Knowing how the week ends, I’ve always found the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday—also known as Passion Sunday—to be a little confusing. It’s so joyous and exuberant. Jesus is being acknowledged as the King that he is. With this kind of beginning, what would make …
Having looked at the parable of the prodigal son last week—or, more accurately, the parable of our compassionate heavenly Father!—this morning’s passage provides an interesting counter-point because in it we have a stark contrast between the apostle Paul’s attitude and that of the elder son from the parable. In his …
Our passage this morning is commonly referred to as “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” As you know, a parable is a story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson and it was one of Jesus’ favorite forms of teaching. And who doesn’t love a good story? There are …
This morning we return to the book of the prophet Isaiah. As mentioned before, Isaiah lived from around 740–681 BC. The general theme of his writing is “Yahweh Saves!” which is also what Isaiah’s name means—“The LORD saves.” And, again, whereas the first 39 chapters of his book are an …
Our passage this morning tells how the LORD confirmed his promise to Abram, to make of him a great nation. We first read about this call a few chapters earlier Genesis 12 where it’s recorded that: 1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your …
Though our culture celebrates Valentine’s Day today, in the Church calendar, today commemorates the first Sunday in Lent—and I’m pretty sure you already know which of these two I’ll be focusing on! The word “Lent” actually comes from a Latin word meaning “fortieth” (quadragesima)[1] and traditionally it’s associated with the …
Today many Protestant churches celebrate Transfiguration Sunday which falls between the last Sunday after Epiphany—a season that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as Savior not only to the Jews but also to the whole world—and the first Sunday before Lent. The Transfiguration is a reference to the day in …
This morning’s passage is the well-known “love” chapter from I Corinthians 13. You have probably heard it read at almost every wedding you have ever attended—and, yes, Ron and I had it read as part of our own wedding service. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with reading this Scripture at …
Our passage from Luke 4 this morning provides some important glimpses into Jesus’ life as well as his self-understanding. And one key to both Jesus’ life and mission is his anointing by the Holy Spirit, marking him as God’s chosen, Messianic servant, in fulfillment of the Scriptures—our Old Testament. In …
Last week we looked at a portion from Isaiah that addressed a prophecy he made to Jewish exiles-to-be-in-Babylon that offered them a word of comfort given to Isaiah by God two hundred years prior to their exiled existence. Our passage this week comes from the final section of Isaiah’s prophecy …
