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Loss Lessons - Lesson 2

Posted by David McNitzky on

Lesson 2: Grief is complicated I can still remember the scene from a funeral home years ago where I was officiating a service. When it came time to leave for the graveside service the widow climbed into the open casket and refused to leave her deceased husband. I learned a valuable lesson that...

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Loss Lessons - Lesson 1

Posted by David McNitzky on

Lesson 1: Loss is inevitableWe live in a time of great loss. We are experiencing loss of life, loss of employment and loss of missed opportunities (graduation, proms,trips) and the loss of a sense of security in our world. For the next several Mondays I would like to share some observations on...

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Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 10

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 10- “who sinned....that he was born blind?” John 9:2As we conclude our journey through hospitality in John, we come to a story which could be viewed as a comedy if it weren’t so tragic. John 9 tells the story of a man born blind. The good news is that Jesus heals him; the...

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Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 9

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 9- “I have no one to help me into the pool.” (John 5:7) This story reminds of the tag line of commercials which ran some years back- “What are the odds?” For the man who had been paralyzed for 38 years and is waiting by the Pool of Bethesda for healing, they...

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Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 8

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 8- “Neither do I condemn you.” (John 8:11) John’s story of the woman caught in adultery is well known to most Christians. But did you know that many scholars argue that the story was not originally part of the Gospel of John? They note that many ancient manuscripts omit...

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Tags: gospel of john, hospitality, week 8

Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 7

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 7- “Unbind him and let him go.” (John 11:44) I can’t help it. When I picture Lazarus emerging from the tomb, I see the original Mummy from the 1932 movie with Boris Karloff. Of course, that Mummy is perfectly able to walk around and terrify people in his cloths and is...

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Tags: gospel of john, hospitality, week 7

Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 6

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 6 “I am the true vine” (John 15:1)On the last night with his disciples, Jesus took them on a field trip from the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane. They would have passed by the Temple where the doors would have been left open due to the holy days. They would have seen the...

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Tags: gospel of john, hospitality, week 6

Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 5

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 5- “ He came to Jesus by night.” (John 3:2) When we first meet Nicodemus, he is called a “leader of the Jews” (v1). Jesus called him “Israel’s teacher” (v 10). He comes to talk with Jesus perhaps out of curiosity - could this be the...

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Tags: david’s blog

Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 4

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 4 “Come and see a man...” (John 4:29) It turns out that social distancing has been around quite a while- all the way back to biblical days. In the Old Testament social distancing was practiced for health reasons as lepers were made to live outside the camp or the city. Food and...

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Hospitality in the Gospel of John - Week 3

Posted by David McNitzky on

Week 3 “Make our home with you” (John 14:23) We just returned from celebrating my father in law’s 100th birthday in California. He lives in a small apartment with Pam’s mother, so like the rest of the out of town relatives, we called on the local hospitality industry. We...

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