Sunday, February 23, 2020 | Reflections
Matthew places the transfiguration right after Jesus preaches about the cross and self-denial. Going up the mountain, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with him as representatives of the Christian community. Just like them, we have been created to behold the glory of...
Saturday, February 22, 2020 | Reflections
My friend has the words righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness tattooed on her arm. She still complains about how painful the process was. I ask her if it’s a pain to live the words. She jokes that it’s not too painful if she lives one word a...
Friday, February 21, 2020 | Reflections
Just before our story for today picks up, Jesus has been talking to anyone who will listen about the good shepherd, his beloved flock, and the One who sent him. And the naysayers don’t like this one bit. Love is at its purest during challenging times, and here we see...
Thursday, February 20, 2020 | Reflections
From The Archives: August 14, 1945There can hardly be a better description of what the sight of God would be like to human eyes than this thrice Holy of Isaiah’s, because Isaiah really does not describe God at all. He describes the surroun….(View this reading...
Wednesday, February 19, 2020 | Reflections
Whenever Jesus tells those who oppose him the truth about their inner thoughts and actions, they become uncomfortable and angry. The truth of their deceit does not lead to their conversion but rather a hardening of their hearts. Scripture presents this phenomenon as a...
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 | Reflections
We have a challenging time answering God’s call to pay attention to and emulate the holiness of Jesus. The author of 1 John provides us good encouragement, reminding us that Jesus walks in love and light, compassion and peace, in all of his relationships. Jesus lives...
Monday, February 17, 2020 | Reflections
Faith is the vow we make to God when we seek to respond more deeply to God’s love. Of course, God is the one with unwavering faith and love for us. When we lose faith in God or lose our love, God remains faithful and continues calling us. Faith in God is...
Sunday, February 16, 2020 | Reflections
When I was growing up, memorizing scripture was part of my Christian formation. Sunday School often encouraged children and adults to memorize particular Bible verses—and rewarded us with gold stars and special certificates. While this practice seems to h….(View...
Saturday, February 15, 2020 | Reflections
Check yourself before you wreck yourself. This seems to be what Paul is saying. There is no life without relationships. Our relationships shape and make us, even the difficult ones. Paul picks up on a familiar theme of our membership in the body of ….(View this...
Friday, February 14, 2020 | Reflections
Life is filled with drama. When we look at the life of our spiritual ancestors, drama is everywhere—family feuds, wars, mistakes, and failed attempts to be the holy people God has made and called us to be. One faithful step in dealing with our own...
Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Reflections
From The Archives: November 26, 1944There are old watchtowers in Europe that have spiral stairways with windows at different levels. As you go up, you come on a window that looks out in the same direction as the one below, and you are apt to….(View this reading...
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | Reflections
The message from this section of Paul’s letter to the Christians living in Rome undergirds his belief that a genuine life of love is made up of many broken-hearted moments and miraculous restorations. One reason Romans resonates with so many of us is because we live...
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 | Reflections
We are all in need of being saved. When Jesus encounters the woman caught in adultery, he offers the ultimate assistance of salvation. The men who condemn her make her feel miserable, acting out their own narrow-minded misery. Jesus saves her—not just from death but...
Monday, February 10, 2020 | Reflections
Isaac and Rebekah’s story is a powerful one, full of drama, adventure, love, heartbreaks, disappointments, challenges, joys, and struggle. My favorite part of their life story is the experience Rebekah has carrying twins. The sons in her womb fight each other from the...
Sunday, February 9, 2020 | Reflections
Bob Marley, activist and Jamaican singer/songwriter, frequently sang about all the troubles in the world. In songs such as “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry),” “Iron Lion Zion,” and “Redemption Song,” Marley’s understanding of compassion, grace, mercy, and restoration...
