Tag: return
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Storms of Dust
No one in their right mind would want to bring into something new all the tattered, worn out, bloody, hateful stuff into something beautifully new. It’s good that the old will be gone.
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So Over It
Psalm 25:1–10; Daniel 9:15–25a; 2 Timothy 4:1–5 For nearly a year, we’ve had COVID. For nearly a year, there have been limitations in gathering and movement. Finally, 9 months in, there was news of a vaccine. Then there were multiple vaccines. Now we wait. Still, though, we often catch ourselves asking, “when will this be…
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Wall Fall
While time flows, there is always time for redemption and reconciliation. However, at some point, time will end, and redemption and reconciliation are no more.
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Flame Bright in the Dark
Matthew 25:1–13 The Nicene Creed (one of the statements of belief that cross all Christian denominations) is as follows (maybe even read it aloud): We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,…
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Advent Set Aside
Zechariah 14:1–9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–18 So often, it takes destruction for transformation. Far too many stories, whether Alcoholics Anonymous, Celebrate Recovery, Narcotics Anonymous, or others involve someone hitting rock bottom before a turn-around occurs. The opening words from this passage from Zechariah are brutal. The cruelty that the Israelites would receive went from financial, to…
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Prepare to Prepare
Psalm 80; Zechariah 13:1–9; Revelation 14:6–13 If you’ve ever watched a professional chef (besides the competition ones), they will often have pre-cut and -measured ingredients so that when a customer orders a dish, most of the time-consuming work is completed. If you’ve ever ordered a sandwich at Subway, the meat and cheese are already pre-portioned.…
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A Promise
Isaiah 44:21–28; Ezekiel 34:25–31; Mark 14:22–26 Remember. We are called on to remember things every day. Some have become so ingrained (putting undergarments, I hope) that we don’t actually remember them; we just do them. Like many things that are ingrained, relationships aren’t. We might take them for granted, but that doesn’t make them ingrained.…