tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77291256768852406142024-03-05T12:43:13.122-06:00Wilderness PreacherC. Drew Smith, Ph.D.C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.comBlogger267125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-60178959147333514722017-12-20T16:17:00.000-06:002017-12-20T16:17:58.703-06:00Dreams and Decisions: The Story of Joseph, Jesus, and the God Who Risks
As even the most casual readers of the Gospels know, Matthew’s story about the birth of Jesus differs from Luke’s, the only two Gospels that narrate Jesus' birth. While Luke focuses on Mary, the beginning chapters of Matthew’s Gospel focus on Joseph. What might we learn from what Matthew tells us about Joseph?
First, Matthew tells us that Joseph is a righteous/just (dikaios) man (Mt. 1:C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-66591809908927233072017-12-18T10:33:00.000-06:002017-12-18T10:33:05.457-06:00Advent is a Season for Repenting toward God
In following the
Gospel of Mark’s opening, what I have called Mark’s Advent story, I have
suggested that the story calls us to wait on God and listen for God; two
disciplines we ought to practice during the Season of Advent.
But after a time
of waiting, however long it might be, and after listening for God through the
multiple and diverse ways God may speak, we are confronted with the C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-79232108291703362802017-12-08T10:37:00.001-06:002017-12-08T10:39:06.674-06:00Advent is a Season of Listening for God
The fundamental statement of belief from ancient Israel’s history is found in Deuteronomy 6:4: “Hear O’ Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” Known as the Shema, the Hebrew word for 'hear', this confession begins with a command to hear; a command that Jesus often reiterated through his well known statement, “Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen.” Indeed, we find many references toC. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-56259235159138636032017-12-01T14:38:00.000-06:002017-12-01T14:38:38.412-06:00Advent is a Season of Waiting on GodThis coming Sunday marks the beginning of the Christian calendar with the start of Advent. The word Advent comes from the Latin meaning “to come”, and the season that bears this title consists of the four Sundays before Christmas that look with anticipation to the coming of Christ. While we observe this season as a time of looking forward to the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas, the C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-90630985126981977912017-10-31T13:28:00.000-05:002017-10-31T13:28:49.038-05:00Flawed Heroes: A Reformation Day Reflection<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-32564928904137670422017-08-28T13:50:00.000-05:002017-08-29T13:52:07.793-05:00Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-6028586126366514012017-04-27T14:59:00.002-05:002017-04-27T14:59:48.774-05:00Can Faith and Doubt Coexist? Or Why Does ‘Doubting Thomas’ Get a Bad Rap?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-60074146286556001352017-04-14T09:42:00.002-05:002017-04-14T09:42:54.123-05:00A Good Friday Reflection: Jesus’ Cry from the Cross: Abandonment and Hope<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-15576734076044403732017-04-13T09:33:00.001-05:002017-04-13T09:33:24.709-05:00A Maundy Thursday Reflection: Jesus Modeled Love, Even Toward His Betrayer<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-45277676738985098342017-04-03T09:08:00.003-05:002017-04-03T09:08:51.188-05:00Lent Reflection: Embracing Vulnerability Leads Us to See the Authentic Jesus<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-6352624072308123462017-03-27T13:09:00.000-05:002017-03-27T15:57:16.879-05:00Lent Reflection: Prophets of God’s Justice Are Vulnerable to the Powers of Injustice <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-52250110023033494782017-03-17T09:24:00.000-05:002017-03-17T09:24:35.758-05:00Lent Reflection: Jesus Embraced Human Vulnerability in order to Unite with Vulnerable Humans<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-21294426580484176912017-03-06T09:53:00.000-06:002017-03-06T09:53:02.290-06:00Lent Reflection: Jesus’ Story of Vulnerability is Our Story of Vulnerability <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-16818892623775478372017-03-01T08:38:00.002-06:002017-03-01T08:47:43.916-06:00Ash Wednesday: Reflecting on the Vulnerability of Life<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-83155459726446826252017-01-20T08:21:00.000-06:002017-01-20T08:21:14.067-06:00Jesus' Inaugural Address<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-59964893788198816252017-01-09T13:16:00.000-06:002017-01-09T13:16:51.870-06:00Jesus and God’s Economy<!--[if gte mso 9]>
C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-85720134177878732592016-01-06T08:11:00.000-06:002016-01-06T08:11:20.178-06:00Unexpected Guests: An Epiphany Reflection Today on the Christian calendar is Epiphany. Epiphany is the culmination of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas. This day is also known as Three Kings’ Day, which tells us that the purpose of this day is to remember and celebrate the coming of the Magi to see and pay homage to the Christ Child.
Of course, we are familiar with the traditional images of the Magi. We C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-17254011650553573342015-12-29T11:14:00.001-06:002015-12-29T11:14:48.315-06:00Dreams and Decisions: The Story of Joseph and the God Who Risks<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-41390985720438192402015-12-24T09:47:00.000-06:002015-12-24T13:26:10.876-06:00The Incarnation Redefines Human Existence <!--[if gte mso 9]>
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The season of Advent is almost over,
and the anticipated arrival of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas, is
coming. For centuries, Christians have celebrated this blessed event as the
time in which God chose to be with humanity; “Emmanuel, God with us.” Yet, for
centuries Christians have continually reflected on this event, returning to
that story to C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-40464043211715574102015-12-21T12:01:00.000-06:002015-12-21T12:07:26.962-06:00Mary's Song: The First War on Christmas
The Nativity is a longstanding symbol of the Advent and Christmas
Seasons depicting the holy family gathered together on that blessed
night. As we view the scene of the Nativity, our attention is of course
drawn to Jesus, the new born babe. Yet, we cannot help but give some
attention to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and ponder what thoughts were in
her mind that night.
Although Mary is a C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-74812117411419370132015-11-19T14:29:00.000-06:002015-11-19T14:29:24.302-06:00Faith in the Face of Fear<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-76125794511858731132015-10-07T16:16:00.000-05:002015-10-07T16:16:37.206-05:00The Necessity of a Critical and Relevant Faith<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-89246688720658450022015-09-04T16:26:00.000-05:002015-09-04T16:26:05.523-05:00The Audience's Experience of God in Hearing Mark's Gospel<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-22654156873747839822015-08-13T13:43:00.000-05:002015-08-13T13:43:24.203-05:00Sacred Time and Space Invite Us into the Worship of God<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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C. Drew Smith, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00353444627683533559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729125676885240614.post-69405160934260580532015-07-28T13:31:00.000-05:002015-07-28T13:34:11.022-05:00Experiencing God Through Worship
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