the next several weeks we are going to try and chart a course in, around, and through those complexities. The reason I am doing so now is that I am approaching a significant anniversary in my located ministry with the Grayville First Christian Church, and such anniversaries an excellent opportunity to consider how to navigate the complexities we face in ministry. 

    First a person needs to note that the complexities exist, whether we consider them such or not, address them or don’t, accept them, or ignore them. The nature of the located preaching ministry revolves around several areas of accountability. I write about these often and some of those I mentor (I know) get sick of hearing them. Yet repeating them often helps keep the complexity of the work in proper focus. Those areas are Preaching, Pastoral Care, Planning/Leading, Programming, and Professional development. Properly aligning ourselves to these areas of responsibility is what keeps ministry exciting, focused, and engaging. 

    The first three areas are those specifically grounded in scripture. They are Word focused, people focused, and leadership focused. Unfortunately, in the Post-Modern world, programming gets far too much attention—generally to the detriment of the more necessary work of preaching. The professional side of things is an odd duck because as the Church’s work has become more specialized, we have erected deeper and denser circles of staffing to do what the members can and perhaps should do for themselves. A lifetime of ministry does require attention to professional growth, collegial relationships, and long-term planning, which are professional tendencies shared by all knowledge workers. You don’t have to like a term for it to be accurately used. 

    If we do not keep clearly focused on our mandate to preach clearly, “cure souls”, and lead effectively then the complexity is often compounded by spending a disproportionate amount of time doing the wrong things. This increases the frustration of the preacher and creates an erroneous expectation within a congregation. To navigate this complexity requires several preliminary decisions to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Clarity in Expectation.

    “This is what I do.” It is your responsibility to articulate expectations for your congregation. You need to clearly explain to your leaders as well as the congregation what you do, why you do it, and how you intend to do it. If not, there will be an ongoing disconnect between what the congregation expects and what the preacher intends to do. 

    The only responsible path forward is to be clear about what you intend to do. Tell people repeatedly your own expectations, intentions, procedures, and goals in ministry. Link outcomes to expectations rather than just guessing or hoping. Guessing and hoping can easily become gaslighting when the predicted outcomes do not occur. This is a result less of malice than over-promising. Don’t make promises—explain processes. 

Variety in Experimentation.

    I will be wearing my caterpillar inflatable costume one more time his spring. We will have a Caterpillar Club cookout to end the spring programming. Caterpillar Club is our children’s programming—revived after several years of hiatus. When we started, I wrote a theme song; “The preacher found me outside on a shrub, brought me inside to start the caterpillar club…” I don’t intend to wear “the suit” the rest of my life. It’s not for preaching or any other pastoral activity. Wearing it at all was an experiment. And it worked!!

    But…Not everything works everywhere. The church is a copy-cat institution. The prevalence of Mega-Churches and the materials they provide can delude us into thinking that we can implement and execute the same kinds of programs and promotions. It takes a lot of failure to move forward. It takes experimentation that is locally flavored and anchored to the historic place and nature of an individual congregation to find what works. 

    When you do try something new tell people why you are doing it. Explain the process. Define expectations. Locate it on that grid of Preaching, Pastoral, Planning, Programming, or Professional work. If something works, awesome! If not…kill it and move on. 

Integrity in Execution.

    Many years ago, I worked for a company deeply invested in the international standard known as ISO 9000. The standards were to be set by a company to accomplish their business goals, and the mark of excellence was encapsulated in the phrase “Say what you do, do what you say.” An outside organization cannot establish standards for how a company does business. The certification simply determined how closely the company came to doing what they said they were going to do. When the company went through an ISO audit the reviewers looked at the documentation, compared it with practice and scored accordingly. 

    Execution in the Church should not primarily be about outcomes. Primarily it needs to be determined by integrity. Are we doing what we say we will do? Do we set standards and try to meet them? Do we review both the standards and our current activities to bring them in line? This is the heart of honest execution. Simply being accountable to set standards and try to meet them. 

Finally

    You might be thinking, “Wow, ministry is still complex!” You are correct. It is hard, exacting, and immersive. In one moment, we are doing academic level reading and writing, the next moment we are making sure the HVAC guys have full access to the building to service 5 AC units as well as the internal systems. Then we must intervene in a member’s spiritual crisis. No one can make it less complex. I would never try to do that—I wouldn’t even mention the possibility.

    What we can do is manage the chaos, categorize our activities, prioritize our tasks, and move prayerfully ahead into the work. Complex? Yes. Hard? Routinely. Heartbreaking? Regularly. Rewarding? Beyond your wildest expectations. 

Reflex 4.16.2026

    We had a contractor’s representative at the church house today to iron out responsibility on containing a problem on a recently completed job. I about missed the meeting entirely. Not because I forgot it, but because I never remembered it in the first place. It was in my notes from our board meeting last week, but I never moved it to my task-manager, calendar, daybook, pocket-notebook, or desk-notebook. Items that don’t make it into one of those 5 elements of my “system” are not remembered. I’ve worked this way for quite a while. This kid of practice helps free the mind from being a container for random bits of information allowing it to be an organ for thinking. All those containers I noted earlier can be tapped for the scraps of information necessary to thinking, processing, expanding, contracting, sharing, or shelving materials for preaching. Getting information out of my head is a reflex. It has become instinctive. So, when someone asks me a question and I say, “let me check” or “I need to look at my Things, calendar, or notebook”, I’m not stalling. I actually need to check these bins of extended memory.

    These kinds of reflexes are not unique. For example, another reflex occurs when I move from my Ford Ranger pickup to Mrs. Beckman’s ever-so-cute Chevy Trax. My truck is a very nice 2009 model, but it was manufactured prior to the wide accessibility of certain enhancements. No back-up camera. Mrs. Beckman’s Trax is newer, fancier, and more refined. It has a back-up camera, Car-play, blind-spot warnings. If not “the works” it’s certainly nicer than my truck. 

    Nonetheless, when I get in her vehicle (as I will this afternoon when we go to dinner). I will throw the vehicle into reverse and look either over my shoulder or in the rearview mirror when I back up. Why? This is not necessary—the vehicle has a back-up camera, this is a 21st century ride. Why back-up the old-fashioned way? Reflex. After about the third time backing up, I will realize that I can take advantage of that tech and act beyond the scripts I was taught back in 1978 when I was learning to drive. 

    Much of our life is a kind of learned instinct. We act from reflex. Many of those reflexes were honed before we came to Christ. Others were developed as an ongoing aspect of our evolving discipleship. Regardless of their origin there are times when we should examine them and determine whether they are liberating or restrictive. Do they help us or hinder us as we live a life in pursuit of Jesus? 

    Use this time between Easter and Pentecost, between the vigorous activity of the early Spring and the business of Summer to reflect upon your reflexes and decide if there are any that need to be retained, retrained, or rejected. Consider the following:

“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:13 ESV)

Paul encourages us to consider the resources we have at our disposal for adjusting our reflexes to life as a maturing disciple. Here is another scriptural layer:  

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8 ESV)

 

Yes, we need words like Paul’s to encourage us. We also need words like Peter’s to direct us. The Bible supplies both kinds of resources and one of the true joys of being a preacher or teacher is helping people make reasonable connections between various parts of Scripture. 

    Per our subject, both Paul and Peter agree. We need to have good scripts. We need to develop and hone good reflexes. This process will involve good models, intentional habits, specific targets, and occasional recalibration. 

    The unspoken ingredient is time. The following and supplementing that Peter and Paul describe is something that requires not only intention but also incubation. For many of us the rest of April is going to be sort of slow. Things will pick up in a couple of weeks with graduations, concerts, proms, and Mother’s Day. Between Easter and Pentecost, these few weeks before the Summer rush is a great time to test our reflexes. Not just for the balance of this year but for lifelong discipleship.

Now What? 4.9.2026

     I hope you had a great celebration of the resurrection of our Lord this Sunday past. Easter is the very heart of the Christian year, a highlight. Which offers the question for present consideration. Now What?

    Post Modern American society is inundated with celebrations. Sometimes, as with Columbus Day, there is a traditional day of observation partnered with an oppositional memorial (Indigenous Peoples Day) in a never-ending attempt to keep every specific demographic happy about having what would otherwise be a mere Bank Holiday.

    That conscientious approach does not really deal with the question at hand. Now What? Easter has never been celebrated as a mere holiday or a cultural observance. We might complain about Easter Bunnies and chocolate (Let me be clear on this…I will never, ever complain about chocolate of any kind) as cultural adhesions on an otherwise pristine celebration, yet the fact remains that you’ve got to have the original before you have a declension. Still, we’ve not even considered the question Now What? Let’s deal with the question and leave superficial babble-dabble to others, shall we?

    After the facts of the Resurrection were established, the followers of Jesus remained together prayerfully watching and waiting. Jesus, prior to His ascent, made it very clear to them (and thereby us) that He was not finished. Luke mentions this when he opens the book of Acts with…

“In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach… (Acts 1:1 ESV)

    These words imply—if they don’t outright teach that Jesus is not done and that whatever He is continuing to do He intends to do by using us. So, in this post-Easter Now What phase of the year it is right and proper for us to consider this question in light of what it is that Jesus might intend for His Church to accomplish in the communities in which each of us live, work, and lead. Let’s answer this question by looking at some areas of our work impacted by the resurrection.  

Message

    The message of the Church is the Gospel. Paul said, “we preach Christ, and him crucified”. This is the compressed messaging of telling the story of the passion of Jesus as it relates directly to the call of discipleship. 

    There are a lot of things the Church can say, many that we actually do say, but only one thing that we must say. Jesus is alive! That’s your message.

Materials 

    In both proclaiming and living this message there are two kinds of materials at the disposal of the Church. One is obvious, the other generally not even considered a material. First the obvious. The message we preach must be fully Biblical. The story of the rescue-mission of the Christ who serves us both with His incarnate life and conquest of death. 

    Because this story is found in the Bible the primary material for our work is the Bible. We read and study scripture to master the context and expectations of Jesus’ messianic work. From our diligent studies, preachers preach this message, musicians sing this message, teachers teach this message, and disciples live this message. 

    The second, often overlooked material for this messaging process is people. Our task includes the spiritual formation of disciples. They are, in effect, the raw materials in which Jesus works to build His Church again Paul addresses this dynamic.

“Do you not know that y’all are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in y’all? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and y’all are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV)

I’ve taken the liberty of altering the translation of Paul’s text to reflect the plural pronouns: you all=y’all. The individualism of American society has led us to individualize texts which were intended to address the church a whole. Paul’s concept is that individual believers, filled with the Holy Spirit are the materials Jesus uses to build His Church  

    Now what? Easter provides a good opportunity to take inventory of how we are using the materials of our work. Are we helping the “building blocks” of the Church to be strengthened? Are we exploiting them, patronizing them, or under nourishing them? Answering those questions requires examining the Biblical texts we are preaching and the tools we are using for our studies. 

Methods

    Finally, we need to review our working methods. We’ve considered “What” questions and “Who” questions. Now we need to think about how. This is a good time to review plans, calendars, procedures, and projections. The week after Easter can be a bit of a let-down. The pressure of a long, busy week is off. Most of us are worn and need some down time. 

Preaching and teaching are creative endeavors and it’s not always easy to be creative when you are tired. When you can’t create, work. There are lots of items which need attention matters of method which are easy to neglect when you’re leading up to Easter, or Christmas. Now is the perfect time to review what you’ve done since Easter, calibrate the tools, and make some preliminary sketches for the months ahead. Look at your calendar. Clean up your task list and your project manager. Conceptualize the next several months and what needs to be done to lay a good foundation for the coming work. Go through your analog and electronic libraries and begin the process of pulling the resources you will need to use in preparing for your next series of sermons or lessons. 

    Unfortunately, a lot of these tasks get neglected because of more pressing matters. Now’s a good time to batten down the methodological hatches and prepare for what comes next. Because if ministry teaches us anything, there is always a next, Now What?

Thursday Afternoon 4.5.2026

     I like to listen to music when I work. I have become very fond of some contemporary “classical” composers, (Arvo Pärt, Max Richter), listen to a lot of J.S. Bach, and spin a little Jazz for a change of pace. And of course, I occasionally play the music of my youth. The playlist feature on Spotify also offers an interesting thematic twist. I have a specific playlist for Monday morning. It consists of a few classic rock-pop songs that…all include the word Monday.  I also will listen to Moody Blues Days of Future Passed on Tuesdays because (you may not know this) it is an entire album set on a Tuesday, the central tune being Tuesday Afternoon. Just another way to order my workday. Incidentally, all other workdays begin with Max Richter’s The Blue Notebooks and A Winged Victory for the Sullen’s self-titled debut.

    So here it is Thursday of Holy Week. Maundy Thursday. How can this day, a day which focuses on both betrayal and loyalty, a day which is suspended between the central memorial of the Old Covenant and the defining memorial of the New Covenant be framed? What attitude, emotion, or aspect should we have when we consider the coming cross? What should be on our mind as we move toward Thursday afternoon?

    For Jesus, His public teaching ministry was over. He has been acclaimed and anointed. He has been in near constant motion and ongoing debate for days. All that is past. He has a few more hours of freedom and He wished to spend that traditional night with His closest companions, those whom He has trained, those who formed His embryonic Church. 

 “Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?”  He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.” (Matthew 26:17-19 ESV)

 I don’t know how early in the day this conversation occurred. My guess is that it was pretty early. Maybe right after breakfast. I’m sure that there were several men and probably some women who helped to prepare, what was a large banquet. There were more groceries to get besides the lamb. I’ve never roasted a lamb, but experience suggests that you don’t just throw them in the oven with no prior thought of how to do so. Like our culture’s preparing the Thanksgiving turkey, I’m sure that there were differing opinions as to both proper and tasty preparation of the Passover feast. Jesus sent His emissaries, they prepared the feast, Jesus waited. 

    At some point on that long Thursday afternoon, I’m sure that Jesus considered how different that Thursday afternoon would be from all others, before or since. We may set aside a time of reflective worship on Maundy Thursday, we may prolong our stay around the Lord’s Table on this night, but our experience this Thursday afternoon, will be nothing like that Thursday afternoon spent by the King of Glory waiting the gathering of the faithful and the dereliction of Judas. 

    Monday’s may be manic, but we don’t expect them to be world changing. That Thursday and the days to come, those days we now call holy week changed everything for everyone. We read nothing about what occurred between the giving of instructions for preparation and the gathering to feast. Perhaps, one day when we have gone to our reward, we will have the chance to ask our Lord and Savior, the Lamb of God what He was doing and what were His thoughts on that long, Thursday afternoon while all creation waited for the other shoe to drop.

        

Consider Jesus 3.26.2026

    While it is true that during the Easter season, we want to be well aware of the depth of our own sinfulness and the glory of our redemption, we must ever be aware that, in a sense Easter is not about us. During this holy season our gaze needs settle on Jesus. So, the last two weeks (though last week was quite short) have been about focusing on Him, or as the Hebrew author puts it “considering Him”, or this week “considering Jesus”.

    Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” (Hebrews 3:1-2 ESV)  

 

     Though the text might seem, at first elusive there are some clear directions that it gives us about Jesus and His mission and our response. First, we are reminded of what we share in Christ, because of the finished work of the cross. We are brothers, called to share not only in the salvation won for us by Jesus but in the ministry apportioned to us as members of His body. During the Easter season with its focus on individual piety and penitence we might be tempted to overly cloister ourselves and individualize the salvation won upon the cross. Resist that temptation. This body of which we are now a part, this bride, this temple in the Spirit is the whole point to the passion. It would be a shame to diminish it by becoming overly self-absorbed. 

    Second, we are reminded of the heavenly calling that unites us. The salvation celebrated at Easter—and around the communion table every Lord’s day is the Lord’s doing. It is not the result of our spiritual longing or religious inclination. That inclination and our longing, without God’s revealing work culminating in Jesus is a part of the problem. Without a word from God—the Word from God—our fallen spiritual nature leads us further from Him. It is His call, first as a whisper throughout the Old Testament, and finally culminating in Jesus’ definitive statement of God’s nature and love on the cross which turns the nightmare of our fallen state into the dream of paradise restored as we answer His call upon our life. 

    That settles our part. The Hebrew author goes on to make statements about Jesus. He is the “Apostle” of our confession. Knowing what the New Testament says about the Apostles who bore witness to His resurrection and proclaimed that message as Gospel might lead to misunderstanding. The Hebrew author is using a different dimension of that otherwise, very useful Hellenistic term. By apostle he is describing Jesus as the one “who was sent”. Other terms that express this particular domain of the term are emissary or ambassador. His point is that this great saving act required this heavenly interruption, this divine presence, this…incarnation! By using that well know term for the Apostolic ministry of the Church and tying it to the mission of Jesus the Hebrew author allows for a compelling unity to what Christ did and what the Church should be doing. 

    Then he gets to what we think of the heart of the Gospel. As our High Priest, the only High Priest who could do what needed to be done Jesus has won for us eternal salvation upon the cross. His faithfulness to His Father’s appointment hard as it must have been, fixes what is broken in our fallen world. Easter season is a reminder of all those truths the Scriptures imply, of all that Jesus taught, and that which the Apostolic witness clarifies about access to God’s presence. Jesus alone. That is the point of Easter. Our faith. Our witness. Our lives. Yes, repent during Easter—but more importantly—consider Jesus.