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Alleluia

Psalm 80:1-7 Isaiah 66:7-11 Luke 13:31-35 This will probably be my last post before Christmas. Tomorrow's readings are for the fourth Sunday of Advent, then Christmas Eve and Christmas day have a set of three different readings. I will post lists of those tomorrow. I'm glad I have done this during Advent. It is good to sit down and wrestle with Scripture first thing in the morning during a season that can feel incredibly busy. I will have to decide what I will do here, if anything, after Christmas. (Comments are appreciated if you would like to see this keep going. I am truly on the fence.) As I look at these final readings of Advent, there seems to be one overwhelming message. God loves the people He created. He longs to love them, care for them, nurture them, gather them to Himself. God loves you. God loves me. He wants to care for us as a shepherd cares for his flock. He wants to love us as a mother loves the little baby nursing at her breast. He wants to protect us as
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Something new

Psalm 80:1-7 Isaiah 42:10-18 Hebrews 10:32-35 If there is one thing that Jesus' birth is, it is God doing something new. It was so new that even though there are as many as 400 prophesies pointing toward Jesus, it still caught everyone of guard. A baby, born to average parents, laid in a manger because the inn was full, was to become the long awaited Messiah, the savior of God's people. Yet, He didn't come with armies. He didn't overthrow the Roman government. Heck, He didn't even suggest overthrowing the government. Instead, He did the opposite. He talked about loving your neighbor... and your enemy, being forgiving, being generous, and returning to God, so that the father who waits for you can run and welcome you home with open arms. Jesus was a man, yet also God. Turn to God, follow Jesus, and you will be saved. A result of that is God will write His law on your heart and mind, and you will be able to do the crazy kind of loving that Jesus calls us to do. T
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True change

Psalm 80:1-7 Isaiah 42:10-18 Hebrews 10:32-39 Morning appointments and time to think and write seem to be mutually exclusive for me. And to make it worse, the early morning rushing around and going was for naught, because my holiday-addled brain got the time wrong, and we missed the appointment. It left me kind of kicking myself for much of the remaining day. We all have personal expectations for how we should live and act and think. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that not a single one of us lives up to our own personal expectations. Isn't that why there are shelves and shelves of books about this very topic every year? How to be a better you... How to ditch those expectations because they're not good for you, girl... How to accept and love yourself. The trouble is, all of this advice is written by flawed, human authors. It's only going to go so far, because like its authors, the advice is flawed. It can't truly change us. Only God can do that. Only
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Knowledge and understanding

Isaiah 11:1-9 Numbers 16:20-35 Acts 28:23-31 We're back to the trouble with pride in these passages, even though the word doesn't appear anywhere in any of them. It's there, though, right under the surface. Korah and his followers though he knew better than God. The Jews in Rome met with Paul and listened to what he had to say from morning until night, yet thought they knew better. Our knowledge is faulty. On our own, we will often come to the wrong conclusions. So how do we know the truth? Paul quotes Isaiah who tell us. We turn to God. God brings understanding. Without this understanding, we see things in a skewed way. We get things wrong. We hold on too tight to wrong conclusions. We become set in our ways, thinking that we have all the answers. Do not be swallowed up by your own conclusions as to how God and God's world works. Be open to what God is trying to tell you. Be humble in your convictions. Study God's word, and if you lack wisdom, ask God, wh
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A Christmas to do list

Isaiah 11:1-9 Numbers 16:1-19 Hebrews 13:7-17 I'm going to admit it. I'm stumped. I have no idea what the people who chose the liturgy readings were thinking this time. The Isaiah passage is easy, but then we go back to the story about the rebellion of Korah in Numbers and a passage in Hebrews that is clearly separated from its context. With a collection of passages like this, finding some coherence to them starts to feel a little like a parlor trick. Here goes... What sacrifice does God find pleasing? Well, not Korah's. That didn't work out so well for him and his followers. Grasping for power is clearly out. The writer of Hebrews is pretty clear, though. A sacrifice of praise to God, doing good to others, and sharing what we have. This is what is pleasing to God. Imagine a world where everyone stopped grasping for what they could get... power, money, acknowledgment... and instead focused on putting God in His rightful place by doing as much good to others a
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Third Sunday of Advent

Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18
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Opposite of fear

Isaiah 12:2-6 Amos 9:8-15 Luke 1:57-66 We talked a lot about fear yesterday. Over the past years, I have thought a lot about what the opposite emotion of fear is. I think these three passages show us. The opposite of fear is joy. Joy that God is strong enough to be our fortress and salvation. Joy that God is a god of restoration. Joy that God will love us forever. Joy that God has created a way that all of this is even possible. Advent is the preparation for God's great mercy. The birth of His son who came to make all things right. For the beginning of the restoration. For the avenue that we can be with God forever and experience His blessings. We do not need to be filled with fear. God is on the throne and He is capable. Our joy comes from acknowledging this and trusting that God is capable and lovingly cares for us. Joy. Not fear.
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