death (171)

Ian

A Promise

Isaiah 44:21–28; Ezekiel 34:25–31; Mark 14:22–26 Remember. We are called on to remember things every day. Some have become so ingrained (putting undergarments, I hope) that we don’t actually remember them; we just do them. Like many things that are ingrained, relationships aren’t. We might…

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Ian

Thieving Glory

Matthew 24:42–44; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–6; Revelation 16:12–16 Calling God a thief seems more than just a little ridiculous. Yet, Jesus uses the imagery of a thief to talk about the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is an ambiguous phrase. Many (perhaps…

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Ian

Saintly Ones

Matthew 5:1–16; Revelation 7:1–17 You would think that this question is easy. However, the meaning of saint depends on the context and even timeframe. Chasid (חָסִיד) and Kaddish (קַדִּישׁ) are the Hebrew words that are most often translated as saint (not always, though). Chasid (חָסִיד)…

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Ian

Rooftop Shenanigans

Jeremiah 17:9–11; Luke 12:1–12 If you have a smartphone, you are probably aware of this little program installed on it, which is supposedly an assistant. “Hello, Google, Siri, Bixby, Alexa.” This program can be helpful. Yet, there is often weirdness associated with it. There have…

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Ian

Monuments to What

Ecclesiastes 1:10–11; Matthew 23:25–32; Luke 11:47–54; Acts 7:44–58 You have probably heard George Santayana’s famous quip, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." Perhaps the writer of Ecclesiastes phrased it differently. The reality is that human behavior (especially, selfishness, greed,…

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