grace ⁽¹⁹⁷⁾

Psalm 25:1–10; Daniel 9:15–25a; 2 Timothy 4:1–5 For nearly a year, we’ve had COVID. For nearly a year, there have been limitations in gathering and movement. Finally, 9 months in, there was news of a vaccine. Then there were multiple vaccines. Now we wait. Still,…

Psalm 25:1–10; Daniel 9:1–14; 1 John 1:3–10 “But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong.” —1 John 1:9 Have you said those words to yourself lately or ever? The…

Isaiah 58:1–12; Psalm 51:1–17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10; Matthew 6:1–6, Matthew 6:16–21 Today is Ash Wednesday. This ancient church tradition goes beyond Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox. It a time of self-reflection. Many call it a time of self-mortification. This is why it is often a…

Psalm 110:1–4; Exodus 19:7–25; Hebrews 2:1–4 God tells the “master” (king) to “sit”. It is quite common today for rulers to sit while the armies go forth to wage war or defend the nation. When the Psalm was written, it was normal that kings/rulers went…

Psalm 50:1–6; 1 Kings 16:1–7; Luke 19:41–44 “If only I had known…” We often will look back on our decisions as if we could have fixed them, or even with the assumption that we are wiser now than we were then. “Hindsight is 20/20,” is…