peace ⁽⁸³⁾

Psalm 80; Isaiah 32:9–20; James 3:17–18 "Tremble, all of you who are at ease; shudder, all of you who are secure!” —Isaiah 32:11 (CEB) Isaiah’s words were directed towards people who were confident that the military might and influence of Egypt would protect them from…

Psalm 135; Isaiah 26:1–15; Mark 12:18–27 As one of the wealthy nations in the world, passages like this in Isaiah should cause us to reflect. Will all our stuff be crushed to dust and be walked upon by the poor? If you’re reading this, you…

Isaiah 42:1–9; Psalm 36:5–11; Hebrews 9:11–15; John 12:1–11 Yesterday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. The Messiah, no, the King, no, God (!) entered Jerusalem! At churches around the world, children paraded waving palm branches. The triumphant entry is a big thing! I remember being part of…

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Mark 11:1–11; John 12:12–16 HOSANNA! The cry of the people before the gates of Jerusalem was filled with this word. Hosanna is a Hebrew contraction meaning, “save, we pray,” which you just read in Psalm 118:25. Hosanna is used as part of…

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Jeremiah 33:10–16; Mark 10:32–34, 46–52 When we read the word “barren” in Jeremiah, we often think it is talking about the land, in particular the environment. The barrenness is in regard to people, in particular, God’s people (and their herds). They will…