leader ⁽⁵³⁾

Nehemiah 13:4–22, Matthew 12:1–8 Nehemiah was “just” a layperson. He probably had no formal religious or other education. He wasn’t a “leader” of the people. He did, however, have an important position of trust with King Artaxerxes. To be the cupbearer meant that you were…

Mark 9:33–37, Acts 15:36-41, 1 Timothy 6:3–11 It is an amazing fact that you might have learned yourself: people are different, and don’t always agree. There are various kinds of disagreements, and it is not necessarily bad to disagree. In fact, it is often through…

Psalm 85, Numbers 33:1-56, Galatians 5:16–25 We are born. We die. The beginning and then end. In between the beginning and the end there are many steps to take. The Israelites were finally at the end of their wandering in the desert. They had taken…

John 21:1–19, Isaiah 43:1–12 We often stop with the Resurrection of Easter. That’s the big event. It’s understandable. It wasn’t the end of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Often when we are stressed or unsure of ourselves, we return to old habits. Peter’s old habit…

Psalm 25, Lamentations 3:22–27, Matthew 27:62–66 Are your clothes in 1 piece? One of the traditional Jewish responses of extreme grief or anguish is the tearing of their clothes. Yesterday was Good Friday. Jesus died on the cross. Are your clothes torn? While they were…