Tag: change
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First Sunday of Lent
Psalm 50, Isaiah 58, Matthew 6:1–18 Humankind is always trying to figure God out. Humankind will often take a human role/position and apply it to God. It is not wrong to do this, in scripture we see, “Lord of lords.” There is an explicit understanding that no matter how great or powerful any person of…
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Ash Wednesday
Isaiah 58:1–12, Psalm 51:1–17, Matthew 6:19–21 Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, the reflective Christian journey to the cross. One of the symbolic pieces are the ashes themselves. The “official” tradition is that the ashes are from last year’s Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day that observes Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with…
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Unveiling Transfiguration
Psalm 99, Exodus 34:29–35, 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2, Luke 9:28–36 Sometimes things we are unaware of about ourselves become a separator be us and others. Imagine Moses already feeling the pressure of leading these people. The strain of leadership along with the regular stubbornness of the Israelites would always keep some separation between Moses and the…
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Eighth Saturday after Epiphany
Numbers 27:12-22, Deuteronomy 31:1-23, Proverbs 15:18–29 A relay race requires timing and teamwork. As the baton carrier approaches the next runner, that runner must start running. The two must match stride and pace so that the baton can be handed-off smoothly. Rarely will a relay team just start off, even if all are excellent runners.…
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Eighth Friday after Epiphany
Psalm 99, Deuteronomy 16:1–17, 1 Corinthians 10:23–11:2 If you look at the calendar of any country, you will find a number of secular (i.e, non-religious) observances. Sometimes these to get mixed into religion, and some are just odd. Today, for example, has the following “observations”: Day of Unplugging; Pig Day; Employee Appreciation Day; Salesperson Day;…
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Eighth Wednesday after Epiphany
Psalm 38, Leviticus 5:1–19, Luke 17:1–4 “Already forgotten.” “Don’t worry about it.” We sometimes hear these words when trying to apologize or make amends for something we have done wrong to another. Sometimes the person says these words as a veiled acceptance for the apology. Sometimes it was so inconsequential to them that they spent…
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Interceding Love
Genesis 44:18–34, Isaiah 59:15b–20, Hebrews 7:11–28, Romans: 8:26–39 It has been said the person who does not pray for their spouse will have their prayers bounce back. It has been said that a person who is not prayed for by their spouse will experience the same. It does seem to be a catch-22. It isn’t.…
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Sixth Monday after Epiphany
Psalm 37:1-12, Jeremiah 12:1–17, 2 Peter 1:2–10 We can look around, and wonder what’s wrong with the world. Those who are corrupt or greedy seem to be doing so much better than good people. When we look around, we can either be discouraged or we can look up. This really is nothing new. The psalmist…