Prayer for the Week: The words of Paul stir within us — There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. What have you done, Gracious God, for Paul to declare something so beautiful and awe-inspiring? What are you doing among us this day, Holy God, to
Scripture: Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it. Thought for the Day: Years ago, I remember a preacher using this passage to encourage good investment strategies. It was all about finding that diamond (in this case, pearl) in the rough. Once
Scripture: Matthew 18:12 What do you think? If someone had one hundred sheep and one of them wandered off, wouldn’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillsides and go in search for the one that wandered off? Thought for the Day: Borrowing a phrase from Dr. Mark Whitten, I believe Jesus was looking for the “yuck factor” when saying these words. What I mean is that Jesus had
Scripture: Matthew 13:34-35 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” Thought for the Day: Jesus was quoting Psalm 78 which emphasized how the parables being shared
Scripture: Matthew 13:33 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Thought for the Day: I don’t know if it makes sense or not, but the parables seem to demystify the mystery that was hidden for everyone to see. Let that sit in your mind and
Scripture: Matthew 13:31-32 He told another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in his field. It’s the smallest of all seeds. But when it’s grown, it’s the largest of all vegetable plants. It becomes a tree so that the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.” Thought for the Day: Most commentaries on this
Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like someone who planted good seed in his field. While people were sleeping, an enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and went away. When the stalks sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. The servants of the landowner came and said to him, “Master, didn’t you plant good seed in your
A Prayer For the Week: God of All Creation, we are thankful for the generosity of your Spirit. You so loved the world and every single aspect of the world, that you brought your redeeming love through Jesus. May we honor the depth to which you were willing to go, for you crossed every boundary and barrier to clearly reveal this love. Today, as we enjoy and celebrate
Scripture: Acts 1:8 Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Thought for the Day: Jesus tells his disciples how they will be his Martus. We translate this Greek word as witness, but it looks a whole lot like our English word for
Scripture: Acts 1:6-7 As a result, those who had gathered together asked Jesus, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?” Jesus replied, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority…” Thought for the Day: Though I won’t deal with this part of the text for another couple of week, I wanted to lift