Posts from March 2026 (Page 2)

ReaD Ezekiel 34 In Ezekiel 34 we see God’s anger brought against the shepherds that have taken advantage of the sheep. They have not helped the weak, the sick, or the injured, nor have they brought back the strays or sought the lost. But with force and violence, they have ruled over the flocks. They have used the flock to satisfy their own appetites and interests, abandoning the sheep in the process. In response the Lord says that He is…

ReaD Amos 5:21-24 There are times when a verse is so disorienting that we clearly remember the first time we read it. As a college student, I based my relationship with God on performing religious activities: having a quiet time, going to small group, and attending church on Sunday mornings. I thought that was what God wanted from me. And then I read Amos 5. This passage is the beating heart of the book. Our pious participation in religious services…

ReaD Deuteronomy 6:15 & Matthew 23:23-28 Imagine if you had been invited to a tea by somebody really important. The table is set with a silver tea service and beautiful cups. Your expectation is high. The hostess pours the steaming tea into your cup. You lift it to your mouth and sip. The taste is terrible. You look at the inside of the cup and it is smeared with greasy black residue. Yuck!  When Jesus looks at the Pharisees, the…

ReaD Deuteronomy 6:15 “For the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.” (Deuteronomy 6:15) Is it safe to say that jealousy has been recurrent in my life recently? It’s like that mark on the wall that catches your eye, distracting you until eventually you forget all about it. Then something causes you to look in that direction and…

ReaD Jeremiah 30:23-24 & Mark 3:1-5 This Lent we have been exploring the tears of Jesus. It’s beautiful to me that Jesus cried (and hopefully this gives us permission to live into our humanity through emotional expression) and we also get to discover what made Jesus cry, what made Him angry.  God’s anger in Scripture often makes us uncomfortable. Maybe this is because an angry Jesus doesn’t fit with the image we’ve built up, or we are quick to assume…

ReAD Luke 19:28-42 and Matthew 23:37-39 Being overcome by evil and injustice is a normal human experience. It is also a response that Jesus, our Lord, has experienced. Jesus wept tears of anger upon seeing Jerusalem’s choice to live into inequalities and injustices. He displayed anger at the religious “elite” who gate-kept the mercy and goodness of God. And He shunned the use of the Temple as a marketplace, monetizing forgiveness and reconciliation.  We may view people who are moved…

Each Saturday during Lent, we will take some time as a church family to practice a different spiritual exercise together. Today, we are practicing Confession. About Confession Self-examination is a process whereby the Holy Spirit opens your heart to what is true about you. It is a way of opening yourself to God within the safety of divine love so that you can authentically seek transformation. Confession embraces Christ’s gift of forgiveness and restoration while setting us on the path…

ReaD Micah 7:18-19 I have recently found myself reflecting more and more on humanity from Elohim’s (Creator God) point of view; allowing outrospective space to view the world as if I had created it. I wonder to myself, if I had given my creation all it needed to be in a right relationship with me and with others, why are they acting the way they do? Why do they choose the way of frustration, noise, and conflict? Don’t they see…

Read Hebrews 2:17-18 Whenever a text starts off with words like “For this reason”, it means there is something very important that happens before it. In this case, it is the explanation of why Jesus had to be made human in order to be the perfect sacrifice for us.  Why did Christ come back as a human and not an angel or other being? The covenant God made was with man and not angels.  God favored man over angels. Angels…

Read Ephesians 2:4-5 It is hard to show mercy towards anyone who actively opposes or rejects us, but there are some who successfully do so. We have the Biblical example of the loving father who welcomes his prodigal son back home despite his rebellious, disrespectful, and arrogant behavior. We have C.S. Lewis’ example of Aslan who allows himself to be killed instead of Edmond who had displayed selfish, deceitful, and spiteful behavior. Many of us can probably think of other…

Read Exodus 34:6-9 Have you ever felt the need to “lay your cards on the table” when you first met someone? Like, “Let’s cut to the chase—this is who I am, this is what is important to me, this is what I am against.” Usually, we take our time disclosing ourselves and there is good wisdom in that. But there may be instances, perhaps with a time urgency or a need for utmost clarity that we may “lay out our…

Read John 3:16-18 Our public square buzzes with visions of paradise. Countless advertising dollars are poured into the promotion of the latest cures for society’s ailments. From skincare to fixing the government, a better tomorrow is just around the corner. So they say.  It’s not all wrong. Good healthcare does help. Visionary leaders may turn a company or even a country around. And investing wisely (if all goes well) can make tomorrow more comfortable. But the reality is these are…