Hillcity pastor

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Cleaning House

My wife and I are not the housecleaning type. It’s not like we live in a pigsty or anything - we do clean the house. It’s just that, given the choice between hanging out with each other or the kids and scrubbing toilets and washing floors, we will always choose the former. Growing up, my parents kept the house incredibly tidy. Floors were washed and vacuumed every Saturday, bathrooms were cleaned weekly, and beds were made on a daily basis.…

A case of the Mondays

I’ve got this sort of sixth sense when it comes to guessing the end of movies and television shows. My wife and I watch lots of crime dramas, and usually within the first 15 minutes I’m able to tell her who the villain is. It kind of drives her crazy. I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut because, well, it ruins the drama of it all. Knowing what’s about to happen really makes the rest of the story seem kind…

He is choosing – you and me

Have you ever walked into a place you didn’t want to? Late to an important meeting. Needing to have an uncomfortable conversation. Having to see someone you just don’t get a long with. These are life’s seemingly unavoidable situations. No matter how long we wait or how hard we try, they just seem to keep coming up. I remember one such occasion in my life. An important and influential member of not just my life but my community had wronged…

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Sunday – ‘there are no words’

There are no words. Mary and the others walk silently to the tomb carrying their spices, preparing for another agonizing moment. Not even sure how they would get in, Jesus’ body must be prepared for it’s eternal rest in his tomb. Just some 36 hours ago, they had walked these same roads in horror, and stood shocked and in awe outside the stone they now expected to see. The reality was setting in. He was gone now, and life would…

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Saturday – ‘a world unsettled’

Unsettled. That’s the word to describe the world today. Jesus is gone. The King is dead, and there is nowhere to turn and nothing to do. Word has reached those who ran, and while they struggle with the guilt of ‘is there something I could’ve done,’ there is much more an overarching fear of ‘am I going to be next. The few who had stayed to witness the carnage, have taken his body and buried it in the tomb of…

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Good Friday – ‘ a crown for a king’

They made him a crown. Of all the things that were meant to be humiliating, of all the insults, of all the things they could have done - they made him a crown. Most thorns are made to protect, to keep predators away from the plant and keep it safe. Make no mistake, these thorns were not meant to protect, they were meant to hurt. Not only the flesh that they pieced, but the heart of the man that wore…

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Thursday – ‘a not so silent night’

Dinner parties are supposed to be fun. People dress up and gather together over great food and perhaps some wine, to catch up, tell stories, and enjoy one another’s company. Tonight will not be that kind of party. Tonight is a night where the story of the world is changing. Jesus will give his final instructions. He will tell his friends that not only is one of them going to deny him, another about to betray him, but he will…

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Tuesday – ‘a walk to remember’

The walk from Bethany to Jerusalem is less than two miles. The average walking speed of a human is 3.1 miles per hour. This means that the walk to and from Jerusalem each day took Jesus about an hour and a half round trip. That’s a lot of time to think and talk, especially when you’re awaiting something as stressful and traumatizing as death by crucifixion. Conversations with friends and followers are probably a welcome distraction, but also hard, as…

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Monday – ‘the weight of a broken world’

Somebody’s got a case of the Mondays. The swing from Sunday has to be immense. The emotion, the grandeur, the entrance - and now, there is anger, yelling and the tables to overturn in the temple. If Sunday was a day of celebration, Monday is a day of frustration and lament. First there was that tree. Mark 11:12-14 (ESV)  On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in…

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Palm Sunday – “they were crying save us”

Save us. They had been crying, save us. I would imagine as Jesus rode down the streets of this otherwise familiar city, now filled with the voices of hundreds, he had to be experiencing the irony of this moment. They did need to be saved, but not from what they were thinking of. Yes, the Romans were oppressive, keeping them from truly engaging or living out their faith. Sure, they had taxes to pay, and laws to follow, but overall…

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