As this season of Advent draws to a close and Christmas approaches, I find myself looking back once more to the story of Israel and their hope for the coming Messiah. Many prophecies going all the way back to Genesis 3 spoke about God’s restoration project for the world (and indeed for all of reality), …
Continue reading “When a Thrill of Hope becomes Hope Deferred”
As we find ourselves in December with only a few weeks remaining in the year, I can’t help but think about the changing of seasons. Not only the changing of the physical seasons (summer, fall, winter, spring), but also the changing of seasons in our lives. Just as fall gives way to winter, so also …
Daniel 6 tells a compelling story of incorruptibility, integrity of conviction, and the faithfulness of God in response to the faithfulness of his servant, Daniel. We don’t know a lot about Darius the Mede, as corroborating historical records have yet to be discovered about the man. Some think he might actually by Cyrus the Persian, …
I’ve been thinking a bit about the Great Commission recently – Jesus’ words to His disciples in Matthew 28:16-20. It’s a beautiful set of words and familiar to long-time church-goers, though we can miss some of its significance if we’re not careful, or if we read it with “too-familiar” eyes. “Go therefore and make disciples …
I was thinking about a quote from Jackie Pullinger recently. She was being interviewed for the Alpha course some number of years back, and she made a comment that I’ve long-since misremembered. The original quote is that “God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet.” And this is a good quote. A thought-provoking …
Shortly before Jesus’ ascension, we read his powerful words to the disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in both Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) This immediately conjures up images of …
What’s the point in studying the Scriptures? Surely we can learn everything we need to know by simply reading our modern English translations of the text, right? Sure – as long as you are a first-century Palestinian Jew. But if not, we’ve got a ways to go before we can hope to understand even a …
Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of the special day, I thought we might take a brief look at the inconvenient love to which Jesus calls us (his followers), and of which He Himself demonstrated for us. In His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus tells His followers, “You have heard that it …
“Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) Happy New Year! I love this time of year. It’s the one holiday that people all around the world seem to celebrate, regardless of culture, background or religion. Many take the opportunity to reflect on the previous year (or “put the last nail in the coffin” …
Israel’s history in the Old Testament is not particularly inspiring. In fact, it’s often quite depressing if we’re honest. Story after story recounts this people’s obstinacy and outright rebellion towards God, and it’s not difficult to draw the conclusion that God’s love for His people is seldom reciprocated. But that’s not the whole story (thankfully). …
Just for a Closer Walk