Tag: blessing

  • Just a Corner

    1 Samuel 24:1–19, Revelation 6:12–17 The tug-of-war between King Saul and King-to-be David lasted a number of years. The man who could have been Saul’s Number One and led Saul to victory over the enemies of Israel was instead hunted by Saul. In many respects, Saul felt betrayed by David and probably God. David, on…

  • Sibling Strife

    Genesis 25:19–34, Genesis 27:1–45 If you have siblings or multiple children, you probably understand the tension that exists between siblings. Often, the tension may seem completely silly, but it is still there. Rabekah’s War in the Womb was definitely a precursor to the strife between the brothers. Twins (or multiples) generally do push and pull…

  • Pentecost

    John 20:19–23, Acts 1:4, Acts 2:1–36 The short vignette in the locked upper room after the Resurrection seems as if was a snippet of a memory that was lacking something. Yet, John felt it was important. As a precursor to Pentecost, Jesus’ statement/blessing about receiving the Holy Spirit was an important thing. Jesus had already…

  • Eve of Pentecost

    Isaiah 24:4–13, Zechariah 14:8–11, Revelation 22:1–5 The curse. As we read about the curse in Isaiah, we can easily read into it the current fears, concerns, and observations regarding our environment. Truth be told, if we are called to be stewards—rather than dominators—of Creation, we can see our responsibility regarding Creation. The context of this…

  • 4th Wednesday after Easter

    Psalm 85, Numbers 33:1-56, Galatians 5:16–25 We are born. We die. The beginning and then end. In between the beginning and the end there are many steps to take. The Israelites were finally at the end of their wandering in the desert. They had taken many steps in the desert. With God’s blessing and care,…

  • Sixth Friday of Lent

    Exodus 12:1–20, Nehemiah 8:1–18, Psalm 133 The Exodus story, specifically the first Passover, always comes up around Easter. Which makes perfect sense, as Holy Week revolves around Passover, along with the seemingly obvious linking of Jesus being the ultimate Passover lamb (i.e., the sacrifice needed for Passover). All the Israelites were going to sacrifice a…

  • Sixth Thursday of Lent

    Isaiah 65:8–16, Luke 5:33–39 In Old Testament and Jesus’ time, wine was considered a sign of God’s blessing.* In this Isaiah speech, the new wine will be the remnant that faithfully returns to God, and then to the Promised Land. The interesting play on this means that because of the old wine (Israel) that the…

  • Fourth Monday of Lent

    Psalm 16, Luke 24:13–35 Psalm 16 is considered by many to be a Messianic Psalm. Peter and Paul both seemed to have some agreement on this as they appear to have referenced as it appears to be referenced to by them in a number of places. One of the contrasts is the cup of blood…