'community' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
Daily Devotions
Matthew 22:1-7 … “But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.” vss. 5-6 This parable obviously packed a punch for Pharisees when they heard it. They immediately ratcheted up their plans to eliminate Jesus–for them he was nothing but a troublemaker. For us it’s interesting, but not easily relatable–we don’t live in a time of regional kings and royal wedding…
Daily Devotions
Philippians 2:1-4 … “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” vss. 3-4 As Paul bares his soul to his friends in the Philippian community, we see clearly what he desires for them in their life together. Living in Christ will be different from life in the world. No longer will they be dominated by desires…
Daily Devotions: April 17, 2020
April 17, 2020 1 Peter 1:6-9 … “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy…” vs. 8 We’re all pretty much in the same boat when it comes to Jesus. None of us ever saw him in the flesh and we certainly can’t see him in bodily form now. He lived a long time ago and we’re totally…
Daily Devotions: March 27, 2020
March 27, 2020 John 11:1-16 … “But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” vs. 4 These words of Jesus seem contradictory. Whoever heard of an illness that could bring glory to God, especially one that was deadly in nature? And yet that’s what happened: Lazarus died, but his death provided an opportunity for folks to celebrate…
Daily Devotions: January 7, 2020
January 7, 2020 For full passage click: Isaiah 42:1-9 … “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 Isaiah wrote these words with respect to Israel, and he presumed that the nation would be the agent of the Lord’s redemptive power. This was the “new-look-Israel” – a country focused not on tribal expansion, but on being the…
Daily Devotions: October 1, 2018
October 1, 2018 Genesis 2:18-20 …“The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.” vs. 20 This delightful creation story from Genesis presents an important truth about what it means to be human, namely that we’re not meant to live in isolation. Humans are designed for community, and most importantly we’re meant to have companions.…
Daily Devotions: August 20, 2018
August 19, 2018 John 6:54-58…“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” vs. 56 It’s no wonder that our favorite name for the Sacrament of the Altar is Holy Communion. John’s graphic description of eating and drinking flesh and blood makes it abundantly clear that, in this meal, Jesus becomes incarnate in us. As the bread and wine are absorbed into the flesh of our body, Christ himself comes to abide in…
Daily Devotions: August 9, 2018
August 9, 2018 Ephesians 4:25-28…“Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.” vs. 28 There’s something delightfully naive about this verse from Ephesians. Usually the writers of scripture come down hard on sinners; thieves are given warnings to change behavior or face harsh consequences. But here there are no threats or condemnation, just a heartfelt admonition for thieves to stop stealing and…
Daily Devotions: June 22 , 2018
June 22, 2018 2 Corinthians 6:4-13…“but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God…” vss. 4-7a We get a mini-memoir from Paul in this part of his second letter to the Corinthians. He’s gotten some negative news from Corinth; evidently some persons in the congregation have…
Daily Devotions: June 10 , 2018
June 10, 2018 Mark 3:31-35…“And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” vss. 34-35 We get mixed messages from scripture about Jesus’ relationship with his family. John and Luke indicate that by the end of his life, Mary and his brother, James, were on board with his mission, but Mark tells us there was a disconnect early on.…
Daily Devotions: May 14, 2018
May 14, 2018 Acts 2:1-13…“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.” vs. 1 Both John and Luke have accounts of the coming of the Holy Spirit: in John, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” In Luke’s version, the disciples are gathered on the day of Pentecost and the Spirit comes like the wind to fill them. The differences are not surprising–that’s how scripture is, but there is one…
Daily Devotions: April 17, 2018
April 17, 2018 Acts 4:8-12…“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” vs. 12 The disciples were ecstatic! They had such good news for their leaders…and for the entire world. Through the Holy Spirit they had come to believe that Jesus was the Christ and that through him God’s salvation had come to humanity. As they traveled about proclaiming that audacious message it seemed…