A Way of Blessing
Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit and those who mourn and are meek and merciful, he is not giving preemptive encouragement for the challenging times that surely will come in our lives. He is not saying, if you someday have sadness and grief, you will be blessed, or if you are wronged or persecuted, you can count on […]
Beginning Again
For January 26, 2014 – Matthew 4:12-23 The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry soon has a new beginning. In the first beginning he went to his cousin John, who was preaching repentance, and lined up with the masses to be baptized. According to Luke, he begins to preach and teach regularly in and around his hometown synagogue, until the day […]
Come and See What We Don’t Know
For January 19, 2014 – John 1:29-42 There is a knowing that lies beyond what we already know. This larger knowing beckons us, drawing us toward our real life if we will but follow. I am struck by John’s saying about Jesus, “I myself did not know him.” Other translations read, “I did not know […]
An Epiphany
For Sunday, January 12, 2014 – Matthew 3:13-17 Our “better self” knows what is needed—even when it is something that the “better self” does not need. Jesus comes to John to be baptized by him. Both of them know he does not “need” to be baptized, and yet Jesus, guided by a higher mind for a […]
