friendship ⁽⁸⁾

Psalm 44; Isaiah 22:8b–14; James 4:4–10 ‌Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? James 4:4 NRSVue ‌…you did not look at the One who did it, nor did you see the One who planned it… Isaiah 22:11 NRSVue We…

Psalm 144; Isaiah 27:1–6; 2 Corinthians 5:17–21 (ISV) In times to come, Jacob will take root, and Israel will blossom, sprout shoots, and fill the whole world with fruit. Isaiah 27:6 ISV All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through…

Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 2:6–16; Colossians 2:1–5 Speaking peace to people often seems to be a lost cause. First, many people don’t want peace. Actually, many people don’t want peace. Oh, they want peace from war (most). That often is the most common form of “peace”…

Matthew 22:1–14 When you were a child, perhaps one of your favorite times was when you were invited to a birthday party. For some, an invitation was proof that they were actually “seen”. Even if that person was thought to be a friend, it was…

Philemon 1-25 Paul’s letter to Philemon is a personal letter. While Paul acknowledges the church that meets in Philemon’s home, this letter is not to them. Just the greeting is political and relational: Philemon, slave and property owner; Apphia, Philemon’s wife; Archippus, a “coworker” of…