1. If it’s all a fiction spun by disappointed disciples, if it’s a mere symbol for the idea of an inner awakening, if it’s not a fact that Christ has been raised, then our grief and loss have no end, and we have no hope.
  2. What if sin was truly removed and what if the one who took it from us had the power to conquer it’s curse and spit in the face of death?
  3. By mandating the promise, Christ states something stronger than just an invitation.
  4. Maundy Thursday is your big night. For the Passover Lamb is given for you, given to you.
  5. This is an excerpt from the prologue of “On Any Given Sunday: The Story of Christ in the Divine Service” by Mike Berg (1517 Publishing, 2023).
  6. It’s scary to share my struggle and to show that I have cracks because once I’ve shown my cards, I open myself up for judgment.
  7. What we discover in O’Connor’s stories and Martin Luther’s theology is that God’s grace is elusive because the human heart is resistant to it.
  8. We don't make Church "happen." Only Christ can do so. It's his happening.
  9. This is the message of Lent. We are not called to sacrifice for Jesus in order to earn our salvation. Rather, we are called to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
  10. Even if the numbers are bad, the news about Jesus crucified for sinners and raised to new life hasn’t become any less good.
  11. There is a revival, no less real and even more definitive, taking place in every church, every weekend, where God’s people gather around his gifts.
  12. Ash Wednesday's purpose is not to motivate our resolve to redouble our efforts to do better.