Tag: Advent
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Future Tensely
Psalm 126; Isaiah 40:1-11; Romans 8:22-25 Have you realized that Advent is weird? I love Advent, don’t get me wrong. However, the world has done a successful job of retraining us on what Advent is all about. Partially, I think, this is because of the image of an unthreatening baby Jesus with lambs, other baby…
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Little Pieces Together
Psalm 104:24–35; Joel 2:18–29; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 Before churches had stained glass, there were two ways the church would decorate and—more importantly—tell the stories of the Bible (and the church) in pictures. The first was primarily on the wall and ceilings, and that was paintings. The second was primarily on the floor, but also sometimes…
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Messianic or Messiah
Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1–6; John 15:9–17 When we read the Scriptures, as has been written often in these devotions, we bring in our understanding of things. Those who have been indoctrinated (in a good way) into the faith and theology of orthodox Christianity will read into the Scriptures that which they have been taught.…
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Saving Love
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”—John 3:17 (NRSV) Have you ever started disciplining a kid (whether your own, relative, or perhaps you were bold and disciplined a complete stranger’s kid) and you caught yourself wagging your…
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Believing Love
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”—John 3:16 (NRSV) God loves you! Did you know that? Okay – if you are reading this…chances are that you did know that. But do you believe it? There…
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In Love’s Time
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”—Galatians 4:4 (NRSV) I will never forget finding out we were having our first child. I was still finishing up my masters and an internship at a church I had been serving at throughout college. We…
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Room Enough to Love
“While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 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.”—Luke 2:6-7 (NRSV) We just had our third child. I remember when…
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Discipline of Joy
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”—Psalms 32:8 (NRSV) My boys hate to be disciplined. I guess, probably, most kids don’t like to be disciplined. But we do it as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc…because we love the kid we are…