Weekday Word w/ Eric

Tag: jesus

  • Not of This World

    Scripture:Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world…”— John 18:36 Reflection:Jesus stands before Pilate, the representative of imperial power, and says something the church must never forget: “My kingdom is not of this world.” He does not deny that he is a king. He denies that his kingdom is built the way earthly kingdoms…

  • Podcast Episode: Consumer Christianity

    Pip: If you’ve ever wondered whether your faith is a subscription service you can cancel when the benefits dry up, Eric McCrea has been writing directly at that question all week on Weekday Word. Mara: The posts this week press into what it actually means to follow Jesus rather than consume him — covering church…

  • Not a Fan…

    Scripture:“But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”— John 5:40 Reflection:There is a real difference between admiration and relationship. You can admire a preacher, a teacher, an author, or a leader from a distance. You can read their books, quote their words, imitate their style, and still not know…

  • Fear Closes the Table

    Scripture:“Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”— Matthew 12:50 Reflection:Jesus says something in Matthew 12 that sounds startling at first. His mother and brothers are outside, and when he is told they are looking for him, he answers by pointing to his disciples and saying that…

  • Family is a Gift, Not a God

    Scripture: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me…”— Matthew 10:37 Reflection:Family is one of God’s great gifts. Most of us know that in some way. We know the blessing of being loved, named, fed, protected, shaped, welcomed at the table. Even when our family stories are complicated, there…

  • When God Says Look Again

    Scripture “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing.”— Isaiah 43:18–19 Reflection There is a kind of remembering that strengthens faith. We remember God’s faithfulness. We remember the stories that formed us. We remember the people who taught us how to pray, how…

  • Freer, Not Richer

    Scripture:“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…”— 1 Timothy 6:10 Reflection:The real promise of the gospel is not that Jesus will make us richer. It is that Jesus will make us freer. That is such an important distinction. Prosperity theology says the good life is about increase, success, and…

  • The Cross is a Blessing

    Scripture:“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…”— Galatians 6:14 Reflection:That sentence can feel jarring at first: The cross is a blessing. It does not fit the way the world talks about blessing. The world calls blessed whatever looks strong, successful, admired, and victorious. The cross looks…

  • Vending Machine Faith

    Scripture:“…men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”— 1 Timothy 6:5 Reflection:One of the clearest distortions in the prosperity gospel is the idea that faith works like a formula. Believe enough, give enough, pray enough, confess enough, sow enough, and then…

  • Blessed But Not How We Think

    Scripture:“Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’”— Luke 6:20 Reflection:We use the word blessed so easily, don’t we? A new job, a bigger house, a healed report, a beautiful vacation, a smiling family photo — and immediately we say, “Look…