mercy (77)

Ian

Sheltering Wings

Exodus 37:1–9, Ruth 2:10–3:9, Psalm 61, Luke 13:34–35 The wings of God are an interesting image, and it is well worth considering. While God may not have literal wings, wings being part of the comprehension of God cannot and should not be ignored. The Ark…

Continue reading...
Ian

Deceptive Holiness

1 Timothy 4:6–16, Colossians 2:1–23 myth: usually a traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon. Myths are powerful. Often the struggle of myths is their competition…

Continue reading...
Ian

Repentant Worship

Jeremiah 44:15–23, Hosea 14:1–7 The “tale” told in Jeremiah is a sad one. The people of Israel knowingly and willing worshiped gods that were not theirs. As we read their tale, they saw wealth, prosperity, and security as the gift of their gods, when it…

Continue reading...
Ian

Evaluating Value

John 8:2–12, 2 Corinthians 5:10–15 Before we go any further, this story in John is an odd one. It does not show up in the earliest manuscripts that we currently have, however, the story does show up soon (time-wise) after the earliest manuscript. What is…

Continue reading...
Ian

Through God's Mercy

2 Corinthians 4:1–6 Ministry. Mercy. Determination. Cleansing. Sharing. Shining. Ministry: each and every one of us is a minister of the Gospel of Reconciliation. Every one of us. Pastor and preachers they have their roles. That does not excuse anyone from being a minister of…

Continue reading...