by Peter James | Mar 31, 2024 | Gregory the Great
Most of my sermons follow a predictable pattern. I begin by attempting to draw people into the message, aware that most congregants decide in the first minute or so whether they will give full attention to the sermon. The middle portion of my message seeks to engage...
by Peter James | Mar 30, 2024 | N. T. Wright
The day between Good Friday and Easter, Holy Saturday, is one of the most confusing days in the Christian calendar, situated halfway between the agony of Good Friday and the joy of Easter. Nothing much happened on that first Holy Saturday. Jesus’ body had...
by Peter James | Mar 29, 2024 | Christina Rosetti
It seems counterintuitive to call the day on which Jesus died “Good Friday.” As far as I can tell, the phrase likely originated in the Middle Ages. Jesus’ death on the cross is good in what it accomplishes–death to our sins and the harbinger of...
by Peter James | Mar 28, 2024 | Veit Dietrich
It was a most unlikely marriage. The former monk Martin Luther had to find husbands for 19 nuns who fled convent life to join the Reformation movement. One former nun, Katie von Bora, insisted she would only marry Luther and prevailed upon him until he consented. He...
by Peter James | Mar 27, 2024 | Litany of the Hours
The first few days of Holy Week are full of drama: Jesus’ triumphal ride into Jerusalem on Sunday, his cleansing of the temple on Monday, and the ensuing temple controversy on Tuesday. Wednesday is an off day on the surface. About the only thing that takes place...
