Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 190)
Daily Devotions: December 20, 2017
Luke 1:46-50 “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord…’” vs. 46 Each year we marvel at Mary’s response to the angelic annunciation but sometimes we miss the significance of these opening words of her song. Her soul magnifies the Lord! Our tendency is frequently the opposite…our souls diminish the Lord in every way that we can. We want so badly to control our world and as a consequence God gets smaller and smaller. In fact that’s the biggest problem…
Daily Devotions: December 19, 2017
2 Samuel 7:8-11, 16 “Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.” vs. 11b David had been successful in hunting down his enemies and had even captured Jerusalem and made it his capital. And now he had been intending to complete his conquest by taking control of the Lord. He would build a house for his god…and there he would come to get prayers answered and receive guidance. He would have his own personal…
Daily Devotions: December 18, 2017
2 Samuel 7:1-7 “Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’” vs. 3 Initially the prophet Nathan was only echoing what political sycophants have done for millennia. He told King David to do whatever he wanted to do because the Lord was with him. Folks in position of power love to get that kind of encouragement. That’s why politicians choose cabinets and advisory teams who tell them exactly what…
Daily Devotions: December 17, 2017
John 1:19-28 “He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’” vs. 20 “Know thyself!” is a bit of ancient wisdom sometimes attributed to Socrates, though it probably even predates him. It’s an important truth, a maxim that can guide our efforts at personal growth, but probably the first step in such self-knowledge is knowing who we are not, and that’s where John the Baptist is the perfect model. When people came asking who he…
Daily Devotions: December 16, 2017
John 1:6-8 “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.” vs. 8 There are times in this world of intrusive darkness, when we would very much like to brighten the day for someone caught in the depths of sadness and despair. And so we try! We test jokes and witty sayings, or maybe try out some little bit of fluff and pablum that we’ve picked up from the internet. Sometimes we might coax a…
Daily Devotions: December 15, 2017
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” vs. 23 Paul closes his first letter to the Thessalonians with a benediction that reveals the depth of his love. He prays that God would sanctify them entirely and that they might be found blameless when the Lord Jesus returns. In offering this blessing, he mentions their…
Daily Devotions: December 14, 2017
1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” vss. 19-22 The little congregation huddled in the Greek city of Thessalonica was pretty much on its own. They had no constitution or synodical guidance. There were no rostered leaders or seminary trained pastors. The gospels hadn’t even been written yet and many of them were unfamiliar with the Hebrew…
Daily Devotions: December 13, 2017
Psalm 126 “Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.” vs. 6 The third Sunday in Advent arrives on the scene during the darkest time of the year, those days when the sun seems reluctant to show itself and the long nights can bring tearful thoughts of absent loved ones. By tradition, and probably not by accident, this is also the Sunday when we light the pink candle…
Daily Devotions: December 12, 2017
Isaiah 61:8-11 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” vs. 10 The people of Judah didn’t have much when they came back to the Land of Promise…the years in exile had depleted their energy and resources…but…
Daily Devotions: December 11, 2017
Isaiah 61:1-4 “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;” vs. 1 From Luke’s gospel we learn that Jesus chose this verse from Isaiah as his mission statement. We can infer from his choice that his followers are sent for the same purpose: “to bring good…
Daily Devotions: December 10, 2017
Mark 1:6-8 “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” vs. 8 These words from Mark’s gospel are familiar…we hear them every year during Advent…but they’ve been ever so confusing to followers of Jesus. Our different perspectives on water and spirit baptism have led to endless debates and occasional division. During the darkest periods of church history, believers have even been killed because of varying baptismal practices. All Mark is trying to say…
Daily Devotions: December 9, 2017
Mark 1:1-5 “And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” vs. 5 For Mark the beginning of the good news of Jesus begins, not with dreams and angel visitations, but with the wilderness ministry of a fiery prophet with a message of repentance. John the Baptist was a significant figure and he attracted major crowds–he even caught the…