Lent ⁽⁹⁷⁾

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…

2 Samuel 12:13–23; Ezra 8:21–23; Mark 2:18–22 Fasting is an age-old spiritual practice that has mostly lost its place in American Evangelical Christianity. Yes, there are some that practice it. Fasting remains strongly part of the Orthodox church and somewhat the Roman Catholic church. As…

Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Matthew 3:13–17; Matthew 28:16–20; 1 Peter 1:1–2 (read online ⧉) This is one of those odd “Liturgical” Sundays in the Christian year. It set aside to specifically observe the creedal declaration of and faith in the Trinity. We have Sundays set aside for…

Psalm 94; Zechariah 13:7-9; Hebrews 12:1-4; John 16:1-15 (read online ⧉) The psalmist declares that the Lord's people will not be forsaken, and justice will return. He continues with the steadfast love of God holding him up when he slips. The beginning of this psalm…

Psalm 31:9–16; Job 13:13–19; Philippians 1:21–30 (read online ⧉) As we are about to enter yet another week full of COVID-19, exhaustion is setting in for many people. Some people are discovering how empty their lives are without work. Some people are discovering how empty…