'Tradition' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” vs. 1 Isaiah 11:1-4 In some homes, a Jesse tree has appeared in the family room right alongside the Christmas trees. Usually Jesse trees are not impressive in themselves; they’re just large dead branches stuck in some sort of non-descript container. They’re not at all like Christmas trees, but they are meant to be decorated. Each day during Advent some sort…
Daily Devotions
Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.” vs. 11 Deuteronomy 26:1-11 The Israelites, convinced that the God of their ancestors had directed them to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land, codified thanksgiving as a part of their written law. Each year after the harvest they would take a portion of the firstfruits…
Daily Devotions: October 4, 2018
October 4, 2018 Hebrews 1:1-4 …“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son…” vss. 1-2a The early Christians treasured their scriptures and regarded them as authoritative guides for living. They particularly valued the words of the prophets and saw in them a reflection of God’s wisdom and judgement. But they also believed that God had brought a new word in…
Daily Devotions: September 1, 2018
September 1, 2018 Mark 7:1-8 …“Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.” vss. 1-2 The Pharisees were not particularly health conscious. They weren’t worried about germs or pathogens. When they noticed that some disciples had not washed their hands they objected on religious grounds. This was a violation of the law and they…