'hope' Tagged Posts (Page 11)
Daily Devotions
Luke 2:22-40 “There was also a prophet, Anna–of a great age… She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer…At that moment she came, and began to speak about the child.” vss. 36-38 When Mary and Jesus brought the baby Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification they were accosted by two elderly prophets, Simeon and Anna, both of whom were temple regulars. Now it’s not unusual for old people to hang around places of…
Daily Devotions
Luke 2:1-14 “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’s precious story detailing the birth of Jesus is at its core a tale of hope. When we look at our family stories it’s amazing how regularly the accounts of death are accompanied by the report of a birth. A beloved grandmother dies and a…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 89:1-4 “I declare that your steadfast love is established for ever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.” vs 2 Tradition ascribes this psalm to Ethan the Ezrahite, and calls it a maskil, a didactic poem, one that is used as a teaching tool. Ethan’s intention is clear, he wants all of Israel to know that God is faithful and that David was God’s chosen one, the founder of a dynasty that would last forever. For centuries Ethan’s…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 61:1-4 “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;” vs. 1 At times there seems to be confusion about the mission of the Church and what it is that followers of Jesus are called to be about in our world. We tend to overthink our doctrinal…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 40:1-5 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” vs. 1, 2 As the people of Judah and Jerusalem sat huddled in exile, the prophet had words of comfort for them. Their sins had been many and their suffering great, but now all of that was history–their future was bright. They had not been forgotten…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 “But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.” vss. 4-5 These are not easy days for any of us. We’re still dealing with the fall-out from the elections, and while some are satisfied with the results, others are not. Certainly nothing has been done to address the deep…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” vs. 13 Early followers of Jesus expected him to come again to usher in the promised eternal reign of God, and when that much anticipated return was delayed, some began to worry about those who were dying. Were they out of luck? Would they miss out on…
Daily Devotions
Revelation 7:13-17 “They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” vss. 16-17 Humans have an insatiable curiosity about the afterlife, and would love to have a satisfactory definitive description of what that life might…
Daily Devotions
Revelation 7:9-17 “After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” vs. 9 There is within the human heart a deep love for apocalyptic imagery, something we see regularly in the unending series of blockbuster movies with science fiction and end of the world themes. Audiences seem…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 … “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” vss. 2-3 This letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is the oldest section of the New Testament and gives a glimpse into the inner life and concerns of the earliest Greek followers of Jesus. As such,…
Daily Devotions: August 5, 2020
August 5, 2020 Psalm 85:11-13 … “The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.” vss. 12-13 Some days it feels good to engage with “relentless optimism” like that exhibited by the psalmist as he surveyed the scene in Jerusalem so many years ago. There was really no historical basis for what he said, and the geo-politics of his time was anything…
Daily Devotions: July 17, 2020
July 17, 2020 Romans 8:19-25 … “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” vss. 24-25 Paul regularly spoke of hope as he wrote to early Christians. He knew that the glories of which he spoke were not readily apparent to them and that they wondered if they would experience resurrection.…