Posts by Rev. Steve Holm (Page 220)

Acts 10:34-38 “Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’” vss. 34-35 Today marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Epiphany, that time of the church year when we remember the ways in which God has been revealed through Jesus. Epiphany can also refer to a sudden realization that marks the end…

Psalm 29:5-10 “The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’” vss. 8-9 The psalmist had no trouble attributing massive earthquakes and violent windstorms to the voice of the Lord. Floods, lightning, thunder…all those things we term “acts of God,” were evidence of God’s dynamic energy and creative power. And for centuries…

Psalm 29:1-4 “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” vss. 3-4 We hear so many voices these days, loud voices all clamoring for our attention, all claiming to have an important word for us! They come at us from every direction…from tweets and youtube, television and radio. Often they are the pompous…

 Isaiah 42:5-9 “I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” vss. 6b-7 Jesus adopted these words from Isaiah as a messianic job description and used them as a guide for his words and actions during his ministry. Wherever he went people felt the presence of God and found relief from…

 Isaiah 42:1-4 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” vs. 1 Living in exile, hundreds of miles from his homeland, the prophet believed that Israel was the much-loved servant of God and that, empowered by the spirit of God, Israel would bring justice to the nations. It was an amazing vision for a leaderless people with a history…

Matthew 2:19-23 “Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.” vs. 21 According to Matthew’s gospel, after a brief sojourn in Egypt, Joseph takes his family to Nazareth in Galilee, a safe place where he could find work and provide for his wife and child. After life in Bethlehem this would be a new beginning with fresh opportunities. And that’s exactly what today represents to many of us! It’s the first…