People Pottery November 30, 2014 Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands. Isaiah 64:7 (HCSB) People who use clay to make all kinds of vessels and instruments are called potters. They take ordinary clay and they form it into bowls, plates, instruments of all kinds, ornaments, or even just paperweights. The end result is limited only by the imagination of the potter. The... Read more
Food of Tears “You fed them the bread of tears and gave them a full measure of tears to drink.” (Psalm 80:5, HCSB) November 28, 2014 Year B Tears are the food of a prayer tortured soul. I have heard one time that tears are a blessing from God. But one wouldn’t think that from this verse. The psalmist describes a prayer scene full of anguish and pain. He is asking God to restore them. The reason is because the psalmist feels... Read more
The Season of Advent The Season of Advent starts an early New Year. It is the beginning of a new liturgical year for those churches that follow the lectionary readings. A new cycle of scriptural readings begins. The season of Advent is a wonderful time when the church celebrates the beginning of the church year. In many churches, it will last forty days (and four Sundays. Each Sunday concentrates on a specific element of the Advent season. For some Christian traditions, each... Read more
Santa Claus Ain’t The Only One Coming to Town November 27, 2014 Year B ““Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son —except the Father only.” (Matthew 24:36, HCSB) You better watch out You better not cry Better not pout I’m telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town Santa Claus is coming to town He’s making a list And checking it twice; Gonna find out Who’s naughty and nice... Read more
Happy Hallothanksmas There was a time when we celebrated three holidays during three different months, each with distinct traditions and forms of celebrations. As the cartoon above notes, these three celebrations have essentially merged in American culture today. Halloween, which is celebrated on October 31st, runs into Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. After Thanksgiving, it begins the Christmas season. Halloween is celebrated with masks and candy and pumpkins. Thanksgiving is celebrated with turkeys, harvest festivals... Read more
Thanksgiving Day “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4–5, CSB) Thanksgiving Day is a reflection on the Thanksgiving holiday and its relationship to the Bible, the way that Christians see the importance of Thanksgiving as a holiday. Thanksgiving is an American holiday, one of the holiest of days on the American calendar.... Read more
Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man, or was he? While we may think that Zacchaeus was a small man, in reality, he was probably a much larger man. The key comes in how one views Luke 19:3. It states: “He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man.” (Luke 19:3, CSB) The verse before describes Zacchaeus: “There was a man... Read more
November 25, 2014 Year B Are the nations “streaming” to God’s House? (Isaiah 2:2) You look around at the culture and see Godlessness in a seemingly hopeless world. Are the “many peoples” joining together to go to God’s house to get God’s instruction on a matter? (Isaiah 2:3) You look around at the people and see people abandoning God’s house and His ways. Things seem hopeless. Are the nations settling their disputes peacefully? Have the nations stopped “taking up swords”... Read more
2 Peter 1:12-21 God’s Word Men die, but the Word lives (1:12-15) Motives behind Peter’s ministry: Obedience to Christ’s command (1:12) The right thing to do (1:13) Being diligent (1:15) Experience fades, but the Word remains (1:16-18) Fabled stories versus personal experience (1:16) Peter came – to the mountain Peter saw – the glory of God in Christ Peter heard – the voice of God Peter is responding to two objections: Objection #1 – The Return of Jesus Christ... Read more
Obadiah 1-14 Overcoming Pride When I think about the sin of pride, the greatest sin of all, it reminds me of the army colonel. He had just been promoted to colonel. He was sitting in his office when someone knocked at the door and said, “This is Private Johnson. May I see you sir?” He said, “Just a minute.” The colonel, wanting to look impressive, picked up his telephone and he said real loud, “Yes, Mr. President. I understand, Mr.... Read more
Select your answer to see how you score.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In