Posts from May 2026
Daily Devotions
Matthew 28:19-20…“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” vss. 19-20a Each of the gospels, with the exception of Mark, have a closing statement by Jesus about their call to continue his mission in all the world. Matthew’s final word from Jesus is called the Great Commission, and leaves no doubt about…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 28:16-17…“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” vs. 17 According to Matthew Jesus had instructed Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to tell the disciples that he had risen and would meet them in Galilee. And even though it’s likely that the disciples were skeptical of the women’s story, Matthew tells us they did go. And sure enough Jesus met them on the mountain just as he said he would. They responded by worshipping him, probably…
Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians 13:11-13…“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” vs. 13 The closing of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is familiar to many of us, even if we didn’t know that it was a bible verse. We hear these words frequently in worship, and they’re a reminder of the Trinitarian emphasis that has been a part of the Church’s teaching from the beginning.…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 8:5-9…“You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet…” vs. 6 The psalmist was mindful of the ultimate insignificance of humans in the universe, yet he also believed that they had a significant place among created beings. They had been given the responsibility of dominion over the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. In other words, the stewardship of the…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 8:1-4…“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” Vss. 3-4a The psalmist had been contemplating the heavens and marveling at the wonder of it all. Because in those days there was no light pollution it’s likely that every night he was treated to a show, the likes of which few of us have seen. The night sky would have…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 1:26-2:4a…“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” vs. 31 The writers of this creation story from Genesis described the universe and the world that God had spoken into existence as being very good, and that included the humans who had been charged with its stewardship. It is so important for us to remember this bold affirmation as we struggle with the…
Daily Devotions
Genesis 1:1-25…“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” vss. 2-3 While some read the Hebrew story of creation in Genesis with a sense of incredulity and disbelief, others are deeply moved by the theological and spiritual insights of its writers. They know that it is not a…
Daily Devotions
John 20: 21-23…“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” vss. 21-22 While the writers of the gospels were certainly aware that Jesus had entrusted his disciples with his message of love and forgiveness, they chose to describe that moment by recounting different stories. Here John combines Matthew’s Great Commission with Luke’s…
Daily Devotions
John 20:19-20…“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” vss. 19b-20 The disciples, wracked by fear, had locked themselves away in a hidden upper room within the walled city of Jerusalem. Even though they had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, they had no idea what to do. They didn’t even know if…
Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 12:12-14…“For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” vs. 13 Strange as it may seem, in recent years the word inclusive has fallen out of favor, along with related words like diversity and equity. All this would come as a surprise to the Apostle Paul who regularly used these concepts to describe what he called the Body of Christ. He…
Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 12:3b-11…“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” vs. 7 Paul’s words to the Corinthians undermine one of the basic assumptions of contemporary Christianity, namely, that we engage in spiritual practices for the sake of strengthening our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That sounds good and it speaks to our love of individualism as a national creed. But it wasn’t Paul’s vision of the Church. His phrase “for the common good” implies that…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b…“O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures…When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.” vss. 24, 30 The psalmist couldn’t contain himself! He was full of praise and exultation. Everywhere he looked he saw the hand of God. God was the creator and the sustainer of the universe and everything that it contains. There couldn’t…