Tag: darkness
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Happiness and Joy…or Not
Psalm 44; Isaiah 22:8b–14; James 4:4–10 🔎 Focus Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? James 4:4 NRSVue …you did not look at the One who did it, nor did you see the One who planned it… Isaiah 22:11 NRSVue We don’t like pain or suffering. We often do…
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A Movement: Of Priest and Temple
…if we…focus too much on the outside, the temple comes crumbling down, for the internal structure cannot hold up the facade shown to the world, and we then dishonor God by our fallen temple.
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Laying The Bread Down
Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 4:42–44; Ephesians 3:14–21; John 6:1–21 It is tempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We can look at society and even many churches (in particular, their leaders), and just give up. There is such a struggle against the darkness and against sin, that it can be overwhelming. At the…
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Servant Life
Psalm 123; Ezekiel 2:1–5; 2 Corinthians 12:2–10; Mark 6:1–13 In certain cultures, and in certain times, it was not dishonorable to be a servant. In fact, being a servant could well lead to a different path than what could else be accomplished. One of the most famous servants in US culture is a man named…
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Light It Up
Psalm 107:1–3, 23–32; Job 29:21–30:15; Acts 21:1–16 Life is full of ups and downs. Psalm 107 starts with such a positive tone. Then mishaps and adventures and trials occur. Then back to rejoicing in God. It doesn’t seem to really matter your place, station, or nation in life, there are ups and downs. Even in…
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Joy to Tears
Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 8:1–7; Acts 8:1b–8 For many people, singing in worship of God is a significant part of their life of faith. They love the joy-filled worship of God. The image provided in Amos takes those joy-filled songs and turns them into songs of pain, sorrow, and lament. The misery of the people of…
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Gōdspel
Psalm 135; Daniel 6:1–28; 1 John 2:12–17 If all things were equal, it should be very easy to tell people about Jesus, and what Jesus did for them even when they opposed God (Romans 5:6–8). However, in the Western world, and especially in the US/Canada region, it has become difficult for a myriad of reasons.…
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Together Time
Paul reminds the Corinthians that they were inheritors, too. The Last Supper was really the first supper