community (101)

Ian

3rd Friday after Pentecost

Psalm 40:1–16, John 7:21–24, Acts 15:1–21 To this very day, churches (and thus the church) struggle with what exactly their faith means and its implications. Certain things appear to have been settled, but others haven’t. Although, perhaps it is better to say that when push…

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Ian

3rd Tuesday after Pentecost

John 17:20–23, Philippians 1:27–28 E Pluribus Unum. If you look at US currency, most (if not all) will have this saying. In Latin, it means "Out of many, one." While the US might be the gathering place of people of many nations, it is the…

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Ian

Finger-Pointing

Deuteronomy 1:9–18, John 5:19–30, Romans 1:28–2:9 We’ve all heard, “if you have one finger pointing out, you have three fingers pointing back.” There is great wisdom in that seeming childish saying. It might be better to say it is child-like. the child-like understanding recognizes the…

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Ian

Restoring Broken Bones

Deuteronomy 30:1–6, Matthew 18:15–20, Galatians 6:1–10 In his commentary on this section of Galatians, Earle Wilson wrote, "The church is a family, not a civic or social club. As a family we are knit together supernaturally by the Holy Spirit in common fellowship of love.

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Ian

7th Monday after Easter

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…

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