Blog (Page 226)
Daily Devotions: January 7, 2018
Mark 1: 9-11 “And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” vs. 11 The season of Epiphany begins with a celebration of Jesus’ baptismal call to ministry. We don’t know why Jesus came from Nazareth to the Jordan to be baptized by John, but we do know that the experience had a deep and lasting impact on his life. The Holy Spirit came upon him and he heard the…
Daily Devotions: January 6, 2018
Matthew 2:1-12 “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.” vs. 10 Taken on its own, the story of the Wise Men from Matthew’s gospel strains our credulity. Today we would quickly label it as being “fake news,” a story that reasonable people simply can’t believe…it just doesn’t ring true. But taken in context, purposefully chosen by Matthew to begin his narrative, it has come to have enormous significance. Today the Wise Men’s journey is…
Daily Devotions: January 5, 2018
Mark 1:4-8 “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” vs. 8 Not much was going on in Nazareth, a sleepy hamlet just west of the Sea of Galilee, during the years that Jesus made it his home. Most of the action was happening in Judea and particularly in the area around the Dead Sea. A group called the Essenes had gathered in the wilderness at a place we call Qumran and had…
Daily Devotions: January 4, 2018
Acts 19:1-7 “Then he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They answered, ‘Into John’s baptism.’” vs. 3 When we read the little vignettes from the life of Jesus that we find in the gospels we tend to think we’re getting the whole story, and really we’re not! Those were traumatic and confusing years and tensions were rising in the Holy Land. There was a lot of movement as Jews begun to search for safety and stability…soon there were pockets…
Daily Devotions: January 3, 2018
Psalm 29:6-11 “May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” vs. 3 During the last couple of days we’ve probably heard the traditional New Year greeting dozens of times. After all when a new calendar year rolls around it’s customary to express best wishes for the weeks and months ahead…and many times our words sound like those of the psalmist. We say “Happy New Year” and pray that God will give strength…
Expanding Our Circle of Inclusion
Sometimes the Rev. Melissa Maxwell-Doherty, of Thousand Oaks, California attends the Spirit in the Desert Board of Director meetings via video conference. However, she prefers attending the meetings on campus because, “I have a fondness for the desert, for the Center’s comfortable facilities, and the opportunity to have a retreat experience during a working board meeting.” Melissa, who was appointed to Spirit in the Desert’s Board of Directors in 2016, is Vice President for Mission and Identity for California Lutheran…
Daily Devotions: January 2, 2018
Psalm 29: 1-5 “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” vs. 4 When we consider the attributes of God our choice of descriptive words is all over the map. So much depends upon our God definitions and God experiences. Many in our age don’t see things in the course of their daily experiences that bring God to mind…God for them is more of an idea or a concept and not a…
Daily Devotions: January 1, 2018
Genesis 1:1-5 “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” vs. 5 Well, it’s here! A new year stretches out in front of us with 365 brand new days for our use and enjoyment. It’s a time for resolutions and planning…maybe a diet or exercise regime. Or perhaps there’s an adventure awaiting! We could even have a plan for improving relationships or making a change in…
Daily Devotions: December 31, 2017
Luke 2:36-40 “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” vs. 40 When we consider all that has been written about Jesus, it’s sometimes startling to realize that we know very little about him. We have accounts of his ministry from his baptism until his death, at most a year or so, but, aside from a brief paragraph in Luke, there’s nothing at all about his life before then. We know…
Daily Devotions: December 30, 2017
Luke 2:22-35 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation…” vss. 29-30 According to witnesses, as Martin Luther lay dying in Eisleben, the town of his birth, he repeated these words from Simeon’s song over and over. After a long (for those days) and tumultuous life he yearned for the peace that he knew death would bring. In Luke’s story Simeon sings because after a lifetime of waiting…
Daily Devotions: December 29, 2017
Galatians 4:4-7 “And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” vs. 5 As we continue our Christmas celebration of Jesus’ birth these words from Paul remind us of what that birth actually means for our daily existence. He’s writing to Jews living in the Roman province of Galatia and wants them to know that what happened in Jesus has given them adoption as children of God. They are no…