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Exodus 3:1–6; Ezra 3:8–13; Matthew 23:37–24:8 I visited Rome many years ago. I have never been so overwhelmed by the sheer number of church buildings. It seemed that there wasn’t a block that didn’t have one. There is a Roman Catholic church building dedicated to…

Mark 2:13–17; Luke 19:1–11 Zacchaeus has been a staple in Children’s church for years…♫♪“Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.”♪♫ His stature makes him identifiable for children. They understand being too short to see things that all the adults get…

Matthew 23:13-15; Acts 15:1–22; Colossians 2:4–13 There is no question about Jesus’ attitude toward the scribes and the Pharisees in this verse. It seems pretty straightforward. What if it isn’t? What if Jesus was instead using their language in a way so as to make a point?  The Pharisees,…

Matthew 18:15–20; Luke 5:23–32 There is nobody beyond God’s redemptive reach. No one. No matter what a person has done or how “unclean” they may be, God is still there waiting. Tax collectors were not well appreciated. We generally are scornful of the IRS. The…

Ephesians 1:17–19; Philippians 4:1–9 There is a pernicious thought floating around that if Christians really believed what they say they do; they would all think similarly. Sadly, that often comes from Christians who perceive they are not being heard or perceive that someone with whom…