Tag: response
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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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Give It Up
Psalm 123; Jeremiah 7:27–34; Matthew 8:18–22 There was this guy who loved science. He loved nature. He pursued the academics to take care of the wilds. Except he was stubborn. You see, what he loved wasn’t the science, but Creation. In fact, he wasn’t good at it at all. He stuck with that choice for…
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Begging In Faith
Psalm 88; 2 Kings 20:1–11; Mark 9:14–29 Regardless of your views on the COVID vaccine, medical science (including vaccines) has been miraculous over the years. How medical practices have been improved is amazing (My grandfather once told me of a vaccine he received as a kid. The process was highly unsanitary.). Medical science continues to…
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Finer or Better Things
Psalm 92:1–4, 12–15; 2 Kings 14:1–14; Mark 4:1–20 Every generation is in danger of not being as faithful as the one(s) that preceded it. There is, of course, the huge possibility that “this” generation (whichever generation “this” is) will restart a journey of renewed faithfulness. The church in the US—and so-called Christian Culture—is experiencing a…
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The Right Food
Psalm 130; Isaiah 28:9–13; 1 Peter 4:7–19 The Psalm is a cry to people to hold onto God. Not the “opiate of the masses” that Karl Marx spoke of, but an active holding on that requires us to meet intimately with God, and pay attention to what God says to us. Our whole being is…
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Unity of Three
Isaiah 6:1–8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12–17; John 3:1–17 In the current age, the concept of the Trinity has been attempted to be explained by books such as “The Shack” (which acknowledges itself as an allegory and not as doctrine, a key response to those who decry it), or an egg (shell, white, yolk), water (which,…
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Natural Freedom
Psalm 29; Isaiah 1:1–4, 16–20; Romans 8:1–8 Psalm 29, without question, is a praise of God. It observes God’s power, strength, and presence. Almost the entire Psalm is about who God is. The last verse, though, is different. It is more of a plea to God about the people of Israel. A cynical person could…
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Writings Valued
Psalm 47; Exodus 24:15–18; Revelation 1:9–18 Holy scriptures have always been important. Note that the “s” wasn’t capitalized. This isn’t just the Holy Scriptures we define as the Bible (the 66 books of the Old and New Testament). This could include many things. The Apocrypha, for example, is a collection of books of Jewish origin…