Tag: faith
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Sending Another
1 Thessalonians 3:1-5 – 6/15/2026 When we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left alone in Athens and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (NRSVue) Paul is on a mission to the…
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The Need and the Solution
Matthew 9:35-10:23 – 6/14/2026 – The Third Sunday after Pentecost When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send…
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Tradition Less Important than Love
Mark 7:1-13 – 6/13/2026 You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! Mark 7:9 (NRSVue) Yes, this Jesus talking, but it could have just easily been Martin Luther. Or rather Martin Luther is simply channeling Jesus when he opposed the traditions of the Roman Church that…
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Idolatry and Freedom
Acts 7:35-43 – 6/12/2026 They made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and reveled in the works of their hands. Acts 7:41 (NRSVue) A god is what you trust. Idolatry, at the must fundamental level, is trusting in and “reveling” in one’s own work, one’s own ability, one’s own creation. Idolatry in its…
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Biblical Language as World-Building
Psalm 100 – 6/11/2026 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Psalm 100:1-2 (NRSVue) In third grade, the church of my childhood gave me a Bible. It was long enough ago that it as the Revised Standard Version, not the NRSV…
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Feeding Yourself is Worth Breaking the Law
Matthew 12:1-8 – 6/10/2026 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” Matthew…
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Always Check the Greek
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:2 – 6/8/2026 Do not be mismatched with [the unfaithful]. For what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common? 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NRSVue, my correction) When reading Scripture, if you encounter a passage or verse that gives you pause and makes you think, “That doesn’t seem quite right” or “That doesn’t sit well…
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Changing the Logic of Our Relationships
Matthew 9:9-26 – 6/7/2026 – Second Sunday after Pentecost When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what…
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Calling the Good Evil
Matthew 9:27-34 – 6/6/2026 The Pharisees were saying, “By the ruler of the demons [Jesus] casts out the demons.” Matthew 9:34 (NRSVue) Today’s passage shakes me. Jesus is setting people free from their demons, giving people new life, offering them hope, healing their disabilities. That’s what Jesus came to do. These are the kinds of…
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A Cure Not a Miracle
Acts 28:1-10 – 6/5/2026 It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. After this happened, the rest of the people on the island [of Malta] who had diseases also came and were cured.…
Dionysus on a Bike 