Genesis 1. 1-5 You know, context is crucial. The same exact word or phrase can have very different meanings depending on the context of the situation; grammar sometimes helps with that. The phrase, “Let’s eat, Grandma!” with a comma after “let’s eat” says I am hungry and ready to eat your delicious food. Whereas without … [Read more…]
Matthew 2.1-12 This week Matthew Hufford, son of Beth and Joe Hufford, came by to see me. Matthew is currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. He is working as a health care educator and has a program with 30 mothers that he visits in their homes to evaluate the children’s physical and … [Read more…]
Isaiah 9.2-7 This week I heard a story on the BBC News that put theses traditional Christmas Eve texts in perspective for me. It is a story that has not been prominent in the news in the U.S. for some reason. We have become all too familiar with the terrorists that call themselves ISIS or … [Read more…]
Luke 1. 46-55 It is Advent, the Christ child is coming and we are preparing. We prepare by decorating our homes, by buying gifts for loved ones, by making donations to charity, by listening to Christmas music, baking and eating. We prepare our hearts and minds by reading Scripture and doing a daily devotion, by … [Read more…]
Mark 1. 1-8 Today is the second Sunday in Advent, Peace Sunday, it is the second week of the Christian year which began last Sunday. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ and has been celebrated in the church since the 4th century. It is a time of preparation and anticipation. … [Read more…]
Exodus 3.1-15 Many people have a burning bush experience at some point in their lifetime – a time that God is so powerfully present in a moment that there is no denying God’s existence; a moment when God gets your attention and speaks to you; a moment so commanding that every cell in your body … [Read more…]
Acts 7. 55-60 In our text last week, we saw the amazing love of Christ exhibited in Stephen as he prayed for forgiveness for the people who were killing him. We saw the seeds of love planted in a young man named Saul, a young man who was dedicating his life to rounding up Christians … [Read more…]
Acts 2: 42-47 Last Sunday, we read the story in Luke about two disciples walking home from Jerusalem on the road to Emmaus. The one they thought was a great prophet of God had just been crucified. The one they had followed and loved was dead. And then Sunday morning, tomb was found empty and … [Read more…]
Luke 24.13-35 It seems to me that God is more likely to speak to us when we are outside, when we are digging in the dirt or going for a walk or camping or hiking. Being outside and especially doing something outside – using our bodies in some way – being physical helps to clear … [Read more…]
1 Peter 1. 3-12 What a beautiful passage centered in the relationship we have with God through Christ, OUR Lord, has given US a new birth, an inheritance imperishable, undefiled and unfading for YOU. It is about relationship with God. The word “faith” is found 3 times in these 7 verses and “salvation” twice. These … [Read more…]
