Let’s Talk About Ezekiel I’m going to be honest. I have always found Ezekiel to be incredibly strange. Perhaps for that reason, I tend to only read the parts of Ezekiel that I am familiar with. The parts that make sense to me. The ones that move me in some way (for example, Ezekiel and … Read more
Obadiah’s Message to Edom Ok, time for a quick geography and history lesson. I promise it will be quick! Edom was Israel and Judah’s neighbor to the southeast. They occupied a land mass that was roughly equivalent to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and they, like so many of Israel’s neighbors, had a complicated … Read more
Jerusalem in Distress Jeremiah prophesied during the reigns of Judah’s kings Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, and he witnessed the people of Judah under the rule of the Assyrian empire, the Babylonian empire, with both threats and help from the Egyptian empire, and a few brief moments of Judah’s independence interspersed during some of these … Read more
Prophetic Hope This past Sunday, John Mark began a sermon series on Hope and Justice in the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah was a prophet, and like some of his contemporaries, he called on the people of God to repent and to turn to God. Unlike many other of his contemporaries (the class of prophets who … Read more
Simeon and Anna Simeon and Anna are not likely to be names that you immediately recognize when it comes to the story of Jesus. Their stories are only recorded in the Gospel of Luke at the beginning of Jesus’ life. Both Simeon and Anna are present when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple … Read more
Justice, Mercy, Humility Micah was a prophet during the early years of the Assyrian threat to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, about the years 720-700 BCE. Micah preached in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, but he foresaw the coming calamity to the Northern Kingdom, and he sought that the Southern Kingdom repent and turn back … Read more
David Learns Humility During the past two weeks, we have witnessed protests, riots, press conferences, statements, tweets, and so much more. We have watched the news unfold with footage that saddens us, angers us, and confuses us, and most of the time, we are left wondering what is left to do? What can be done … Read more
The Spirit Brings Hope Yesterday, the church all over the world celebrated Pentecost Sunday. It is the day on which the Spirit falls upon the disciples (described in Acts 2), and the great missionary activity of the church is born. It is a moment of great joy, as well as a little bit of confusion … Read more
Remembering the Gift Yesterday, we celebrated Memorial Day. For many, this is a day to spend with family and loved ones, while for others it is a day of rest from work and the requirements of our daily lives. For others, it is an opportunity to reflect upon and to remember those who have sacrificed … Read more
The Dinner Party In the world that Jesus grew up and lived in, status was more important than we might think. Or at least important in different ways than we think. Today, we might be tempted to think that status can be defined just as much by who we don’t interact with as about what … Read more
