Tag: sign

  • 7th Monday after Easter

    Psalm 122, Isaiah 14:1–2, John 17:20–26, Acts 1:12–14 Psalm 122 is a prayer for the flourishing of a community. Love for Jerusalem is symbolic of loving God’s bride, as Jerusalem is often tied to being the bride of God. Loving God’s bride is to be a sign of God’s people. Part of Isaiah’s vision is…

  • 2nd Wednesday after Easter

    Ecclesiastes 4:4–8, Ecclesiastes 5:8–17, Luke 12:13–21 “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” —John Wesley Money and all that it can get a person is what drives so much. The worst aspects of capitalism are very visible, and rightly so. The media (capitalistic endeavors) are quick to question many with…

  • Holy Wednesday

    Psalm 55, 2 Samuel 16:15–17:10, John 13:21-32 Betrayal. It’s not that we expect our enemies or adversaries to “play” fair, but our friends? Co-workers? Family? It’s hard. It hurts. We often feel absolutely powerless in the midst of it. Then we feel angry. All very human. The psalmist (probably not David, but maybe) goes through…

  • Sixth Thursday of Lent

    Isaiah 65:8–16, Luke 5:33–39 In Old Testament and Jesus’ time, wine was considered a sign of God’s blessing.* In this Isaiah speech, the new wine will be the remnant that faithfully returns to God, and then to the Promised Land. The interesting play on this means that because of the old wine (Israel) that the…

  • Second Saturday of Lent

    Numbers 16:1–50, Romans 16:17–20, 1 Corinthians 1:10–17 Most of us have heard John Dalberg-Acton’s quip, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What is most often missed is Acton’s “tends”. David Brin takes a slightly different tack, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible.…

  • Unveiling Transfiguration

    Psalm 99, Exodus 34:29–35, 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2, Luke 9:28–36 Sometimes things we are unaware of about ourselves become a separator be us and others. Imagine Moses already feeling the pressure of leading these people. The strain of leadership along with the regular stubbornness of the Israelites would always keep some separation between Moses and the…

  • Eighth Saturday after Epiphany

    Numbers 27:12-22, Deuteronomy 31:1-23, Proverbs 15:18–29 A relay race requires timing and teamwork. As the baton carrier approaches the next runner, that runner must start running. The two must match stride and pace so that the baton can be handed-off smoothly. Rarely will a relay team just start off, even if all are excellent runners.…

  • Seventh Monday after Epiphany

    Psalm 120, Mark 13:9-13, 2 Peter 1:20-2:9 Psalm 120 is a lament. The psalmist is among those who live a life of lies. These same people are warmongers, seeking strife and conflict. The psalmist is living in foreign lands that seek no peace, but the cry of the psalmist’s heart is for peace. The psalm…