baptism ⁽²⁹⁾

Isaiah 40:3–11, Malachi 3:1–2, Luke 1:39–44, Luke 1:59–80 (read online ⧉) It has been said (by Christians, of course) that John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet. By that, they meant that Jesus (and his life, death, resurrection, and the subsequent baptism of…

Ezekiel 47:1–12, 2 Corinthians 3:17–4:1, Matthew 28:16–20 This image of the River of Life spreading out into the world provides us something to reflect upon. The further the river gets from the presence of God, the wider and deeper it gets. Eventually, it takes the…

Deuteronomy 30:1–5, Jonah 2:2–9, Isaiah 44:24–28 Have you ever recognized that there is an implied title and character of God that gets missed? Restorer. We use Healer, often, which is close. Another word could be Reconciler. We don’t use Restorer or Reconciler, because in most…

Genesis 17:1–14, Deuteronomy 10:14–22, Luke 1:59–80 The ritual of circumcision existed before the people of Israel came into being (yes, Abraham was their forefather). This was a ritual the physically made the people of Israel different than those around them. It was (and is) the…

Joel 2:18–32, Acts 2:29–40,2 Peter 1:16–21 Joel is an interesting book in that there are no definitive elements to place. There are many events and practices that put it within a few centuries, but that the prophet does not define himself, nor does he seem…