Posts from March 2026 (Page 3)

ReAD Luke 19:28-42 and Matthew 23:37-39 Have you ever watched someone important to you make decisions you knew would not be for their good? What did you feel? What did you do? Sometimes these situations lead me to consider how God must feel toward all of us when we live in ways contrary to God’s guidance and, thus, not for our good. We catch a glimpse of the divine response in Jesus through today’s Scripture texts. Traveling toward Jerusalem near…

Each Saturday during Lent, we will take some time as a church family to practice a different spiritual exercise together. Today, we are practicing Service. About SErvice Service is a way of offering resources, time, treasure, influence, and expertise for the care, protection, justice, and nurture of others. Acts of service give hands to the second greatest com- mandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Isaiah 58:6-7; John 12:26; Matthew 22:37-39). For REflection: Ways to Practice SErvice:

Read Ephesians 4:29-32 When I think about frustration, I usually think about moments when something feels painfully wrong. The kind of frustration that comes from knowing something could and should be better.  That’s the kind of emotion we see when Jesus weeps at the tomb of Lazarus. His tears aren’t only about loss, they’re about the brokenness of a damaged world. Jesus knew this wasn’t how things were meant to be. That same frustration shows up in Ephesians 4:29-32. In…

Read Psalm 78:32-40 Have you ever visited the desert? Maybe you’ve gone sliding down sand dunes or even ridden a camel. Sounds fun, right? I live in the land where the Israelites likely wandered for a good part of 40 years, and I can say that the desert can be very frustrating, hot, exhausting, and dirty. It can also get very cold, dangerous during rainy seasons, and even a little green in the spring. It’s a strange juxtaposition to live…

Read Genesis 6:5-8 When we hear that something terrible and unfair happened to someone we know, or we see on the news that innocent people are suffering, it is normal to have strong feelings: anger, grief, dismay. We react because we care about these people. If we long for justice, then how much more is it God’s desire? Back in Genesis 1, when God created the world and people, He said “It is good” about everything. But over time, things…

Read Hosea 11:5-8 Throughout the book of Hosea, we read about Israel’s unfaithfulness, idolatry, and hypocrisy. They say they know God, but they don’t allow Him to truly transform their hearts; letting blind ambition drive foolish choices and misplaced faith in false gods and faithless nations. The prophet paints a picture of Israel as the rebellious son, and God as his loving but emotionally whiplashed father; in verses 5-8 we hear the latter’s frustration, the torment of watching His people…

Read Ezekiel 6:9 When I was a child, I would request that one special toy for Christmas or my birthday. When I was ten years old, I wanted Optimus Prime, the leader of the good Transformers robots. I thought if I had this, my life would be worthwhile. When I received it, it only took thirty minutes of rough play for Optimus’ arm to be broken off. What I thought would bring me joy was just a piece of poorly…