Category: Table Talk
The End of Hope
by Mathew Block “I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.” –…
The Martyrs’ Message
by Mathew Block On February 15, Christians around the world shuddered as news of the Islamic State’s most recent atrocity was publicized. The terrorist organization released a video that day in which they beheaded 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians en masse. “Their only words were ‘Jesus,…
“Lord, to whom shall we go?”
by Mathew Block It’s something I grew up singing regularly as part of the liturgy, right before the Gospel reading: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). The verse is a potent reminder of the power of…
God in the Flesh: The meaning of Christmas
by Mathew Block When it comes to Christmas, the picture of the baby Jesus asleep in a manger is etched in our cultural consciousness. We imagine the little Lord Jesus laying down His sweet head in the hay, while stars twinkle away in the sky….
The Bride of Christ
by Mathew Block “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine,” she said to him again and again. He in turn laid bare the depths of his own love for her: “You have captivated my heart, you have captivated my heart with one glance.”…
Why we gather: A lesson from Nicea
by Mathew Block Almost 1,700 years ago, bishops and other delegates from all across the Roman Empire converged on the city of Nicea (located in modern-day Turkey). They had serious business on the agenda. Trouble was brewing in Alexandria (in Egypt); a presbyter by the…