What is the least popular book in the Bible? Most people would say, Leviticus! For very good reason, as Leviticus consists mostly of laws that Moses gave to the people of Israel. And many of these laws are the kind of thing that give the Bible a bad name among many modern people. And yet, …
Parables of Surprise
The Sunday Lectionary after feast of Cross in September offers various combinations of Epistle and Gospel readings that break the normal pairings - at least in the Greek tradition. Today's readings, Ephesians 2:4-10 and Luke 16:19-31, offer an interesting juxtaposition: faith or works? Paul says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and …
Bless, do not curse!
The two verses highlighted today come from Psalm 67 - a short psalm. But verses 3-4 have to be read with the first two verses of this psalm. So let me quote the first four verses of Psalm 67. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, …
When righteous people of God are killed
In the aftermath of the killings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, it's appropriate to reflect on how Jesus spoke of righteousness. Jesus said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness - δικαιοσύνην αυτού - and all these other things will be added to you." He also said: “Beware of practicing …
Responses of the Heart
I can't let go of this beautiful psalm that I wrote on yesterday. So instead of the Paul verse which my bible software has highlighted today - I do get a little tired of too much Paul - I prefer to focus on verse 8 of this beautiful psalm: “Come,” my heart says, “seek his …
The Beauty of the Lord
Psalm 27 is one of the highest points of inspiration in the Bible. The verse highlighted today provided the text for a very catchy contemporary Christian song I first heard many years ago and I still often sing it to myself. I'm singing it right now as I write this, but silently as it's 2:00 am. …
Thank God for the Fall
My Logos Bible software posts a Bible verse every day as a color slide. I use this daily verse to compose my own reflection on it. So when I logged into my Logos account early this morning, I found today's highlighted verse is one that I referred to yesterday when I reflected on Jesus as the …
Let’s not talk of demons
Most people today don’t believe in demons and demonic possession. Yet, I claim that today’s Gospel reading is even more relevant today than it was 2,000 years ago. That’s because we don’t live in the age of demons; we live in the age of demonization! Yes, we demonize people; we demonize individuals we don’t agree with; …
The True Icon
Who is Paul referring to in Colossians 1:15? Jesus Christ, of course: ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως. He is the icon - that's the Greek word translated as image - of the invisible God. When we look at Jesus we see God. Not physically, for there is no physicality to God. God …
Some choice words
Some words for "God's chosen, holy and beloved." Yes, that's how Paul addresses his fellow believers in Christ, and that's how I address you this morning. What a privilege! But it is not a privilege in the way that human beings privilege themselves to the exclusion of others. These three epithets in Greek, ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ …
Ancient Answers 