Scripture: Romans 11:34-36 Who has known the Lord’s mind? Or who has been his mentor? Or who has given him a gift and has been paid back by him? All things are from him and through him and for him. May the glory be to him forever. Amen. Thought for the Day: This is good theology and good poetry. Paul asked what sounded like a set of rhetorical
Scripture: Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it isn’t by what’s done anymore. If it were, God’s grace wouldn’t be grace. Thought for the Day: Grace is a funny thing. It has nothing to do with our beliefs, actions, reactions or anything else. If it did, according to Paul, it wouldn’t be grace. Perhaps, though others might argue differently, the greatest challenge that has faced Christianity
Scripture: Romans 10:4 Christ is the goal of the Law, which leads to righteousness for all who have faith in God. Thought for the Day: The Greek word we translate as goal is telos. It can be translated as goal or end or consummation. Jesus is the finish line, the one who continues to beckon and guide our journey. There is an old hymn entitled, Turn Your Eyes
Scripture: Romans 5:5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Thought for the Day: Hope is based in faith, and faith is rooted in an experience that helps confirm what cannot be confirmed by usual methods. The experience that gives rise to faith and helps create
Scripture: Matthew 22:17-22 So tell us what you think: Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Knowing their evil motives, Jesus replied, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used to pay the tax.” And they brought him a denarion. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked. “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said, “Give to Caesar what belongs
Prayer for the Week: We will soon notice the sounds and smells of fireworks as a way of celebrating our independence, though we wish to be mindful of our place and responsibility within our communities, our state, our nation and the world. O God of Grace and Glory, so often you become nothing more than a pretty accessory that people use to promote an agenda that does
Scripture: Ezekiel 37:3 God said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Lord God, only you know that.” Thought for the Day: That is the perfect response! Most folks would be adamant that bones could not live again, but for Ezekiel, the impossible becomes possible when God enters the equation. This is a verse from the well known vision of the Valley of Dry
Scripture: Romans 8:10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Thought for the Day: Though Paul did not have some sophisticated understanding of the Trinity, there was some loose structure that he gave to this relationship. For Paul, the idea of Christ being within us is another way of saying the Spirit is within
Scripture: Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed… Thought for the Day: Many scholars view this as Jesus’ purpose statement or his vision and mission. I am struck by the phrase
Scripture: James 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. Thought for the Day: What exactly does James mean by “spirit” in this passage? It is the Greek word pneuma, which is used to describe the Spirit of God. At the same time, I used to sit in the stands at football games and chant, “We’ve got spirit,