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.

Consider Him. 3.19.2026

    Every disciple knows that we should keep our eyes on Jesus. We read the Bible and find numerous examples for modeling the life of discipleship. Many examples. One Lord. We follow the lesser examples to the extent that they reflect the attitude of our Lord. Jesus alone is savior. 

    Before and besides all those biblical human models our eyes are on one human who for each of us dominates our gaze. Me. Not, me for you—for me it’s me—for you your “me” is, you. Much of what we read in scripture is designed specifically to get our eyes off our favorite subject, ourselves. It is this idolatrous focus on self that causes our individual fall. This condition worsens because the entire fallen world is filled with obsessed individuals. The problem with narcissism is not that it is exceptional—it is the norm. 

    As we approach the holiest days of the year, days set aside to remember the passion of our Lord we need to keep the following words in mind as we work diligently to keep our sinful nature at bay. 

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:3 ESV)

In a world obsessed with “the other” these words remind us exactly how stark and contrasting the division really is. Jesus…and everybody else. That is the true description of our place in the fallen word. It is only because Jesus chooses to cover us with His blood and include us in His body that we are no longer lost.  

Consider How to Stir up the Saints. 3.12.2026

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” (Hebrews 10:24 ESV)

    Last week we examined ourselves. This week we look to others. Not to bring them down, but as the text says to stir them up, to encourage them. We occasionally see or hear feel-good stories about how people treat one another. Encouragement appears to be kind of a dying art form in the Post-Modern world. Complaints about the anonymous, volatile, and mean-spirited nature of conversation on Social Media are abundant. Almost as abundant as the phenomena itself! It would appear that complaining about anti-social media is easier than doing something about it. 

    I am not an advocate of complete social media absence. Like it or not this is the world we live in. It is our environment. We can leverage Social Media to do tremendous good. In fact, a good guiding principle is to never speak, or act via social media in a way that you would not speak or act in person. Such a simple expedient would go a long way to cooling the temperature. As believers we can do more. 

    Our relationships should not merely be minefields that we try and traverse without causing damage. How stunting and stultifying that would be.  In Christ our relationships should be fruitful and growing. One of the elements that provides nourishment for growing relationships is thinking about others and what we can do to contribute to their lives. For some, maybe even many, this can be disappointing. Not all teach, lead, guide, direct, preach, or sing. These exemplify some of the most characteristic categories of encouragement. It does not appear that the Hebrew author is limiting the admonition we are considering. It is not limited to those who have public facing gifts nor are these words directed to those who work behind the scenes. These words are addressed to every member of the Body of Christ. You and me, in our various capacities are called to encourage—that is “stir up” one another. 

    Let me help you notice some things about this text that frames this mutually beneficial behavior. Beginning with Hebrews 10.19 the author shifts from a doctrinally focused section to a section focused on practice. The overall theme from Hebrews 10.19-25 might be framed as Doctrinally Derived Duties. The Hebrew author assumes, along with the rest of the New Testament, that doctrine and duty—belief and behavior are mutually reinforcing. When we gather for worship, we are remembering that Jesus has opened access to the heavenlies. Our devotion in worship reflects our relationship with the Father through Christ Jesus, and our participation in public worship reflects our relationship with one another. Worship is our confession, of God’s work within us, in consideration of our ultimate deliverance. It is in this context that the author says to stir one another up. 

    And there he becomes interestingly, tantalizingly vague. This encouragement, this stirring up is to yield love and good works. In what way? To what end? Which or what works in particular? Are we talking acts of love or loving words or love as an affirmation of one’s worth? All the above? And are we talking about specific, particular good works? Are these works for insiders or outsiders? Are we talking evangelism or pastoral care? Percentages?

    At which point we have leapt the fence from the feasible to the absurd. The author of these words, guided by the Spirt was as clear as he needed to be and as vague as necessary. What specific, concrete advice would someone writing 2000 years ago in a different culture have to say to us—really, about how to encourage someone in the contemporary body of Christ. 

The whole verse might be re-written as follows: 

You must figure out how to encourage one another, with everyone thinking and acting with greater love. 

It may not roll off the tongue. It’s certainly not “Bible sounding” but I think I make the point. We’re not exactly on our own but the impetus is on us to do the doing that the verse expects to get did. I can’t even tell you how to make this happen where you are! I can help. I can suggest. I have ideas. In your town for those you interact with, in your church and community you’ve got to consider how to stir people up.           The goal is for God’s people, to do Godly things. Those specific things will vary somewhat from place to place. If the perspicuity of Scripture is to mean anything it will teach that the Biblical message is broad enough to cover an unlimited number of social and cultural contexts. If the Hebrew author had been any more specific the words would have been more difficult to implement—not less. 

    So, here is a little exercise for us. Let’s spend time this week quoting this verse to ourselves—it takes little time to lodge it in our memories. In fact, let’s allow it to function as a prayer. 

“Lord, help me today to be a stir upper. Not to stir the pot, but to stir up my brothers and sisters to love and good works.”

Consider Yourselves 3.5.2026

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11 ESV)

     And so, here we are betwixt and between. We continue to live in a fallen world whilst pursuing an intentional life of discipleship. This is the ordinary context for Kingdom living since the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. It is the worst kind of wishful thinking to hope for some imaginary circumstance where ministry does not require us to fashion a redeeming presence amid Empire. Jesus conducted His ministry, called His disciples, and formed them into the embryonic Church in the context of Roman imperialism and Herodian compromise. He called them in circumstances which should seem very familiar to us. He called them both from those circumstances and to them. He frees from sin while simultaneously freeing us for ministry. 

    And so, in our text for this week, Paul, in discussing the specific mechanics of salvation; response, forgiveness, baptism, newness of life, reminds us that there are times when we should reflect upon our salvation, our call, and our location. 

    Our liturgical brothers and sisters have formalized this process in the current season of Lent. If anything, Lent is a season of self-consideration, of reflection, and for repentance. Without the formal structure of Lent, we “free-church-catholics”, of all stripes are left to undergo this process of self-reflection in a more individual fashion, though it should not be entirely unstructured. 

    In these brief words Paul summarizes the condition of all those who have responded to Jesus in repentant, obedient faith. We are dead to the deadening impact of the sin that once defined us, and alive to the invigorating power of Christ who saves us. Lent is a good, focused, and for some a necessary opportunity to undergo a structured time of reflection. It is not nearly enough. 

    Public worship in the 21st century has an inordinate focus on the self. Much of the misplaced focus resolves around losing this narrative thread about who we once were and who we now are. Confession, mortification, and repentance for sin are not regularly discussed on most Sunday mornings. Rather than rebellion we consider personal “struggles”. Rather than resignation we seek affirmation. Like many in the contemporary Church it is easy for guys like me to complain about what we cannot address while ignoring what can be easily addressed. 

    It is never too late to remind the gathered saints that we should each consider ourselves. Whether physically looking in the mirror or flipping through our calendar or even looking back at old pictures—we should take time, some time each week to remember “Once I was dead in sin…now I am dead to sin.” 

    When we consider ourselves, it reminds us of the vastness of our previous lostness. While we should not linger too long in our past predicament it is profoundly refreshing to frame our thanks and praise in the twin context of death to sin and living to Jesus. This is the genesis of the historical idea of “self-mortification”. In abandoning the term entirely because of supposed excesses or misunderstanding we have lost sight of the beneficial aspect that comes from balancing the depth of our death with the enormity of our life. 

    Let’s all take some time this holy season to consider ourselves. To think about our new life in light of the old life of Sin. If we lead worship, why not take some time to encourage his reflective process in the worshipping flock. Whether you observe Lent or not this is the right time of year—as we anticipate the season of resurrection to consider ourselves both dead to sin and alive to God in the risen Christ.

The Workshop of the Wordsmith 2.26.2026

    I deliberately began this year discussing the process of writing. Most who will read this blog were trained in Biblical Studies to some degree. The work of exegesis and detailed study of textual questions is our thing. When I entered ministry at around 20 years of age I didn’t understand anything about audience analysis or evaluation. I just figured “fling the text at them” and let them sink or swim. My earliest sermons reflect this approach. In reviewing those old sermons, I can often tell that my exegesis is spot on. It is not nearly so clear how I intended to embody the heart of the text in the words of the message. 

    Through more than 40 years of preparing and then preaching what I had prepared, it became clear to me that better preaching, for those who are correctly trained in the Biblical and Theological disciplines is a matter of learning how to intentionally write and edit. I also realized—after having heard thousands of sermons, that most issues in proclamation could and should have been solved during composition. Even when I, or those who I have heard, were preaching extemporaneously it was clear that even the best exegetical practice can be overwhelmed and obscured by bad composition. 

    And so, I’ve wanted to spend some time with you, as we begin this this year, in the workshop. Not the hermeneutical workshop but the workshop of the wordsmith. The place where you frame the thoughts of God in your words for your local church in your local, shared circumstances. 

    Before transitioning to some Easter themes in the weeks ahead I want to review some final ideas and share some observations about the atmospherics our work. How can we make our workshop function more effectively so that when we bring our work to the pulpit, we can have confidence that we have done our very best to articulate the message for that Lord’s Day?

Pace

    You don’t have to hurry. You shouldn’t hurry. Rushing around undermines the goals of being concise and being clear. Start early. Leave slack time. Let your dough rise before you bake it. When I look back (as I often must) at old sermons it is amazing how often I see the places I hurried to finish the job. Getting finished and getting complete are not always the same thing. It takes practice and experience to fully finish so that when the work time is done the sermon is ready to preach.  Generally, when looking at those old sermons, I can tell where hurry caused me to choose a word that was close but not precise, clarifying but not clear, near but not on target. 

    Please understand that I practice what I preach. I was hurried and harried yesterday (Monday) and didn’t get my sermon done. The temptation was to phone home and let Mrs. Beckman know I’d be late for supper. Instead, I stopped. Had I hurried, the sermon I finished today would have surely been insufficient. I would have reviewed it on Friday and felt compelled to make changes, most of which would have been issues of clarity and conciseness—they would have had little to do with content but would have been awkward and unclear. 

    Sometimes the only thing to do is wait. Now, I don’t mean dawdle. I’m not talking about neglecting what can and should be done but about recognizing that the temptation to hurry, to move too fast, to rush can undermine the goal of the whole project which is not just to finish a sermon but to be understood. 

Practice

    One sermon a week, even two may not be enough to get better. One of the reasons I produce these very essays week after week is that it allows me several more thousand words of writing. Writing that needs edited, whittled, and condensed. 

    If you teach Sunday School or a midweek Bible Study, why not write your own material?  Make it a part of your plan. Schedule it. Include it in your sermon calendar and then allow enough time to do both the study and the composition. For those who preach, writing should always mean the whole process: Drafting, editing, redrafting, and presenting. As you write more you will become more familiar with your own voice, phrasing, and style. You will stretch your vocabulary as you consider how to be more flexible in your word choice, grammar, and syntax.

    This is workshop work. Good writers, those who write best-selling novels, award winning biography and history, and yes, those who preach memorable sermons write thousands of words that never make it past the door of their own workshop. If every word you write makes it into final copy, you will never improve and eventually you will grow bored with your own work. 

Persistence

    I have written many unreadable essays and preached many poor sermons. I have taken work to the pulpit and left the pulpit embarrassed. Then I reviewed, took stock, refocused and continued with the mission. Perfection is not attainable. Improvement is. My goal for this Sunday is the same as always. A fresh, Biblically accurate, understandable sermon. 

    For most sermon series I have enough preliminary work complete so that by the time I reach sermon 5 or 6 I must be careful about the amount of information I need provide so that I can clearly explain the text. Most of what needs done by this point is editorial and evaluative work. A good preacher will be constantly reining back the inclination to rush forward with more bread than the congregation can tolerate at one sitting. Remember that, by and large, they will be hungry again next week. Be persistent, even stubborn if necessary. Leave them eager for more. Do not founder them. Make sure that they are well fed every week and promise that there will be more on the table next time. 

Onward

    We began the year with a clean sheet of paper and discussed the process of refining our linguistic toolbox. Then I wrote about the process of lifetime learning in the specific context of lifetime teaching. Let me end these discussions by saying once again that, whether you realize it or want it, you are a writer. To be a preacher means signing up for a lifetime of producing words you will speak to a congregation on behalf of the risen Lord. He chooses to use our words, our voices, our presence to communicate His will for His people. It is serious business for serious people. Be that person.