Tag: identity
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To Be Called
Psalm 34, Isaiah 49:1-6, 1 Corinthians 4:1-16 (read online ⧉) What does it mean to be called? That is a question many people ask themselves at various points in their lives. When we were children, the question could be, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Granted, in family businesses there could…
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25 November 2019
Zechariah 12:1–8, Revelation 18:1–10, Matthew 20:20–23, Luke 22:14–20 (read online ⧉) A cup is a common thing. You probably have a few in your cupboards. You might even have so many you have to get rid of one to fit another. You might have ones for special times (like china for Thanksgiving). You might have…
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Building Myths
Luke 17:20–37, Acts 7:44–60, Revelation 21:14–27 (read online ⧉) Throughout the Old Testament, there are memorial stones. The names of springs have tale-telling names. Altars were built…lots of altars. Places provide identity. The Promised Land (Israel) was one of identity. That particular land was powerful enough in its name and history that there are still…
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Pride Versus Repentance
1 Kings 8:44–53, Zechariah 1:1–17, Acts 3:13–26 That Solomon included this request for the Israelites who would be in exile while inaugurating the newly built temple should not be overlooked. It is significant. With so much foreshadowing of the Israelites going into exile, one would think that the Israelites would have figured it out. The…
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Church of Destruction
Galatians 2:17–21, Ephesians 2:1–10 There has been a lot of talk in some circles about the increasing percentage of the U.S. population that calls themselves, “nones.” This is used to define categorize people as those having no definitive religious identity. This “none” categorization is awful. It covers a huge range of people. The panic, in…
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Starting at Home
Psalm 2, Colossians 3:1–17, Acts 11:19–26 One of the blessings and one of the curses of being American is the freedom to decide who we are. One of the biggest struggles between immigrants and their children is the change of identity. As much as most immigrants truly seek to join their new country, there are…
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Saturday after Pentecost
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;…