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 […]
6–12 October 2019. Amos 1 (click to read). The book of Amos begins with a collection of judgement prophecies, describing God’s coming punishment on some of ancient Israel’s enemies. For the Israelites listening to these prophecies against Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, and Amon, they must have felt quite happy. In Amos’s time Israel was actually […]
29 September – 5 October 2019. Joel 1 (click to read). The Book of Joel opens with a heartbreaking description of Israel’s destruction. Foreign armies have marched into Israel’s lands and have destroyed everything. Joel describes the armies as locusts, destroying and devouring everything in their way. Those armies don’t just demolish Israel’s fortresses, they […]
22–28 September 2019. Hosea 7 (click to read). The story of Hosea’s broken marriage with his cheating wife Gomer is a metaphor for God’s marriage relationship with his own unfaithful people. And it’s here in chapter 7 that we hear the husband’s sadness and confusion at the way this unfaithful wife has behaved. God is […]