Blog (Page 69)
Daily Devotions
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” vss. 24-26 Numbers 6:22-27 In most of our congregations the pastor’s last words to the gathered people are some form of the Aaronic Benediction. And while for some this is a welcome signal that the end is in sight, most worshippers are touched by this familiar blessing.…
Daily Devotions
Christmas Day And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” vs. 14 John 1:1-14 Christmas is the day chosen to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and the name was chosen quite deliberately. It would not have been adequate to call it Jesusmas. Not only would that name have been clumsy to say, it wouldn’t have come close to expressing the…
Daily Devotions
Christmas Eve But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’” vss. 10-11 Luke 2:8-14 Many people, even those whose faith is sketchy, try to make time for going to church on Christmas Eve. It’s a family ritual and, along with a traditional meal and opening…
Daily Devotions
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” vs. 7 Luke 2:1-7 We don’t know if Luke embellished his story of Jesus’ birth; it’s certainly different from Matthew’s, but we love the picture he painted, and nativity set depictions of the scene can be found in nearly every home at Christmas. St. Francis began the practice when…
Daily Devotions
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly…” vss. 11-12 Titus 2:11-14 The book of Titus reflects the conviction of early believers that God’s saving grace had been showered upon all humanity in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. That’s a truth worth holding close to our hearts, especially in these times of religious…
Daily Devotions
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” vss. 4-5 Psalm 96 Human beings seem to have a god gene as part of their DNA that drives them to set aside time and energy for worship as a regular activity. Sometimes the object of that worship was found in nature, perhaps a particular mountain or…
Daily Devotions
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” vs. 6 Isaiah 9:6-7 Early Christians knew the Hebrew scriptures like the backs of their hands, and after Jesus’ death and resurrection they found dozens of references in the law and the prophets that verified their conviction that Jesus was the Messiah. This little verse from Isaiah was well…
Daily Devotions
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.” vs. 2 Isaiah 9:2-5 This little verse from Isaiah is familiar to folks who worship on Christmas and is often used as an introduction to the liturgy. Yet in recent years there are some who maintain that the light/darkness metaphor has contributed to the continuing problem of racism. They say that when light represents…
Daily Devotions
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife…” vs. 24 Matthew 1:21-25 Joseph took dreams seriously! Four different times, Matthew tells us Joseph woke up in the morning and did whatever he had been commanded to do during the night. His obedience was impeccable! Sometimes that’s how it works for us too. We might have been wrestling with a decision for some time, unable to make up…
Daily Devotions
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” vs. 18 Matthew 1:18-20 If all we had was Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, Christmas wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. In fact there probably wouldn’t even be any Sunday School Christmas programs without Luke’s singing angels, watching shepherds, and the baby in…
Daily Devotions
…through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name…” vs. 5 Romans 1:5-7 With the gift of grace, Paul had also received what might be called a “calling.” He had been made an apostle, one who is sent as an emissary, in order that Gentiles might also become believers. Essentially, Gentiles were outsiders, anyone who was not a Jew, and it was a big…
Daily Devotions
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God….” vs. 1 Romans 1:1-7 Paul actually calls himself a “slave” of Jesus Christ, but since people are uncomfortable with that designation, translators have accommodated and usually substitute the word “servant.” But Paul meant “slave”! He considered himself to be owned, body and soul, by Jesus Christ, with a call to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Many of us are uncomfortable using…