-
What kind of people
From today’s Scripture for our service: 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt…
-
Advent and worship
Isaiah 1:10-20 can be a reminder… SHOULD be a reminder of HOW we come before the Lord. In all honesty, I think we need to evaluate our worship in this light. There are times I think the American evangelical church just comes with noise and thinks it’s worship. Are we coming with our hearts and lives ready to HEAR from…
-
First Sunday of Advent — TRUST
Advent is about longing. In light of Ferguson, MO, and the fresh reminders of justice, mercy, and the battles we still face as a nation, the first Psalm I read this morning with my Advent Reading is a great reminder: 3 Don’t trust leaders; don’t trust any human beings— there’s no saving help with them! 4 Their breath leaves them, then they…
-
Advent, Longing, Justice, and Ferguson
We come to the first Sunday of Advent. It is a season of longing. We think of the longing in Israel as they wanted Messiah to come. We also reflect on the desire we need in our own lives to anticipate Jesus and his return. It is in that sense of longing we also need to reflect on what we…
-
The Power of God WITH Us
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord…
-
The prayer of longing in Advent
I saw this prayer by Walter Brueggemann on Margaret Feinberg’s site: We give you thanks for the babe born in violence. We give you thanks for the miracle of Bethlehem, born into the Jerusalem heritage. We do not understand why the innocents must be slaughtered; we know that your kingdom comes in violence and travail. Our time would be a…
-
Go ahead… be a “Scrooge”
“Be a Scrooge” has a bad connotation. But that would also miss the whole story, wouldn’t it? Maybe “being a Scrooge” could also be someone who is capable of change. That may mean hitting some horrifying event to wake up, but nevertheless, change happens. So, go ahead… be a “Scrooge.” It’s up to you as to which stage of that…
-
Generosity
The ability to live a generous life has nothing to do with an income level. Paul gives this testimony about the church in Macedonia: While they were being tested by many problems, their extra amount of happiness and their extreme poverty resulted in a surplus of rich generosity. (2 Cor. 8:2) When I was growing up I had no idea…
-
The Anticipation of the Season
32 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 33 Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. 34 It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told…
-
The frivolous and the fundamental
I am taking up regular Advent reading (HERE), but I am also continuing my regular reading pattern I began just before Advent. That reading has me in Mark 12 today (for my Gospel reading). Also, don’t forget you can follow Advent through some good devotional resources HERE. As Jesus’ time on earth is drawing to a close, the intensity of…
Tag: Advent
