Hebrews 11:29-12:2 So it is that this week the writer of Hebrews continues with powerful words of encouragement to those who are listening. As we heard last week, he draws heavily on the examples of heroes from Hebrew Scriptures — some of which will surely be familiar to those who gather close this week and …
“Now Faith: Abraham and Sarah”
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 I am struck by this now, at how it seems at least at first that the author of Hebrews has so sanitized the story of Abraham and Sarah, for the story line is clean and clear and is helpful in that it points us forward to God’s ultimate intention for us all. …
The Rich Man and His Barns and All of Us…
Luke 12:13-21 I am waiting, still, to receive the full import of the gift of this, for it is still and every single time just plain hard, this piece, these pieces of the journey. I was sitting in the hospital room of a beloved friend not long ago. Like the rich farmer before us now, …
Ask…
Luke 11:1-13 “Ask and it will be given you…” I had this moment a few months back when I found myself praying for an actual miracle. Now this is not my usual way of praying, not even a little bit. I am more inclined to simply sit quietly. To lift up the needs without directly …
A Story of Abundance: Three Measures of Flour and Much, Much More!
Genesis 18:1-10a I had some time off scheduled last week and with other plans being cancelled, wound up spending my vacation close to home. I decided to use some of that time to prepare a ‘starter’ for a bread recipe I had been wanting to try. It took five days and more than five pounds …
Sent
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 I am especially struck today by the profound risk Jesus asks his followers to take as he sends them on ahead. For it is risky, isn’t it, this call to step into the world with so little to protect them, to protect us, from the ‘wolves’ which will surely meet us there? …
No Longer Slave or Free…
Galatians 3:23-29 These are such words of promise and hope which are ours to receive today. Indeed, they paint an image of a world wholly unlike the one we live into and navigate every day, where too much, far too often, we are divided, and often by things a whole lot smaller than the markers …
Suffering Producing Endurance … Producing Character … Producing Hope Which Does Not Disappoint
Romans 5:1-5 This familiar passage runs contrary to the way the world thinks, doesn’t it? What I mean to say is this. We tend to think of ‘suffering’ (or ‘tribulation,’ as another translation has it) as somehow the opposite of being ‘blessed.’ For who among us has not thought, spoken, prayed or overheard another speaking …
“When Peace Like a River…”
John 14:23-29 I have it tucked away somewhere, a newsletter article written by a colleague and friend some nearly thirty years ago. Although I cannot lay my hands on it now, no matter, for the gist and the import of it has never left me. George was undergoing treatment for cancer. The words he wrote …
The End of the Story…
Revelation 21:1-6 I suppose it is not surprising that I am accustomed to mostly hearing these words at funerals, as often as not in my own voice: sometimes strong, sometimes faltering. For surely this is a powerful and no doubt, timely, word on such days when we do so very much need to hear the …