loved ⁽⁶⁴⁾

Luke 20:27–40, Hebrews 11:32–12:2, Revelation 7:9–17 Veneration of the Saints has a long history in the church. Due to misunderstandings (cultural, interpretive, arrogance, ignorance), it has often been a source of claims of heresy and idol worship. It has been abused and misshapen into disguised…

Psalm 51:1–13, Luke 15:1–10, 1 Timothy 1:12–17 “Be gracious to me…Against…you alone…have I sinned…Purify me…Turn your face…from my sins…create a clean heart for me…Do not banish me…sustain me…sinners will return to you.” The (very) abbreviated Psalm 51:1–13 above probably resonates with you. The Psalms are…

Isaiah 43:1–4, 1 Peter 1:13–23 Do you know somebody’s name? Of course, you do. You know yours. You know the names of loved ones. You know the names of friends. You probably know the names of people that are not that close. We sometimes dismiss…

Genesis 37:16–27, Deuteronomy 30:15–20, Matthew 12:46–50 One of the most heartbreaking things taught by certain Christian traditions is that God wills bad things to happen to people. One of the reasons they draw that conclusion is that we are able to look back at stories…

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…