What should we make of Isaiah’s prophecy of “rivers in the desert?” Click here for the lectionary readings for tomorrow, the fifth Sunday in Lent. As usual, on this Saturday, I’ll offer some comments on the Old Testament reading, Isaiah 43:16-21. This is my summary of it: It’s true that in the past God saved …
For me, “injure yourselves before your enemies” summarizes what God told the Israelites to do, as soon as they set foot on the promised land, in Gilgal. What they did in Gilgal is the subject of Joshua 5:9-12, the OT passage in the Lectionary Readings for tomorrow, the fourth Sunday in Lent. Gilgal Footnotes in …
The OT passage in the lectionary readings for tomorrow can be summarized by the words “eat, drink, listen, live.” The passage is Isaiah 55:1-9. The English Standard Version (ESV) groups verses 1-13 together, with the heading “The Compassion of the LORD.” Many Bible scholars encourage us to think of Isaiah as a book in 3-parts: …
The question “to whom did God promise territory” arises not only because there is now a modern state called Israel. It also arises in the general sense of the rights and abuses of those who occupy any territory. The lectionary readings for tomorrow, the second Sunday in Lent, are Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians …
Can you resist the sin of covetousness by giving to God? Could that be a reason why so many Bible texts tell us to give gifts to God? I mean, why give to God since He owns everything already? Perhaps the answer is found in one of the readings for tomorrow, the first Sunday in …
At the transfgiuration of Jesus, God said “Listen to Him.”
Why do the wicked prosper? The lectionary readings for tomorrow (Sunday 20 February, Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany) are Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37; 1 Corinthians 15:35-38; 42-50 and Luke 6:27-38. They give us a hint as to the answer. The Genesis passage is about Joseph in Egypt, revealing himself to his brothers who had …
God ordered Jeremiah to go stand in The People’s Gate. We are told this in Jeremiah 17 in verse 19, just beyond 17:5-10, the Lectionary Reading for Sunday. The Reading applies the image of trees to us, as individuals. The Psalms portion says people who obey God’s ethical demands are like a flourishing tree (Psalm …
When I say sermons and trembling go together, I speak both as a giver and as a hearer of sermons. When I read verses such as “The words of Jeremiah … to whom the word of the Lord came …” (Jeremiah 1:1), I tremble. I remember how Quakers got their name: ““Quaker” emerged as a …
Nehemiah 8 is the Old Testament lectionary reading for tomorrow, Sunday 23 January 2022. This chapter marks a turning point in the history of Israel. It’s “a new beginning” for the nation of Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, whom God renamed Israel. Nehemiah 8 speaks of Jews. Those who identify as Jews today have no …
