Category Archives: Scripture

If 2020 had a theme, what would it’s theme be? Would it be pandemic? Or perseverance? What about wildfire? It could be ‘time lost’ or ‘that which will never be’. It could also be lament and mourn.

My maternal grandma died six weeks before my ninth birthday. I remember in high school telling my mom that I didn’t really remember her, and this broke my mom’s heart because she was saddened for me. Some of the things I remember about her come from smells, smells which transport her to me.

God promised to no longer frown on them, to not be angry with them. All they had to was acknowledge their sins, their sins of rebellion in turning to foreign gods. If they did this, they would get to rejoin Judah as one people (Jeremiah 3:18).

Unfortunately, we know that Israel did not repent, they did not acknowledge their rebellion and Judah followed their footsteps into exile.

In 38 days, the American people will vote for a president, and many cities, counties, and states will be voting for other local, state, and national leaders. While there are many different theological views on voting, one thing is clear when it comes to leaders, they must treat the poor well.

I grew up in a non-liturgical church. At least, that is what I was always lead to believe. I thought in order to have liturgy a church had to be Catholic, Anglican, or “high” Lutheran, with robes, diverse Scripture readings, and hymns only. But after college I began to learn otherwise.

Liturgy is simply how a worship service is conducted. It is the formula that a service follows.

I prayed and prayed that the smoke would leave, that the rain would come, and that we could once again go outside. Normally, when smoke and fires cause disruption, there are places like restaurants, malls, and movie theaters we can go to to get some relief. But because of the pandemic, those reliefs were gone, and the relief of walking outside we have had during the pandemic, was taken away as well.

Do ever remember walking into Sunday school knowing it was going to be a GOOD class? What in particular made you know that? Was it the craft supplies that were out or the snack on the counter? For me, it was when the Jolly Ranchers were on the table, signaling we were playing games!

As twenty-first century Christians, it may be hard for us to comprehend the first-century Corinthian issue with food sacrificed to idols. While most if not all of us have been around people of other faiths, the majority of us are probably unaware of any that sacrifice to idols. But for people who leave religions who do make sacrifices of food, Paul’s words to the Corinthians would resonate loudly.

Do you remember running around the playground as a kid and telling other kids, “my dad could beat up your dad!” I don’t know how long this phrase has been around, but in the 90s, it was in full force. I imagine some kids still say in one way or another today.

What about “I’m going to sue you”? Do you remember saying this to other kids? I remember whenever something unfair happened on the playground, in the classroom, or on the school bus the response to another person was, “I’m going to sue you.”

Searching couch cushions for change, collecting and returning pop cans, and rescuing errant golf balls could all be some form of gleaning. Traditional gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops after the harvesters already went through the fields. In a modern sense, it is finding that which has been left behind in order to earn money for food. For many poor and itinerant peoples throughout history, this was their way of being fed and providing for their family.