Posts from July 2022 (Page 2)
Daily Devotions
Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’” vs. 32 Genesis 18:23-32 The men around the fires must have chuckled at the sheer effrontery of Abraham as the old story was told, retold, and then remembered. He had dared to bargain with God to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah–and he had been…
Remembering Howie Wennes
“We miss you, Howie Wennes, and we thank God for your work in lighting the lamp of Spirit in the Desert that continues to guide us today.”
Daily Devotions
Then the Lord said, ‘How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!’” vs. 20 Genesis 18:20-22 For the early part of the Twentieth Century, Las Vegas was known as “Sin City,” a place where decadence and immorality were a part of the culture. The phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” was coined to reflect that reputation, and is still quoted with a wink and a smile when people speak of spending…
Daily Devotions
But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’” vss. 41-42 Luke 10:41-42 Many of us can identify with Martha. Like her we are worried and distracted by many things. Even though we’re surrounded by technologies designed to make our lives easier, life seems to have increased in its complexity. Professional and relational…
Daily Devotions
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’” vs. 40 Luke 10:38-40 Martha had been well-schooled in her culture’s practice of hospitality. Like Abraham centuries before, she knew what to do when Jesus and his disciples dropped by for a visit. She prepared bread, whipped up a vegetable salad,…
Daily Devotions
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him…” vss. 21-22 Colossians 1:21-28 There are many people today who would just as soon eliminate the cross from the Christian faith. For them it’s bloody and gruesome, and reeks of a sacrificial theory of the atonement that they think we’d be better off without. They…
Daily Devotions
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.” vss. 15-16 Colossians 1:15-20 Like the gospel writer, John, Paul believed that Christ was in the beginning, and through him all things were made. And more than that, any who wished to know the…
Daily Devotions
O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors…” vss. 1-3 Psalm 15 As people of faith, we have learned from our ancestors that there are certain standards for human behavior that must be upheld at…
Daily Devotions
They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’” vss. 9-10a Genesis 18:5-10a Sarah wasn’t consulted when Abraham invited the three strangers to have a bite to eat in the shadow of the oak trees. It was all on him, but when he decided to serve some cakes, it was all on her.…
Daily Devotions
He said, ‘My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.’” vss. 3-4 Genesis 18:1-4 The stories of Abram and Sarai were precious to our faith ancestors, and they took care to preserve them in the writings that became our scriptures. The people in the stories seem real to us, and their God encounters resonate with our own experience.…
Daily Devotions
‘Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” vss. 36-37 Luke 10:30-37 When we think about loving our neighbor, our first response is to question who our neighbor might be. We look for definitions that would limit our loving responsibilities to those we have an affinity for. Like the lawyer, we…
Daily Devotions
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” vs. 29 Luke 10:25-29 The lawyer who came to Jesus had a pretty good understanding of what was required to inherit eternal life. He answered quickly, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” We would agree. These are the central commandments of the…