Tag: Questions

Cedars of LebanonThe common thought is Noah alone, or with the help of his sons built the Ark. A ship of this size being built by one man, or even by four or five men seems quite impossible. To begin this discussion we should first determine just how large the Ark actually was? In Genesis 6:15 we ar...

There are situations in which clothing is very important. I found this out by accident once, when I walked into a furniture store, coincidentally wearing the same sort of shirt as the employees. I had to leave because the other customers expected me to wait on them. Clothing conveys a message. A bus...

In Genesis 32:30 Jacob said, "I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." Mormons sometimes cite this verse with a view to proving that God the Father has a physical body with a face that can be seen. This is a faulty interpretation. To begin, it is possible for a blind person to speak "fac...

In Luke 12:49 Jesus said, "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" Scholars have interpreted Jesus' words differently, and all agree that it is hard to know precisely what He had in mind here. Some scholars point out that in Old Testament times fire often sym...

The purpose of this rite is to remind people of their mortality and thus the necessity for repentance. Acquiring the Ashes Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service are created by burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service, but most churches nowadays just purchase th...

Martin Luther had a number of ideas for things that people could do at home to teach the catechism to their children. He certainly didn’t invent the wreath itself, because that goes back to ancient Roman times, and probably even earlier. People used wreaths as an Advent decoration long before Luther...

Explore a collection of thoughtful guides and instructions for conducting special services that hold deep meaning within Christian traditions. From Tenebrae services that evoke reflection during Holy Week, to ceremonies of blessing and renewal, our Special Services section offers insights into the s...

Occasionally I get email from people who want my advice about what church they should attend. I can’t presume to tell anyone how to make a decision like that, but I can tell you how I would go about doing it. If I were looking for a church, this would be my scorecard. I wouldn’t hold out until I fou...

First Kings 11:1-3 indicates that King Solomon had hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines, many from lands of which God had previously instructed the Israelites to avoid intermarrying. God knew that such intermarrying would lead to the worship of false gods. Why, then, did Solomon do this? His...

In Mark 11:23-24 we read, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have receiv...

No. First of all, while ultimate physical healing is in the atonement (a healing we will enjoy in our resurrection bodies), healing of our bodies while in the mortal state (prior to our death and resurrection) is not guaranteed in the atonement. Moreover, it is important to note that the Hebrew word...

In ancient times, Christians used to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem for Holy Week. One popular activity while they were there was to walk the route from Pilate’s house to Calvary, stopping for devotionals to commemorate various events that took place along the way. Of course most people didn’t do thi...