Jeremy R. Geerdes Posts

Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia was written to congregations which were wrestling with a deep cultural divide. Namely, in each, there were significant numbers of both Jews and Gentiles. And the result was that there was an ongoing struggle to define what it meant to be a Christian. For the Jews, being a […]

Father, I know that this is going to sound strange. And maybe that’s why I just had to write to you. But as they raised Jesus up into place, I found myself absolutely transfixed. And as the soldiers cast lots for his clothes and the priests – the priests! – were taunting him mercilessly, I could not help but re-read that charge against him and think to myself, “This man was the king of the Jews.” But somehow, that didn’t seem right. And then it dawned on me. It should have been, “This man is the king of the Jews.”

Spring break is over, and I’m finally able to get back to blogging about my word study on joy. And today, I’ve come across another interesting tidbit in 2 Corinthians 13. Here, as St. Paul heads toward the conclusion of his second surviving letter to the church in Corinth, we catch him warning them that, […]

The opening of 2 Corinthians 8 starts out well enough. “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia,” reads vs 1 (HCSB), and it sounds like it’s going to be time for a simple, encouraging story of God’s work and provision in the churches of Philippi, […]

One of the hardest things about my job is when I have to confront someone about sin. I hate it. In fact, I’ve lost a few parishioners, and even a couple of good friends because their sin stood in blatant contrast to their professed faith. It kills me. But it can’t be escaped. It’s part […]

There are, of course, some people who just irritate. There are others who cause problems. And there are those who are the “Debbie Downer” (yes, that was a SNL reference) who just smother everyone with their pessimism and gloom. Fortunately, though, all of these combine to form a minority of all the people there are, […]

When I started this word study over a year ago, I was desperately hoping to better understand joy, its causes, its inhibitors, etc., so that I could have more of it. I still want that. I can’t imagine that anyone wouldn’t want that. But as I stumbled the other day upon 1 Corinthians 7, I […]

I belong to a denomination which proudly calls itself part of the Holiness Movement. Without getting into the details of our history, this means that we emphasize the message that Jesus came to save us from sin itself – not just its consequences – and regular people can – indeed, must – be holy in […]

Sometimes, I am a most self-centered person. I hate to admit that, but it’s true. I expect that the whole world should revolve around me and share my perspective and my emotions on the subjects of life, the universe, and everything. Now, this is not all the time, but particularly when I’m down, disappointed, discouraged, […]

I don’t like persecution. Not that I’ve ever suffered anything even remotely like the persecution saints experienced in the New Testament – or continue to experience today in some parts of the world – but even the little bit that I have experienced – generally, name calling, strange stares, etc. – has been enough that […]