29 December 2019. Revelation 21 (click to read). During the Christmas season we celebrate the good news that Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, “God with us.” The Gospel stories tell how God, in his great love for us, left heaven to come and be with us, to share our lives, and to change our world. But […]
22–28 December 2019. Revelation 14 (click to read). In 586 BC the Babylonian armies marched on Jerusalem and destroyed it. Years of suffering and centuries of rebuilding Jerusalem and its temple followed that. And then in the year 70 the Roman Empire marched on Jerusalem and destroyed it all over again. In the decades that […]
15–21 December 2019. Revelation 7 (click to read). When we worship Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, of course we don’t mean that Christ is just our King and only our Lord. No, Christ is King and Lord over all people. People in all countries, all cultures, all religions, and all times […]
8–14 December 2019. Revelation 2:1–17 (click to read). The early chapters of the Book of Revelation share seven letters by the risen Christ written to seven different churches. In chapter 2:1–17 we find three of these letters. In the seminary I often teach our future pastors that the church has two “hands” or two core […]
1–7 December 2019. Esther 1–2 (click to read). The great church Reformer Martin Luther wished that the Book of Esther had never been written. Esther is a historical novel that raised a lot of difficulties for the Jewish community and even more problems for Christians. That’s because unlike many other Bible stories, the Book of […]