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 …
On the Lord’s Day
It is a pity that the book of Revelation has been turned into a money-maker for books and movies that are more science-fiction fantasy than Christian teaching. Revelation is used to create a timeline for all sorts of fantasies of destruction. What's even more tragic is that while it's easy to misinterpret the book of …
The Bible in party mode
Oh, my goodness, who ever said that the Bible doesn't know how to party? And party with the most expensive foods and wines!! I can't wait to see the full menu! And yet, this wonderful verse comes in the middle of a chapter that celebrates the defat of Moab, one of Israel's perennial enemies. And it …
Powerful words from a powerful God
The entire chapter 35 of Isaiah can be seen as a vision of God overturning the entire ancient order. It is a vision, a prophecy, a preparation for what is about to happen to God’s people. For in the very next chapter of Isaiah we are plunged into the maelstrom of history, around the year …
The Contemporary Voice of Jesus
Why do the Gospels rely on seed parables to explain what the kingdom is? There’s today’s parable; there’s the mustard seed parable; and the parable of the seed that grows at night. Both can be read in Mark 4:26-33. He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, …
The Good Pleasure
Throughout his teaching and healing ministry, Jesus counseled us not to get obsessed with material things and concerns. Wasn't that one of the messages in this morning's Gospel parable of the Sower and the Seed? He likened the seed that falls among thorns to the man or woman who hears the word of God but …
Ancient Answers 