Matthew 3:1-17 John is the one who prepares the way. We’ve gotten used to the descriptions of him as a wild man, a prophet, a loud mouth, and an abrasive presence. You can certainly hear all of that in this passage. John connects the dots between what he is doing and what God is doing. John speaks in the future…
Matthew 1:18-25
Isaiah 42:1-9 We often get very zoomed in at this time of year. We have narrowed our vision to that of a nativity set. There is a stable (or not), shepherds, animals, the holy family, maybe some magi or wise men. The Christ child takes center stage, as does Bethlehem, that small town of David. We have traditions, music, habits, food,…
Esther 4:1-17 Mordecai and Esther are the big players in this narrative. They alternate being the primary character in any given scene. Mordecai has the space outside the palace, and Esther has the space inside the palace. The news and the view aren’t the same in those two places. Mordecai hears about Haman’s actions, and Esther doesn’t seem to know.…
Habakkuk 1:1-7; 2:1-4; 3:3b-6, 17-19 Habakkuk complains about what is, as we often do. He speaks to God about it, as we often forget to do. Habakkuk commits to watching to see what God will do. And God responds with a vision, writ large and plain. What is God’s vision? What will happen next? That too, we wonder. What is God’s vision…
Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; then 2:1-4 This is a great example of what works with us as humans. Assyria comes to the gates, armed, with a history of winning, and challenges Israel. More than Israel, Assyria challenges King Hezekiah and God. Assyria challenges the faith of the people of God in the God who has delivered them in the past. Assyria is…
Micah 1:3-5; 5:2-5a; Micah 6:6-8 We hear a transition here. We hear of God coming down, melting things. We hear of transgressions, of fire, of punishment. And then we hear of what will come out of a small place. One will come forth to rule, standing in the majesty of God, and the people shall live secure. If the enemies come, they…
2 Kings 5:1-15a Elisha heals Naaman, a foreigner and leper We like the big names. The big names are easy to track, and it keeps our focus tight. We can track Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, some of the 12 disciples, Mary, and a small handful of other names. And often, those are the stories we tell, remember, write books about,…
1 Kings 3:4-28 This is probably another familiar story. It has found its way into colloquial language, when we talk about the wisdom of Solomon. So, let’s dip back into this story. Solomon starts off in a dream, conversing with God. God give Solomon a wish, a single request, and Solomon recounts what God has done for David, and then asks for…
2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9 The encounter between Nathan and David is high drama. At the same time, it is very human. Nathan is telling a story, and David is getting all animated about the injustice portrayed in the story. We can see that David doesn’t understand that he is the bad guy in the story. David can’t imagine being…