Posts from February 2022

Posts from February 2022

Daily Devotions

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” vss. 9b-10 Isaiah 58:1-12 For centuries the church has prepared for the season of Lent by indulging in one last festival of excess. Believers have reasoned that it’s the last chance for them…

Daily Devotions

Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’” vs 35 Luke 9:32-36 In the church calendar the Transfiguration has been situated on the threshold of Lent as a foretaste of what will be coming at Easter. In Luke’s recounting of the mountaintop vision there is a mixture of light, glory, and fear that anticipates the wonder of resurrection. But there is even more than that. Luke chooses words that echo…

Daily Devotions

Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.” vs. 32 Luke 9:28-32 Luke doesn’t say anything about what the transfiguration meant to Jesus. While he does report that the two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking to Jesus about his departure, there is no reference to details. It could even have been the sort of thing Jesus experienced regularly in…

Daily Devotions

And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” vs. 18 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:2 Sometimes amazing truths are hiding in obscure passages of scripture that we may not even have read before. Who would have thought that Paul, writing about the veiled face of Moses, would pass on…

Daily Devotions

Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” vss. 15-16 2 Corinthians 3:12-16 As a well-educated Jewish scholar Paul knew the scriptures well and had committed many sections to memory. In his letter to the Corinthians he refers to a mysterious passage from Exodus and, like any good preacher, interprets it in a way that gives insight to what they have experienced.…

Daily Devotions

Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the Lord, and he answered them…O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.” vss. 6, 8 Psalm 99:6-9 Moses, Aaron, and Samuel were great heroes of Israel. Through them this wandering people, freshly removed from Egypt, had become a nation founded on the Law of God, a country…

Daily Devotions

Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.” vs. 4 Psalm 99:1-5 While the word “equity” occurs many times in scripture, it often goes unnoticed or is presumed to be a synonym for “equality.” In reality it is more related to the idea of justice, and could be thought of as being the spirit of the law, rather than the letter. Equality implies that all people should be treated exactly the…

Daily Devotions

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.” vs. 30 Exodus 34:29-35 The Aaronic benediction is dear to the hearts of believers. Those who worship hear it at the close of the service as a blessing from their pastor. The words are familiar and come to us from thousands of years ago. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to…

Daily Devotions

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” vs. 35 Luke 6:31-36 Jesus could say radical, eye-brow raising things to his disciples because he knew God’s heart. Most people, then and now, believe that God keeps track of wrong-doing and wreaks vengeance on the ungrateful and the wicked. Somehow, we’ve gotten the…

Daily Devotions

But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” vss. 27-28 Luke 6:27-31 Those who heard Jesus preach remembered his radical words, and Luke took pains to include them in his gospel. Later followers of Jesus took these words to heart and they became the identifying mark of the kingdom. This is how Jesus expected his disciples to treat others, and…

Daily Devotions

When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’” vs. 54 1 Corinthians 15:42-56 When death comes to a person of faith, and a funeral is held, there will always be some expressions of grief. That’s to be expected when a loved one dies–they’re going to be missed, so of course there are tears. But there will also be…

Daily Devotions

‘But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.’” vss. 35-36 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 Among those who believe that there is life beyond death, there is sometimes curiosity about the nature of that new life. People wonder whether their loved ones can see them, some even consult mediums in hopes of making a connection. Often they find reassurance from the…