Articles by Michael Pasquerello III

Blogging Toward Sunday

Mature Christians

Isaiah 11: 1-11, Matthew 3:1-12

Dec 03, 2007 by Michael Pasquerello III

I’ve been following the buzz surrounding Willow Creek Church’s newest “highly effective” way of doing church, an initiative called Reveal: Where are you? After a generation of numerical “success,” Willow Creek Church has apparently learned that attracting large numbers of people is not the same as forming faithful disciples of Jesus.

Blogging Toward Sunday

Blogging toward Sunday

Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44

Nov 26, 2007 by Michael Pasquerello III

The church has traditionally considered Advent a penitential season, a time for changing one’s mind and re-turning to God. It’s a time for preparing the way of the Lord, the One who will come to consummate all things in the rule of God.

Blogging Toward Sunday

Blogging toward Sunday

Luke 23:33-43

Nov 19, 2007 by Michael Pasquerello III

The two aspirants to the governor’s mansion in my state ran a race that often sounded more like an old-fashioned prayer meeting than a political campaign. Both seem convinced that the key to victory lay in demonstrating that one was more Christian than the other.

Blogging Toward Sunday

Messianic ministers

Luke 21:5-19

Nov 12, 2007 by Michael Pasquerello III

During almost 20 years of pastoral ministry I have served three different congregations that experienced such long-term decline and loss that it seemed as if the “end of the world” was upon us: they had lost recognition in the community, members, ministries and their passion for mission. But the loss that was talked about most often was the loss of financial resources.

Blogging Toward Sunday

Blogging toward Sunday

Luke 20:27-38

Nov 05, 2007 by Michael Pasquerello III

My wife and I were in the Atlanta airport this summer when she stopped at a newsstand to pick up a magazine. On the cover of one, a well-known TV preacher was touted as the pastor of a church, “America’s largest,” that draws 45,000 people per weekend by offering help for life’s questions and problems.

Blogging Toward Sunday

A tale of two rich folks

Luke 19:1-10

Oct 29, 2007 by Michael Pasquerello III

As a lectionary preacher, I’ve journeyed through the Gospel of Luke for over 25 years. But this year I noticed something new. Luke places the story of two rich folks in close textual proximity; in chapter 18, a rich official remains nameless; in chapter 19, we meet a chief tax collector named Zacchaeus. And in between?