According to his website, "Tony is the national coordinator of Emergent Village (www.emergentvillage.org), and a doctoral fellow in practical theology at Princeton...
Today’s passage begins by proclaiming the power of God. When he comes, “he will rule with a powerful arm.” Given what we’ve seen so far in Isaiah, we might expect the next statement...
Just this morning, I was gazing out of our kitchen window, watching the first signs of autumn in our backyard. The leaves on our Spanish Oak trees are just beginning to turn. The...
With occasional oases of hope, the first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah are a desert of divine judgment. But then, beginning with Isaiah 40, the tone changes. Though the Lord is still a God of...
Hezekiah was one of the most pious and faithful kings of Judah. Chapters 37 and 38 of Isaiah testify to his exemplary trust in the Lord. But then, in Isaiah 39, we see...
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As Isaiah 38 begins, King Hezekiah was deathly ill. In fact, Isaiah came to him with a word from the Lord that Hezekiah would soon die. In response to this bad news, Hezekiah...
I have three children, all daughters. 20, 16, and 12. For years and years we had small ones around the house. They made messes. They were demanding. They were loud. And they were cute. Now that we...
As King Sennacherib and his Assyrian army threatened to consume Jerusalem, King Hezekiah of Judah turned to the Lord in prayer. Though he would ask the Lord to rescue Judah (v. 20), he...
When humans lived closer to the land, we were deeply affected by the seasons and the weather and the harvest. There was an excitement and a fear in the air. Would the crops...
After chapters of divine oracles, Isaiah 36 begins an historical section that focuses on events around 700 B.C. While King Hezekiah reigned over Judah, the Assyrians, who had recently overthrown...
Last summer, I had the privilege of participating in a medical mission trip to Guatemala. The team was made up of surgeons...
The theme of exile and return runs through the Old Testament prophets, right into the New Testament. Beginning with the Assyrian defeat of the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. and augmented when...
"HARMELING! My grandmother runs faster than you!" Coach Dick Bennett screamed at one of his freshmen on the Washington State University basketball team. "You—you’re a Division III player. But at...
Bradley Moore has posted a very honest and funny look at his attempts to try contemplative prayer. ...
God is our judge because he rightly sees when we do what’s wrong and because he pronounces a guilty verdict on our sin. God is our lawgiver because he establishes right and wrong...
Will Messenger is an Episcopal Priest in Boston with an MBA in marketing from Harvard Business School...
We don’t hear much these days about the fear of the Lord. In part, we avoid this language because it can be easily misconstrued, turning God into a vengeful tyrant whom we hope...
Throughout the opening chapters of Isaiah, we are repeatedly confronted with God’s judgment. Not only the chosen people, but also pagan nations are condemned for their wickedness. But every now and...
Isaiah calls Israel to “return to the Lord” even though they are “such wicked rebels.” The fact that God’s people have revolted against him does not preclude them from turning back to God.The.....
