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 […]
10–16 November 2019. Zechariah 10 (click to read). When things go wrong in our lives it’s not always easy to stay positive. Every day it feels like our troubles are getting worse, that our challenges are getting bigger, and that there’s no way out of our problems. When everything is going so badly it’s hard […]
3–9 November 2019. Zechariah 1 (click to read). When ancient Jerusalem was destroyed, thousands of the city’s leaders and elites were dragged off to exile in Babylon. The prophets had warned the Israelites over and over that God would punish them for the way they had given up on love, given up on caring for […]
27 October – 2 November 2019. Habakkuk 1 (click to read). Like many other prophets, Micah saw the way that the people of Jerusalem had turned to evil to make a profit – robbing, cheating, stealing from the needy, and oppressing the weak and poor. Like other prophets before him, Micah warned the Israelites that […]
20–26 October 2019. Micah 6 (click to read). It’s good to say sorry. When our words or actions hurt others it’s important for us to recognize that, to understand that we have done something wrong, and then be brave enough to go and apologize. But even better than saying sorry is not doing that wrong […]
13–19 October 2019. Amos 6 (click to read). In Amos 6, God continues his frightening condemnation of the Israelites for all the economic injustices they have committed in their land. The Israelites have pushed people not only into poverty but to the very edge of existence itself. By rigging the economic system, by cheating in […]