A close friend was diagnosed with cancer and going through chemotherapy. A family member was sick and stranded abroad due to the pandemic’s travel restrictions. And I was dealing with daily relationship strains and politics at work. I felt drained, tired and helpless. Often, amidst the storms in our lives, we will be drained and …
The question “who will contend with me?” is found in the lectionary readings for tomorrow, 9th April. This is my summary of the OT portion, Isaiah 50:4-9a: Isaiah says God called him to comfort the weary by passing on to them words which God gave him, regularly. He says he could have chosen to be …
I see a bush catch alight,as the ethereal flame danced within the bush,its elemental fire sears away my sins and my past,my soul is made whole again A Voice calls out my name, “Moses, Moses” (substitute with own name)“Here I am” I whisper. I take off my sandals, this is holy groundI hide my face, …
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 …
Gratitude is the memory of the heart. I love this definition of gratitude, which I have been using for the longest time. You may think that I coined this phrase up, ah.. but I am not that clever. I borrowed it because I love the connotation of bubbling joy welling out of a grateful heart. …
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 …
Quotes such as these abound: “Be the change that you want to see!”“It begins with you!”“Walk the talk” We are encouraged to take the lead in life. If anyone is going to start it off, might as well be you. We cannot just utter motivational stuff at the office. If you want your staff to …
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 “Does God use four-letter words” popped into my mind when I saw a comic-strip one of our members posted on Facebook this week. The strip has four panels. It depicts a conversation in hell. There are two characters. The story goes like this. (1) Man arrives in Hell. Man with horns (Satan) welcomes …
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 …
