Tag: grieve
-
People Past
βRead: Psalm 25; Isaiah 25:6-9; Philippians 3:20-21; John 6:37-40 ββπ Focus ββThis is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.β John 6:40 (NRSVue) Those who have died, that have been a direct…
-
Joy to Tears
Psalm 22:25β31; Amos 8:1β7; Acts 8:1bβ8 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…
-
Take the Message Forward
Psalm 150; Jeremiah 30:1β11a; 1 John 3:10β16 We have a lot in front of us. The end of the COVID-era seems to be approaching. Although there seems to be a step back for every step forward, at least we are moving forward. This doesn’t mean we’ll be going back to normal. In fact, the normal…
-
Graveside Dancing
Psalm 30; Hosea 13:4β14 Yesterday was the birthday of my stepfather. He passed away years ago. For whatever reason, this year his birthday hit me kind of hard. He and I had our good moments. We had our bad moments. Just like any parent-child relationship. I was his only child. At his burial, the priest…
-
Bound Emotion
Ezekiel 24:15β27; Jeremiah 16:5β9 There is something unusual about marriage. For whatever reason, a man and a woman have a special kind of relationship that transcends logic. There is a deep spiritual aspect to it that is part of the Christian marriage ritual, βwhat God has joined let man not separate.β While this is the…
-
Lamenting Forward
Ezekiel 2:1β3:3; Lamentations 3:17β33; Ecclesiastes 3:1β8 There are two prevailing feelings currently: fear and anger. Neither one is productive over time. In the end, they can destroy a person emotionally and spiritually. Ezekiel ate words of lament, mourning, and woe. In the vision, the edible scroll tastes a sweet as honey. At the same time,…
-
Time Alone
Matthew 14:1β23 Jesus‘ cousin and herald was dead. He was murdered. Why was he murdered? He called the powerful to account. Herod’s marriage to Herodias had some issues. Herod had visited Herodias while she was still married to Herod’s brother, Philip. They decided they like each other, so they decided to be married. However, Herodias…
-
The Tension of Pain and Joy
Job 4:1-21, Psalm 77, Ephesians 2:1-10 (read online β§) Job’s friend, Eliphaz, was one of 4 friends that came to visit Job in his time of trouble. While, ultimately, they misspoke of God, at other times they spoke truth of God and Job. Eliphaz told Job that he was a teacher of God and a…