Weekly Inspiration

John 12:1-8 by Bronson C. Davis Some days the pressures of daily life can overwhelm us. We often try to do the proverbial “twice as much in half the time” and run ourselves ragged trying to inculcate speed, productivity, and dependability into our working lives. We live by deadlines and find ourselves at the mercy of expectations from coworkers, family, and friends. No wonder we find ourselves easily distracted, unable to focus on what is happening right before us. We…

Joshua 5:9-12 by Kim Cape The rhythm of the Christian year quickens in Lent. As Advent prepares us for Jesus’ birth, Lent prepares us for Jesus ‘ death and resurrection. Being human, we are not equipped for either theophany. In our Joshua text, the people renew their commitment to their covenant God. By celebrating the Passover they reenact their parents’ story of deliverance; the current generation recalls God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt . The eyewitness generation has died; this…

Luke 13:1-5 by J. Thomas Laney Jr. While Jesus is teaching one day, someone in the crowd brings up a much talked-about event-the killing of some Galileans who were in Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices. Pilate had likely ordered the killing and the mixing of their blood with that of their sacrificed animals in a brutal display of power. We are not told why the person raises the issue, but Jesus’ response indicates that the real reason lies in revisiting…

Genesis 15:1 by John Indermarkt Life can present a complicated array of confusing choices and overwhelming situations. How can we find our way through­ or trust God’s way through? Put first things first. Remember where and in Whom our lives are grounded. For Abram, the bedrock upon which he stands firm and from which he finds it possible to move forward in faith is God’s first word to him: “Do not be afraid.” Fear, far more than doubt, is faith’s…

Moses asks the descendants of Jacob to remember their beginnings, just as the old folks and the preacher-folks had warned me to remember the bridge that brought me over.

Exodus 34:29-35 An encounter with grace Is it possible that you and I can encounter God in such a way that the people around us can see the effects of the encounter? Moses’ encounter with the holy God brings a shine to his face. The people fear coming near him, so Moses veils his face when he speaks the Lord’s commands to the people. Often my experience of God’s presence affects me in ways I find disturbing. Sometimes the encounter…

God’s creation is a networking system of abundant life for all, enough for all. But greed and shame coax us to possess more and consume more. We lose sight of the fact that the world belongs to God and is provided as home for all peoples .

Psalm 138 How easy it is to give God thanks in the midst of worship-the choir sings, the music resounds, the sanctuary fills with God’s praise. Now the work week starts-how easy is it to offer that same praise as one stumbles through morning preparations and sets off to the workplace? For me Monday is a full day, and I’m not always filled with praise for God. The consideration of prostrating myself before God conjures up an image of falling…

Psalm 19:1-6 While walking in the desert one night, far from the city lights, I stared at the sky layered with bright, twinkling stars. I realized how amazing and great this creation is, while recognizing  my own smallness . Against the breadth and depth of God’s limitless sky, I acknowledged how little I understand about this universe, how many voices I cannot hear! God  does not limit  community  to humankind  and the things we build and gather around ourselves .…

 Psalm 36:5-10 Classically speaking, a comedy isn’t necessarily funny. What makes a story or situation comic rather than tragic is its perspective on human nature and destiny. Remember Dante’s Divine Comedy? I bet many of us never made it out of Part 1: Hell. But we know that after Hell comes Part II: Purgatory and finally Part III: Paradise. That final arrival makes the whole thing, ultimately, a comedy. How does comedy differ from tragedy? The tragic view emphasizes our…

Psalm 8:3-4; Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 We have awaited the arrival of a weary young woman, a strong donkey, and a patient father to the stable. We have anticipated the birth of the son through whom the world was  created, born now, wrapped in strips of cloth, surrounded by livestock. And we have celebrated the joy to the world that is Emmanuel. With tree and lights and neighbors and family, some of us have spent a week set apart, a week of…

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 As the clock ticks toward midnight , the song that is this old year rapidly begins to fade. The writer of Ecclesiastes senses and exposes the turmoil of our human condition. As we reflect on the past twelve months, life seems to have oscillated from one extreme to the other. In retrospect, it seems as if there really has been a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. We have planted, we have uprooted;…