Jesus Archives - Keith Shields

That Sunday Evening

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be…

It’s Friday, But Sunday’s Coming

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming It’s Friday Jesus is praying Peter is sleeping Judas is betraying But Sunday’s comin’ It’s Friday Pilate’s struggling The council is conspiring The crowd is vilifying They don’t even know That Sunday’s comin’ It’s Friday The disciples are running Like sheep without a shepherd Mary’s crying Peter is denying But…

Mirabile mysterium

A wondrous mystery is proclaimed today; all natures are renewed: God has become human: he remained what he was, and what he was not he became, suffering neither confusion nor division. – Jacob Handl (1550-1591), Mirabile mysterium (as quoted in The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark A. Noll, Eerdmans, 1994, p. i.)

Truth

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” – Blaise Pascal (French Mathematician, Philosopher and Physicist, 1623-1662) “In De l’Art de persuader (“On the Art of Persuasion”) “What is truth?” Pontius Pilate CE 33; John 18:38. I feel like I may have…

Substitution

“For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be.” – John Stott, The Cross…

Warriors of Ephraim or Living Water

In Genesis, we read that Ephraim was the son of Joseph who was the son of Jacob. The descendants of Ephraim were considered one of the tribes of Israel and came to be associated with the northern tribes such that the tribe name, Ephraim, often stood in for the whole of the northern tribes after…

Am I Being Offensive?

I have been thinking a lot about how Christians can speak of their faith in a pluralistic culture that views truth-claims as suspect. Some Christians would say that if we are not offending anyone we are merely being “nice Canadians” who want to stay on good terms with everyone. These Christians believe that we are…

The Mystery of Jesus

Regarding the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible, Bruce Milne had this to say. “The mystery of Jesus Christ is the theme of this gospel; always beyond us, yet always summoning us to explore it more fully. . . . the Godhead will be our endless, though blissful task in…

In the World But Not of the World

Thomas Merton’s classic book, The Seven Storey Mountain is a helpful commentary on how one can live a spiritual life despite pressures in the opposite direction. Merton knew how to live in the world without being swallowed up by the world. He has much to show us about the balance between solitude from and solidarity…

The Paradox of Suffering and God’s Love

A few days ago I wrote an entry entitled “Sacrifices” to remind us that God wants our trust more than he desires sacrifices from us. The blog was prompted by our common desire to do something for God in order that we might get back into good relationship him, specifically when we experience suffering and…