bride ⁽³¹⁾

Ezekiel 16:7–22, 2 Corinthians 11:1–4, Revelation 19:6–9 The image of the church as the bride of Jesus was not a new concept. Israel/Judah was often compared to a wife, though, sadly, often an unfaithful wife. Despite the seeming graphic nature of this passage in Ezekiel,…

Psalm 51:1–13, Luke 15:1–10, 1 Timothy 1:12–17 “Be gracious to me…Against…you alone…have I sinned…Purify me…Turn your face…from my sins…create a clean heart for me…Do not banish me…sustain me…sinners will return to you.” The (very) abbreviated Psalm 51:1–13 above probably resonates with you. The Psalms are…

Matthew 5:3–12, Romans 13:1–10 Authority is an issue. Authority is not the same as power. Plenty of people have power. In fact, most of us have power. We may not be aware of it, but we have it. One of the greatest powers we have…

Psalm 122, Isaiah 14:1–2, John 17:20–26, Acts 1:12–14 Psalm 122 is a prayer for the flourishing of a community. Love for Jerusalem is symbolic of loving God’s bride, as Jerusalem is often tied to being the bride of God. Loving God’s bride is to be…

1 Chronicles 15:11-29, 2 Samuel 6:16-22, Luke 15:4-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9 Have you ever leapt for joy? David did. He and his men were proudly and joyfully bringing God’s Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the underlying emotion of all David’s celebrating/leaping/whirling/skipping is…