by Steve Thomason | Sep 8, 2026 | Bible, Theology
Why do people say “Jesus Christ is Lord?” For many in our 21st century Western culture the phrase “Jesus Christ” is simply a curse word. Others may assume that “Christ” is Jesus’ last name. The term “Lord” seems archaic and oppressive. How is it relevant in a democratic society?
I would like to suggest that the terms Christ and Lord, when they were used in the first century, were an attempt to find unity in the diversity of a multicultural church that was divided into factions. I would also like to suggest that we need the spirit of these terms in the fractured and divided church today, just as much as they needed it then.
by Steve Thomason | Jun 29, 2026 | Sermons, Theology
How do we preach about the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed and the so-called American Dream that is celebrated on Independence Day and the Fourth of July? Do they go together?
by Steve Thomason | May 29, 2026 | Devos, The Trinity
It is Trinity Sunday. Preachers respond in many different ways to this occasion. Some shy away because the Trinity is too complicated and mysterious to speak about in a short sermon. Some attempt to explain the Trinity and usually fall into some form of modalism by...
by Steve Thomason | Mar 28, 2026 | Theology
Today is No Kings Day. Millions of people around the USA are gathering to protest the authoritarian moves that the Trump administration is taking. I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican. I’d like to stay out of politics, but that is impossible. Whenever...
by Steve Thomason | Mar 23, 2026 | Bible, Theology
This image was inspired by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan as they offer a hypothetical scene in their 2006 book The Last Week,
Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. . . One was a peasant procession, the other an imperial procession. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down the Mouth of Olives, cheered by his followers. . . On the opposite side of the city, from the west, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria, entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial calvary and soldiers.
Jesus’s procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate’s proclaimed the power of empire.
by Steve Thomason | Mar 7, 2026 | Adult Learning, The Missional Church, Visual Preaching
I had the great joy of teaching a three-day intensive class last weekend at Luther Seminary. We call this RFS (Residential Focus Session). A full credit masters course requires 40 hours of instructor-led class time. The RFS gathers distributed learners (DLs) from...
