Scripture – Luke 21:20–28 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 Luke paints a picture of the Son of Man returning in the midst of disturbances that are military, ecological, and astrological. This scene is in tension with the epistle lesson comparing the…
Read more »Scripture – Romans 15:4–13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) There was a point in my…
Read more »Scripture – Psalm 90 Advent leads home to Emmanuel (God-with-us). The birth of Jesus announced to shepherds, and the baptism of the Word made flesh by John in the muddy Jordan River among repentant throngs, show that God is with…
Read more »Scripture – Psalm 102 “Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that people yet unborn may praise the LORD.” (Psalm 102:18) Many of us know some variation of the proverb “The true meaning of life is to…
Read more »Scripture – 1 Thessalonians 3:1–13 “We sent Timothy . . . to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions.” (1 Thessalonians 3:2–3) I remember reading Peacemaking: The…
Read more »Scripture – Isaiah 2:1–4 Isaiah’s vision in the early chapters of his book is mostly of the punishment of Judah and Jerusalem. Judah is to be destroyed because the nation is corrupt; pride and wealth have distorted the nation God…
Read more »Scripture – 1 Thessalonians 2:1–12 What a difference age makes! I used to read Thessalonians, or for that matter any of the apostle Paul’s letters, trying to learn what Paul meant and hoping that I could apply it to my…
Read more »Friends of Social Witness and Social Ministry, The General Assembly has authorized two new studies that will involve the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP). One is about the economic crisis and the other is about the peacemaking witness…
Read more »The Ministerio de Vida Abundante de la Iglesia Presbiteriana en Puerto Nuevo, San Juan de Puerto Rico provides a Spanish translation of the November 29 Advent devotion on their blog. They will be posting the devotions daily.
Read more »Scripture – Isaiah 1:10–20 “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah…
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