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Today is our first of seven days reading a portion of Psalm 107. This is a song of praise and thanksgiving. Specifically, the Psalmist is grateful for deliverance from troubles. It is a testimony to the power of God to redeem those who are in even the most desperate of situations. As is often the […]

Today’s reading from Ezra underscores the importance to Israel of the temple. The destruction of the first temple in 587 BC was an absolute national disaster. This account in Ezra of events seven decades later at the return from exile ends with the note of joy of the people in being able to rededicate their […]

Today’s readings from Second Chronicles of King Hezekiah’s reforms show the importance of repentance and renewal. After many years of decline and unfaithfulness in Israel’s religious practices, the new king Hezekiah initiated a period of reform. The process of purification and rededication which the priests are instructed to perform represents the need for God’s people […]

Today’s readings center on the role of the Temple in both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament.  The passages from 1 Kings describe the construction of the Jerusalem Temple as a place of worship of God. Psalm 84 is a magnificent song of meditation on the joy of worship. The New Testament reading from […]

The readings for the third Sunday in this Lenten season contrast God’s patterns with human ones. The ten commandments given at Mount Sinai begin with an emphasis on recognizing that the one true God transcends our idolatrous conceptions of the Divine. Our failures in life can be primarily traced to this root sin of elevating […]

Today’s readings from Exodus and the Gospel of Mark continue the theme of humanity discovering itself to be in God’s presence. Lent is a season in which we contemplate what it means to live before God. As the two mountain-top experiences of the Israelites at Mount Sinai and the disciples at Mount  Tabor show, the […]

Today’s readings from Exodus and Acts compel us to think about the seriousness with which we take our approach to God’s presence. Christian maturity requires that we examine the seriousness of our attitude towards God. Of course, many of us may have grown up in a religious atmosphere that was overly stern and serious. To […]

We begin today with Psalm 19. This is one of the most famous Psalms of praise. Its proclamation of God’s majesty opens with the heavens and ends with the deep hidden recesses of the human heart.  In between these two points, the Psalmist’s praise of God’s laws can be seen as both a proclamation and […]

The reading from Jeremiah today addresses the people of Israel at a time of great societal upheaval. Their nation is falling apart and will soon be destroyed. Yet, this passage is a proclamation that even in the midst of this calamity, Israel’s God is the God of all peoples and all history. The social disruption […]

Today’s reading from Genesis relates the account of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham’s faithfulness to God’s command, and God’s reprieve of Isaac and substitution of another sacrifice. This account is so powerful that it evokes many interpretations. Some readers focus on the passage’s probable original use as a warning to the […]

We begin the first of three days reading the 105th Psalm. This is a Psalm of praise for God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel. It is easy for God’s faithfulness to fade into the background of our consciousness. Our human nature leads us to take for granted the constancy of God’s sustainment of creation.  But as […]

Today’s readings from Genesis and Romans continue the theme of hope and faithfulness. Abraham is learning that his hope must ultimately rest in God, even when to continue to hope defies his expectations. The radical nature of faith is highlighted here. True Christian hope and belief can never be reduced to a simple formula or […]

Today’s reading from Genesis follows Hagar’s flight from Sarai’s anger and God’s intervention. This account of God’s attentiveness to the needs of a lonely enslaved girl suffering abuse is a powerful statement of God’s concern. Although Hagar’s life and child will not be the focus of the Biblical narrative, we are assured that she is […]

Today’s readings extend reflection on the life of Abraham and the meaning of his example in the Christian church.  The Genesis reading explains how Abraham (then still known as Abram) and his wife Sarai followed what seemed to them to be the only course of action that could fulfill God’s promise to make a great […]

Today is the first of four days to read the selection from Psalm 22. This is a song of praise to God. We also begin several days of readings relating to Abraham’s faith and the later use the Apostle Paul made of that example. We will be reminded of the strength of Abraham’s faith (trust […]