wisdom (76)

Ian

Circle of Life and Death

Genesis 2:4–19, Isaiah 2:11–22, Proverbs 3:1–18 “…Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust…”—Book of Common Prayer, Burial Liturgy The Circle of Life was (and remains) a powerful song. Just the title itself reminds us that life is a circle. Adam (i.e., mankind) came from dust. That…

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Ian

Seventh Sunday after Epiphany

Deuteronomy 9:1–9:7, Psalm 36, Romans 5:20–6:11 You have been trouble from the beginning of this! Moses’ long good-bye speech (all of Deuteronomy) is a summary of God, God’s message, God’s calling, and Israel’s past, current, and future response. It’s not pretty. We can often look…

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Ian

Seventh Monday after Epiphany

Psalm 120, Mark 13:9-13, 2 Peter 1:20-2:9 Psalm 120 is a lament. The psalmist is among those who live a life of lies. These same people are warmongers, seeking strife and conflict. The psalmist is living in foreign lands that seek no peace, but the…

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Ian

Worth or Hardly Worth Doing

Psalm 1; 2 Kings 5:1–14; Luke 3:1–18 Let's reword Psalm 1:1… How happy is the one who walks in the advice of the holy and righteous, who walks on the path set by God, and sits in the company of those who follow the Lord.

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Ian

Salvation of Becoming

Psalm 2; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 56:1-8; Luke 2:41-52 Many people have taught and believed that once a person prays the Sinner's Prayer that they are safe from Hell. The most famous one was used by Billy Graham to lead people to Christ. It is: Dear…

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