Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 10)
Daily Devotions
You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” vs. 56 Luke 12:54-56 The people in the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus teach were adept at making weather forecasts. Years of agricultural living had made them experts on interpreting the skies and the winds. They were much more capable than we are when it comes to reading the book of nature. But Jesus…
Daily Devotions
I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” vss. 50-51 Luke 12:49-53 Often, we imagine that Jesus was a man of infinite patience and deep serenity. Today’s text presents a different picture, one that may surprise us. Jesus told his disciples that he was having enormous stress as he…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” vs. 1 Hebrews 12:1-2 The stories of the ancestors were a great inspiration to the Hebrew Christians. These were the witnesses who had gone before them, sometimes making unbelievable sacrifices for the sake of those who would walk in their footsteps.…
Daily Devotions
And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises…” vss. 32-33 Hebrews 11:29-40 The writer of Hebrews believed that all the heroes and heroines of Israel had lived by faith, just as had the ancestors of them all, Abraham and Sarah. It was a proud history. Yet even though those people had been commended for their…
Daily Devotions
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” vss. 3-4 Psalm 82 The psalmist is imagining a council of the gods of the nations that has gathered to consider the state of humankind. Such gatherings are mentioned several times in the Hebrew scriptures and can be understood as a precursor to the absolute monotheism that was typical…
Daily Devotions
They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal.” vs. 23 Jeremiah 23:26-29 Jeremiah had a bone to pick with the so-called prophets who hung around the court in Jerusalem. They would say whatever they believed would tickle the ears of the king and the nobility, and their advice was always self-serving. Jeremiah believed that the word of the Lord was like fire…
Daily Devotions
Am I a God nearby, says the Lord, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” vss. 23-24 Jeremiah 23:23-26 Jeremiah knew the Lord intimately and understood that God was beyond human understanding. If we imagine that we can escape the scrutiny of the Lord by staying away from church or avoiding prayer or becoming atheists, we…
Daily Devotions
But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.” vs. 39 Luke 12:35-40 Jesus follows up his instructions on the dangers of riches and the importance of living simply with a little parable about the importance of servants being ready for the return of their master. It’s hard to miss his point! We don’t know what the future will bring, and…
Daily Devotions
Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms.” vss. 32-33a Luke 12:32-34 When we take the words of Jesus seriously and make them the focus of our scriptural study, it’s stunning to discover how often he speaks about riches and wealth. So, if your pastor seems to be talking about money more often that you find comfortable, that pastor is not off base. In…
Daily Devotions
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.” vs. 8 Hebrews 11:8-16 Since Abraham and Sarah are mentioned first among the patriarchs and matriarchs of the Hebrew people, it’s not strange that the writer of Hebrew makes them prime models of faithfulness for his readers. In fact, they get top billing! But as he refers to…
Daily Devotions
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.” vs. 3 Hebrews 11:1-3 Most ancient peoples have wild and convoluted stories about the creation of the world. In these tales’ gods and goddesses engaged in mythic struggles for power and position and in the process all things now seen came into existence. By contrast the Hebrew creation stories seem tame and orderly.…
Daily Devotions
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” vs. 22 Psalm 33:17-22 There is a lot of talk about love among people of faith. After all Jesus commanded his disciples to love both God and neighbor, and from the beginning his followers have done their best to do just that. And even John Lennon jumped on the bandwagon with his hit single, “All We Need Is Love.” There’s probably not a sermon that…