Greetings friends! This is an addition to the Advent Devotional blog that we didn't have last week, but we're learning as we go so I thought I'd give it a shot! Each weekend, I'll throw out some questions that will hopefully spark some journal entries, or even better some discussion among a small group! 1) From Ed's post this week: Does the knowledge that you are not God fill you with joy, fear,…
23"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! Jesus can be firey in the New Testament. For as much as we like to paint him as a…
My dad still comes with me to doctor’s appointments. Not to every appointment; not if I have a cold or need more allergy medicine- but for the big ones, he drives all the way down to Pittsburgh to accompany his 26 year old daughter. It isn’t that he doesn’t think I can handle it myself, that I’m not yet intelligent enough to make my own health decisions or to ask necessary questions or discuss the ful…
There’s no mistaking it; you are not God. I am not God. Together we are not God. Isaiah 40 tells us that, in the grand scheme of life, you and I are no more than withering grass. That means that at our best, in our finest moments we are green pastures – useful for the respite and nourishment of the Shepherd’s flocks. At our best, we sacrifice ourselves to benefit God’s Kingdom, and by striving for sel…
Then (the king) said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. (Matthew 22:8-10) Jesus was always so fond of parables, of hiding incredibly…
