Tag: wages
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Just Breathe
Psalm 104:24–34; Ezekiel 37:1–14; John 20:19–23 In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, there is a simple practice performed by many, where they say, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God…” while breathing in and then “…have mercy on me, a sinner,” while exhaling. The Jesus Prayer (as it is called in the Orthodox tradition) is a prayer…
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Sackcloth and Ashes
Psalm 115; Ezra 9:5–15; John 16:16–24 Collective guilt has been on the top of many lists in the last year. Regardless of your political, philosophical, or religious perspective of the collective guilt issues, it does allow us to better understand the pressure that Ezra felt…somewhat. Ezra was trying to make up for generations of sin…
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Wages of Worth
We say that people are equal, but we often don’t treat them that way. Wages should not define a person, but we often treat them as the test of their worthiness.
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Calling One; Calling All
Luke 3:7–16; 2 Peter 1:3–15 What is calling? For pastors, their calling is…being a pastor. Even how “being a pastor” changes depending on character, passions, and context. However, due to the influence of the Roman Catholic church (statement not fault-finding), most Protestant traditions (there are some exceptions) use the word “calling” for only one “calling”…being…
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Holy Wednesday
Psalm 55, 2 Samuel 16:15–17:10, John 13:21-32 Betrayal. It’s not that we expect our enemies or adversaries to “play” fair, but our friends? Co-workers? Family? It’s hard. It hurts. We often feel absolutely powerless in the midst of it. Then we feel angry. All very human. The psalmist (probably not David, but maybe) goes through…
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Heart of Food
Psalm 141, Daniel 1:1-16, Mark 7:14-23 With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, chocolate and sweets often come to mind. Food is often a significant part of gatherings whether they be gatherings of family, friends, or church. Barring royalty or the blessings of developed nations (mostly), food scarcity is a real thing. In the days…