Category Archives: Theology

Faith: It Is Not to Be Taken Lightly

Posted on January 28, 2023 by salooper57

The Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard once asked, “Why do people in church seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? … Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we blithely invoke? … Continue reading →

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Forgive Him (#2): Following Christ Today

Posted on January 24, 2023 by salooper57

The church of Jesus Christ was intended to be a society of forgiveness, modelling God’s forgiven in its relationships with others. This is a chief way the gospel is conveyed. Yet, we are not very good at forgiving. One reason … Continue reading →

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A God Veiled in Time and Space but Revealed in Christ

Posted on January 20, 2023 by salooper57

This article first appeared in the October 19, 2018 issue on Christianity Today website. I found it while doing some research for a sermon on Colossians 1:15-20 and thought I would share it with you again. Hope you enjoy. If … Continue reading →

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Seven Reasons to Commit to Christ (Col. 1:15-20)

Posted on January 15, 2023 by salooper57

This message was especially encouraging to people. If it encourages you, please let me know by leaving a comment. – Shayne The vision statement at Lockwood Church describes the reality we hope to see in this way: Committed: to Christ, … Continue reading →

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Do Not Throw Away Your Confidence

Posted on January 7, 2023 by salooper57

In our day, when so many people are “deconstructing” their faith, this warning to the Hebrews seems very contemporary. If faith can be deconstructed, it should be, and the clutter – the pietistic flotsam and jetsam carried on the tide of faith – thrown out. But the rash way in which some people are going about it almost guarantees that beliefs that warrant keeping will be discarded. Continue reading →

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The Ultimate Hero’s Journey: The Story of Jesus (Phil. 2:1-11)

Posted on January 4, 2023 by salooper57

When my son Kevin preaches, people take notes – including me. I’ve learned so much from him! It’s funny: ten or so years ago, when a staff position opened at our church and Kevin asked if I thought it was … Continue reading →

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The Telescoping Reality (Luke 2:1-14)

Posted on January 1, 2023 by salooper57

Have you seen a telescoping spyglass? There is a wide cylinder in which a narrower cylinder rests, in which a yet narrower cylinder rests, and perhaps several more. I think our view of reality is likewise telescoping. We live in the narrow end and view our world through the lens of our own experiences. But we and our experiences are contained within a family circle, and our family circle exists within a community, and our community exists within a nation, and our nation exists within a world. Continue reading →

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Does God Want You to Be Happy?

Posted on December 31, 2022 by salooper57

In his classic story, The Last Battle, C. S. Lewis has the great Lion, the Christ figure Aslan, say to the story’s protagonists, “You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.” Perhaps Lewis put these words in the Christ figure’s mouth because he realized that this was the kind of thing the true Christ was saying to him. Continue reading →

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God Keeps His Promises (A Minute of Advent Hope)

Posted on December 22, 2022 by salooper57

God promised to send the Immanuel – the “with-us-God” – and his word never fails. This week we rejoice in the fact that God always keeps his word. The Jesus of Bethlehem is proof!

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Violent Night: When Evil Came for Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2022 by salooper57

Our future historian would present a compelling case that violence entered the holiday season in the latter part of the twentieth century, but he would be mistaken. Violence surrounding Christ’s birth dates back to the very first century – a violence that was more gruesome than anything the writers of Violent Night included. Continue reading →

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