Tag: response
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Graveside Dancing
Psalm 30; Hosea 13:4–14 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…
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Dancing in the Streets
Luke 10:17–24; Revelation 19:6–10 One of the greatest joys a parent can have is the success of their children. This isn’t necessarily financial nor even survival. The best times are watching them succeed when they do not think they are capable. That’s Jesus’ joy when the 72 disciples return. They recognized that through Jesus they…
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What’s The Matter?
Numbers 3:44–48; Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 10:8–9; 1 Peter 2:3–10 Inheritance wars have long been a genre of popular fiction. Whether the fights were over business or titles of nobility or who will take over the family criminal enterprise. Sometimes, battles are fought over who gets what, or who got the most. That last one may…
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A Time To Sin
Job 1:9–22; Ecclesiastes 3:1–11; Ezekiel 18:5–18 You are probably familiar with Pete Seeger’s Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season). Written in the late 50s, it was commercially via The Byrds in 1965. It takes Ecclesiastes verses 3:1–8 and puts them to music. Pete Seeger’s intent behind the song was to promote world…
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Right and Just
Matthew 1:18–21; Romans 5:6–11; Romans 14:1–23 For whom will you die? Your child? Your parent? Your next door neighbor? A murderer? Your nation? Your state? At some point in history, someone responded “yes” to at least one of these. A number of these are conscious choices. Others were forced upon people. Others were an unthought…
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Weak Win
1 Corinthians 9:19–23 Kevin Fast holds several Guinness World Records. One record is pulling three firetrucks weighing in at 109 tons across 100 feet in just 34 seconds. Another is pulling 15 cars at once. He made the record for the heaviest plane pulled. Kevin is immensely strong. In his normal job, he doesn’t talk…
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Flying Free?
Isaiah 28:14–22; Luke 4:14–21 “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you.” ― Corrie ten Boom What does it mean to be a captive? What does it mean to be free? In the ongoing COVID season this isn’t quite straightforward. Many people feel captive in their homes (voluntary or…
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What a Feast!
Matthew 22:1–14; John 6:53–58 When you’ve been invited to a party or some sort of celebration, have you ever received a little card that had you select from entree and/or other options? Or have you been to a buffet and been overwhelmed by the selection (or underwhelmed)? Over the years there have been many tales…
