HILLCITY HUDSON

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Silver for (someone) Gold

Matthew 26:14–16 (ESV) Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. For three years now, he has followed Jesus. Leaving behind family and friends, work and all that he had, because he believed that Jesus was the One. At least…

It must have been the pigeons

Matthew 21:12–16 (ESV) And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests…

Palm Sunday – How do you know He is a King?

I know it’s cliche, and it might out me as a former youth pastor, but I really enjoy the movie ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail.’ It’s just the right blend of stupid funny, religion and history that speaks to a former history major turned theology major like me. One of the best scenes in the entire movie starts with a guy banging a wooden spoon into a pot asking people to bring our their dead relatives who have been…

It feels like drowning

It feels like drowning. The regret, and the shame. The idea that he had looked Him in the face and promised Him that he wasn’t going anywhere - and then when the rubber hit the road, he literally chickened out. His thoughts raced and overwhelmed him as he remembered every painstaking detail;  Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a…

He can still hear them…

He could still hear them. The noises. They were unlike anything he had ever experienced before.  The laughs. They had mocked Him. “Come down from there. Save yourself. Save us! Aren’t you the King of Jews?” Slanderous and hate filled. Their voices bellowed and their stomachs jostled. Didn’t they know who He was? Didn’t they understand what they were doing? What a mistake they were making? Couldn’t they see He hadn’t done anything wrong? Why would they mock Him like…

Telling stories

It was just another story. Of this Peter was forcing himself to be sure. Just like all the others ones he’d heard Jesus tell over the three years they had been together. Another “story” about the kingdom of God that was difficult to comprehend. It couldn’t possibly mean what it seemed to at first glance. Surely Jesus wasn’t ACTUALLY saying that this would be the end. His emotions were still running high from the whole table incident yesterday, and things…

My how the tables have turned

They’ve never seen him like this. So angry and out of control. Yesterday, everyone was happy. They loved Him and He loved them. There was a parade - and the palm branches - heck even that stinking donkey seemed to have a smile on its face. And yet, He seemed a bit “out of sorts.” Today is another story. It’s “out of sorts” in overdrive. And to be honest they’re all a little scared.  “I’ve never even seen Him upset…

Entrances are important (Palm Sunday)

Entrances are important. People spend exorbitant amounts of time planning how they will enter a room, come out onto the stage, or walk up to the plate. The music, the mood, the magic that surrounds and entrance has the power to change everything that happens after it. The tension swells. The crowd goes wild. The drop hits. Everything culminates in that one specific and perfectly planned moment - and let the party begin. Entrances are important.  This is not that.…

Opening Day

Today was opening day. A new beginning. If you haven’t met me in person, or perhaps the last time we spoke was when I was 16, you might not know this, but I am OBSESSED with sports. I spend a lot of my free time watching, playing and investing in sports and sports related activities. Baseball is high on that list. Today was the day that the 2020 season was set to kick off, with my beloved Milwaukee Brewers facing…

Stop feeling sorry

“I’m sorry.” These two words are some of the most powerful in the English language. They have the power to heal, restore hope and bring people together like almost no other combination. Used correctly there’s almost nothing those words can’t do, including undo the past, if only in an emotional or figurative manner. Being sorry is an amazing thing, and in almost every circumstance, it is something I encourage people I counsel and those I love, to do.  So now,…