Posts Tagged with "Jesus"

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Wilderness

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Like Israel, we can get so focused on what we want God to do for us tomorrow that we miss what he’s doing for us today. The wilderness, for Israel and for us, is not a place between destinations but a part of the journey. A place where God leads and provides and reveals himself to his people....

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Dust and Ashes

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When Job lost everything, as was custom, he sat in ashes (Job 2:8). Our culture avoids such blatant expressions of grief. We don’t like to wallow. But the intentionality of the symbol is powerful. Job didn’t pretend all was well when it wasn’t, nor should we. ...

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Prejudice

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The call to love our neighbor can often be a struggle. Let's face it; some people are easier to love than others. As a result, we often strive to ensure our neighbors look and think a lot like us. It may not be a conscious effort. After all, it's only "natural" to avoid relationships with those who are more challenging to be around. ...

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What's Your Golden Calf?

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As we reflect on the earthly ministry of Jesus and the road he took to the cross, it is essential we remember why he had to come. Sin—our sin—is not something to be taken lightly. God certainly does not....

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Lenten Honesty

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What are you giving up for Lent? Wouldn't it be nice if we could answer, "sin"? But we are like Paul, who confessed, "For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it" (Rom 7:18 CSB). ...

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Loved in the Light

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“Where are you?” God’s first response to Adam and Eve’s sin was not disappointment nor vengeance but a question, an invitation to connection. Ashamed and covered, Adam and Eve came to God with a never-before-felt tension. They were caught....

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Leap for Joy

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"Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist speaking to Mary upon her arrival for a visit, 'As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy'" (Luke 1:44). What untold joys await those with ears to hear....

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KAOS

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When I was a kid, I thought KAOS was simply the name of an international organization of evil with the goal of world domination, make believe from the old TV show Get Smart. I didn’t know as a young child it was a play on the word chaos. Not all children are able to be as blissfully unaware of chaos as I was but all of us in our teen years, if not for sure by adulthood, ...

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All Is Well

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"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!" (Luke 2:14 CSB)...

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Embracing All Things New

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Connecting new life in Christ to clothing has its limits, but what we find in scripture about the resurrection and what this brings to our lives, is immeasurable. Easter reminds us to celebrate all that God makes new....

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Jesus Brings Salvation

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Every birth is a miracle, and every child is a “Gift from God.” But centuries ago, the miracle of miracles occurred. A baby was born....

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Joyful Light

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Why weren’t there others equally curious enough to follow this strange star? ...

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A Tale of Two Princes

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Isaiah 9:6 announces Jesus as the Prince of Peace. And Isaiah proclaims that he is born to us, that this son is being given to us. Jesus – and by extension, his peace – is for us, in every sense. ...

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Advent: An Invitation to Hope

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The angel said to Mary, “…behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-33). ...

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On Psalm 51

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Sheep wander the lowland darkness, nibbling at the hardwoods that grow among the bogs and the burnt hollows. An impossible ridge separates them from green meadows, azure pools, and the golden throne of God, and the flock knows it not. Wolves also wander there. And we, the sheep, follow in their wolvery....

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Springtime and Psalm 38

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At this time of year spring is showing itself everywhere. Even the word Lent itself means spring, and the Lenten season has been described as a 40-day springtime for the soul....

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Peace

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Peace is a wonderful theme for Advent, and the Bible has much to say about it......

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The Bread of Life

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"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry" (Matthew 4:1-2)....

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Save Us! Save Us!

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Most of us reflect on 2020 as a year that rarely felt safe. So, what does the theme of Salvation have to do with Advent? What are we being saved from exactly?...

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Expectations & Advent

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Advent signals the “take off” of the Church’s liturgical year at a time when I’m simply struggling to guide my calendar year to a “safe landing.”...

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Be Reframed

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Reframe. Reorient. Recenter. These are good words. They describe how God can use Advent in our minds and hearts....

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Was a Pandemic in Your Planner?

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An Advent Blog by Diana Calvin...

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"He Remembers"

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Psalm 103:13-17[13] As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. [14] For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. [15] As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; [16] for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. [17] But the steadfast love of ...

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"Observing Lent from a Fishing Boat"

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Perhaps it's because I didn't grow up observing Lent that I seem to find it in the oddest places.Like in the bottom of a sinking boat filled with flopping fish.When I think of Lent these days, I think of three thingsself-reflection, repentance, and giving something upand Luke 5:1-11 has all three.Peter finds himself in an awkward situation.A carpenter/rabbi is giving him f...

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