Jesus has come to Bethany because he has received word that his friend Lazarus is ill. He is speaking with Lazarus' sister, Martha, who had complained to Jesus that he died because Jesus wasn't there to heal him. Martha then went to get their other sister, Mary. This incident was a contribu

The Israelites have spent years in exile in Babylon and in other nations in the surrounding area. Now, the Lord is telling Ezekiel that they will someday return and be a nation once more. We will learn that King Cyrus defeated the Babylonians and let those Israelites who chose to return, return and

God the Almighty does not leave the side of His children. If they love Him, then His word or promise will never be broken. He failed not Noah or Moses, and He fulfilled His prophecy to us by sending us the Messiah. The sea might swallow the mountains as it did in Noah's time, but all of His chi

The Israelites had escaped from Egypt thanks to God, who had charged Moses with the task of leading them across the Red Sea to freedom. Now they were complaining. They forgot how badly they had been treated, how they had been tortured, and remembered only that they had food to eat and water to drin

Whom do we trust, God or man? I can see that it might be easier to trust what we can see and touch rather than what we take on faith. God is warning the people not to trust in their kings to protect them while they are going against the most important of all the commandments – worshiping false gods

This psalm is prayed by King David as he repents of his adultery with Bathsheba. The words are appropriate as we celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin the season of Lent. Although this is not a biblical event, it was a tradition in the early church to seek repentance for sin in the weeks preceding the

Why does Jesus say that it is difficult for anyone with riches to enter God's Kingdom? I think the real issue is, to whom do we give the credit for what we have? It's easy to think we did it all ourselves! In Jesus' time – and sometimes in ours – wealth seems to signify God's prefer

Yesterday's proverb talked about boasting, another sin of the tongue. Today, we are considering other evils that come from a misuse of God's gift of speech. Cursing, blaspheming, lying are all evils of the tongue. We are told not to take the Lord's name in vain. Not to swear false oaths

The Book of Proverbs makes for interesting reading. This passage makes me think of the sayings, "Pride comes before a fall," and "Don't toot your own horn." "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Fame today may not be permanent and just because one has succeeded in

Salt was a very important product before there were other ways of preserving meats and fish. It is also important for flavoring food. Over the years, salt goes in and out of favor as it has been linked to heart problems and high blood pressure. At the moment, salt is back in favor and can be consid

Unfortunately, words of injustice sometimes are listened to more often than words of wisdom. Why? Possibly because they appeal to our self-interest or unrecognized prejudices. Words of wisdom and justice can make us uncomfortable or afraid. Usually, fear comes from ignorance and there are many who

Today is forty days since we celebrated Christmas and so we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple at the prescribed time following the birth of a son and made their offering – the offering of a poor family. There were two people in the temple at the ti

Solomon takes over from his father, David, and is crowned king. Yahweh has appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for what he wanted. God is pleased with his answer and rewards him over and above his desires. Solomon has always been known for his wisdom and one of the Bible stories I he

It's interesting that this psalm comes on this day. Fifty-four years ago, my second child was born seven weeks too early. Any parent can imagine what I experienced that day. It took almost twenty minutes before I heard her first cry and I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was not to last as she

Just as Paul preached the Good News with power regardless of the consequences, he sent his disciple Timothy to preach with the same sense of conviction. He is also sending us to be witnesses for Christ. This passage seems to continue our theme from yesterday – that of discipleship. In Matthew's

Jesus gives us many different parables concerning the kingdom of God. He uses this one, the king's banquet, yeast, and others. Parables were used to teach with stories to help people understand by using things they were familiar with. Aesop did the same with his fables using animals to illustra

In spite of his sins, David remained faithful to Yahweh. When he died, his son Solomon became king. When asked what he wanted from God, he asked for wisdom. However, Solomon would give in to the demands of his wives and built multiple sacrificial altars and shrines to their gods. In spite of the gi

It is folly for men to believe that they may overcome their nature. Today there is the talk of genetic modifications to plants and humans, to build ever more expensive missions into space. These aren't inherent sins, but there is a danger that what animates this search to overcome ourselves and

When we listen to a familiar story, it's easy to tune out – after all, you know the ending, so why listen. This gospel can be one of those stories. The farmer went out to sow some seed. You know the rest – some fell on the path, the rocks, the thorns and some fell on good soil. So, what's t

In this section of Isaiah, the Israelites have returned from exile in Babylonia. The prophet is charged with raising up those who had been dispersed as well as those who had been allowed to return. But his mission was not to end there, he was to stand as a "light to the nations" to show God