Blog (Page 252)

Matthew 17:5-9 “While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’” vs. 5 Twice in Matthew’s gospel we hear a voice from a cloud, once at Jesus’ baptism, and here on the Mount of Transfiguration. Each time the words are the same, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased,” but this…

Matthew 17:1-4 “Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’” vs. 4 The day started with a stiff climb…we can only hope the disciples had brought some lunch…it was a special day for them. Jesus often went off in the wilderness by himself for prayer and meditation, but today he’d asked the three of them…

2 Peter 1:19-21 “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,” vs. 20 One of the very best conversation stoppers when talking about scriptural interpretation is to say, “Well, that’s just your opinion!” Not only does this emphatic statement end the debate, it reflects the common notion that we are free to interpret scripture in just about any way that we want. And not only that, it implies that…

2 Peter 1:16-18 “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.” vs. 16 One of the ways Christianity is different from other religions is its connection to a person who lived and breathed and walked this earth. Granted, our written records of that person come from among his disciples (Jesus himself never wrote anything) and reflect their…

Psalm 2:7-12 “Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.” vss. 11-12 This psalm was composed for the coronation of a king in Judah, and these verses were addressed to the kings of other nations, a warning that they’d better not even think of messing with this new ruler. There’s a formulaic…

Psalm 2:1-6 “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.” vs. 4 The psalmist imagines the Lord laughing at the scheming of the nations, as they struggle for power and control in this broken world. One after another they had attacked Israel, hoping in vain that they would be able to obliterate this proud and independent people. It is truly remarkable that they were not successful. Israel simply didn’t have the resources to stand against…

Exodus 24:12-18 “The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.” vs. 16 In scripture the locus of God’s presence is regularly represented as an obscuring cloud, a wonderful metaphor for the mystery and hiddenness that is a part of God’s nature. In this passage Moses prepares for his divine encounter by going up on Mount Sinai and then entering…

Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven;” vss. 43-45a In recent months, deep divisions have emerged in our country among people holding divergent opinions about a wide variety of subjects. Some of this has to do with political preferences, conservative vs. liberal, and…

Matthew 5:38-42 “But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;” vs. 39 The whole practice of nonviolent resistance has pretty much fallen out of favor in these latter days. Even though it worked well for Gandhi and for King, many Christians have figured out how to get around Jesus’ straightforward instructions. Millions have decided that the Second Amendment offers better guidance than the Sermon on…

1 Corinthians 3:18-23 “Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” vss. 18-19a We live in an age where no one seems to know what is going on, or have any clue about what is going to happen. The loudest voices are those of the fear-mongers and they tell us to be afraid, that…

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-17 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.” vs. 11 As the early followers of Jesus continued to reflect on the gospel of grace, they realized that there would have to be some sort of organizing principle for the house churches that had popped up in all the major cities. They would need to figure out worship schedules, leadership issues, membership requirements…all those things…

Psalm 119:33-40 “Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.” vs. 34 We can understand the heart of the psalmist. Like most of us he sincerely wants to be a good person and live a life that is pleasing to God. And somehow he’s gotten the notion that if he can only receive the gift of understanding, he’ll be able to achieve his goal and keep God’s law. Again, we can identify.…