Blog (Page 250)

Ephesians 5:8-14 “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” vss. 8-10 According to scripture, those who respond to the gospel of grace by becoming part of the community of faith have moved from darkness into light. That’s a big move, an exhilarating…

Psalm 23 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” vs. 6 We’re generally aware of the sentiments of this well-known psalm. Some of us know it by heart and we hear it read at nearly every funeral we attend. It’s an embracing scripture, one that holds us closely in moments of pain and suffering. When death comes near its words…

1 Samuel 16:1-13 “He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’” vs. 12 Samuel had a tough job. He was appointed by the Lord to pick a new king for Israel to replace Saul, the man he thought was doing a reasonably good job before he messed up. The task was made a bit more ticklish because Saul wasn’t…

John 4:27-42 “Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.” vs. 35 The gospel of John is not kind to the disciples in that it often portrays them as not getting the point of what Jesus is up to. In this text they are preoccupied with finding food and are astounded by his careless associations. Not only is he having a…

John 4:16-26 “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.” vs. 23 People of faith have long been susceptible to worship squabbles. No part of the liturgy is immune to endless debates about the proper tradition or theological perspective. We argue about sanctuary set-up and stained glass windows, about whether icons or statuary are acceptable or should…

John 4:5-15 “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)” vs. 9 Culture wars and ethnic divisions have been around from the beginning of human attempts to live in community. We love to identify ourselves by our differences, whether of skin color, religion, or gender. Always those identifications carry a sense of superiority, a conviction that the…

Romans 5:1-11 “And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” vss. 3-4 Followers of Jesus are a peculiar bunch! In a world that values happiness and health, in which people will do most anything to avoid pain and distress, we have a reputation for welcoming suffering, and actually counting it as a blessing. On the surface, such an attitude seems bizarre. Accordingly, many Christians…

Psalm 95:6-11 “For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.’” vs. 10 Human beings have been given memories for many reasons, two of which are recounted in this psalm. First, the psalmist encourages the worshipers to remember the wonderful creative works of their shepherding Lord and how good life as a sheep can be. But then we hear a word of warning, an admonition…

Psalm 95:1- “O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” vs. 1 The Roman Catholic Church has lasted longer than any empire or country in the western world. For 2000 years it has been a source of strength and stability in a context of changes and challenges. Its leaders have at various times been vain and faithless, at others, strong, humble and bold. But through years of shame…

Exodus 17:1-7 “He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” vs. 7 The people of Israel had an amazing collection of stories passed on through the generations about their early days together as a community of faith. Things had not always gone smoothly as they’d wandered through the wilderness with their distorted memories of what it had been like as slaves in Egypt. Quite naturally…

John 3:10-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” vs. 16 This often memorized, regularly quoted verse contains what many believe to be the core of the gospel message. It speaks clearly of God’s inclusive love and the revelation of that love in the person of Jesus. No one is left out of the picture…there are no “un-lovables” mentioned or…

John 3:1-9 “Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’” vs. 4 Nicodemus wonders about this “born again” thing that Jesus had alluded to and asks a further question to get some clarification. He likely knows that his literal response seemed foolish, but he seems sincere in his desire to know more. Ultimately it appears that the confusion continued as he departed…