In the ancient world it was thought that if you knew a person's name you had power over that person. People were understandably cautious in sharing their names. We modern people tend to...
Advertisers have it rough. They promote products, so we naturally blame them for the month we just spent dodging (and being hit...
In the Great Depression, John Smithers lost his life savings. A woman read of Smithers’ downfall and bemoaned: “The investments of a lifetime! Gone!” But another woman who knew John said...
Introducing a Change in Weekend Daily Reflections:Starting yesterday, I began to try something new in these Daily Reflections. During the week, I’ll continue to work passage by passage through a...
Introducing a Change in Weekend Daily Reflections:Beginning today, I’m going to try something new in these Daily Reflections. During the week I’ll continue to work passage by passage through a book...
This story is so great that I don't feel adequate for the task of introducing it. It is a story of unbelievable...
Isaiah’s vision has often stretched beyond that of the other Hebrew prophets. He has repeatedly seen, for example, all nations coming to worship the God of Israel, and even participating in God’s...
Isaiah 65 begins with a tragic thought. God stood ready to help his people, but they didn’t bother to call upon him. He was ready to be found by his people, but they...
As the prophet looks upon the mess Israel made of its life, his thoughts turn to the mystery of God’s inaction, or even God’s participation, in the rebellion of Israel: “Lord, why have...
From the beginning, Israel was to play a unique role as a priestly nation to the world. When God first made a covenant through Moses, he said to the Israelites, “Now if you...
Bishop N. T. Wright is arguably one of the most important theologians writing today. He’s published everything from weighty theological tomes like...
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We can only begin to imagine the shock Mary must have felt when hearing the news that she would bear a child, even though she had not been sexually intimate with a man...
In Isaiah 60, the Lord promises to restore Israel in order to bring glory to himself. When we hear this, it can seem odd at first. After all, if you were to seek...
The Israelites knew what it was like to have unjust rulers. Not only had they experienced the oppression of foreign tyrants, but even their own kings had used their authority to take advantage of...
Yes, this is the third day of my reflections on coming home. I want to say a bit more on this subject because I think it is crucial for us. It’s also timely...
I began yesterday’s reflection by talking about coming home at Christmastime. For many of us, being at home for the holidays is one of life’s greatest joys.But not for all of us. Many...
I see a theme in my recent writing and because it wasn't planned I wonder why it's there. ...
I had never done it before in a class—spun a film on DVD out of a computer, through a projector, and onto...
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin...
