-
To Grieve and Mourn
Jeremiah 9:13–21, Job 6:14–30, Matthew 5:4 Yesterday, when we were talking about misery loving company, we were ultimately talking about people without grace and generosity in their hearts. Today’s misery is very different. For today, misery needs company. We as a nation and as a culture are pretty awful at mourning. We have clinicized death,
-
Outdated or Worthwhile
Numbers 20:1–13, Jeremiah 35:1–19, Matthew 15:1–20 Traditions are wonderful things. They can bring peace and order. They can help a person find themselves and understand where they came from, and what has shaped them to this point. Traditions can also blind us. While slavery was not a “tradition”, the practices that had to be lived
-
Deceptive Misery
2 Corinthians 9:6–11, Matthew 6:16–18 Misery loves company, so it is said. By misery, we aren’t talking sadness, grief, or mourning. We’re talking about the attitude of heart, soul, and mind that finds the worst in it all and revels in it. Sadly, there is often a strain of that in the church. “Look at
-
For the Opposition
Psalm 11, Deuteronomy 32:35, Ezekiel 18:30–32, Matthew 5:43–48 If you’ve been on social media any amount of time, you might notice that the longer you’re on it, the less you see from those who think differently. Another way to think of it is that the more you interact (click, “like”, just stare at) with a
-
The Right Signs
Deuteronomy 10:12–22, Romans 2:25–29, 1 Corinthians 7:17–24 Circumcision has long been a sign of being Jewish. For many years, it was used to identify Jewish males and hold it against them. In Deuteronomy (Moses’ farewell address), Moses speaks of the circumcision of the heart. Moses defined circumcision as being fully devoted to God. There is
-
Three Essentials
John 16:12–15, 1 Peter 1:1–12 The Trinity has long been a struggle. As the church began to mature, there were many struggles, discussions, and arguments over what exactly they believed. Out of those many discussions, creeds were formed seeking to unify the church in understanding. Many have tried (and continue to try) to dismiss creeds
-
Isle Crossing
2 Corinthians 5:14–21 There are many things that are worshipped. Most have supplanted God with something man-made or of human origin: science, politics, identity, work, family. Even the fundamental nature of God—love—has been corrupted by humanity. We are all familiar with 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
-
Treasured
Psalm 119:161–168, Matthew 13:44–46, 2 Corinthians 4:7– Treasure. We all have treasure. For some it is jewels. For others it’s art. It could be so many things. For the right treasure, people will give up many things, dreams, and even people (which puts into question the “right” treasure). Imagine being the person who found the
-
Finger-Pointing
Deuteronomy 1:9–18, John 5:19–30, Romans 1:28–2:9 We’ve all heard, “if you have one finger pointing out, you have three fingers pointing back.” There is great wisdom in that seeming childish saying. It might be better to say it is child-like. the child-like understanding recognizes the 3-to-1 ratio is important. The adult-like perspective, on the other
-
Pain and Blessing
Psalm 86, Ecclesiastes 7:2–5, Matthew 5:3-10 The world is often full of pain. In fact, were you to watch the news, it would seem that pain far outweighs anything else in the world. One of the biggest reasons for this is our desire to avoid it. Sounds contradictory. If we look around us, though, often