Author: Norm

THE STORY OF JESUS: Exodus 29-31 “So I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests.” (Exodus 29:44) Talk about very elaborate, very gory, very serious consecration details. Why is God using such strong rituals to set aside the priests and the sanctuary? In…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Exodus 25-28 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8) How can God ‘dwell’ in a man-made sanctuary, no matter how impressive? This is meant to be a powerful symbol for this newborn nation of slaves. The awesome Creator God, so beyond us in being…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 11:1-6 “Go back and report to John what you hear and see.” (Matthew 11:4) The Jews believed that God would send a Messiah to restore creation. The Messiah would reverse the curse and restore the kingdom of God. The effects of sin – blindness, lameness, death, poverty – would be made right….

THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 10:40-42 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and… the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40) God created us to re-present Him, to be ‘like God’ in the world, to the world. When we live like God (ie good, loving, merciful, faithful, etc), we reflect God. Anyone who welcomes this goodness, even if…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 10:32-39 “For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father…’” (Matthew 10:35) Jesus came to displace the dominion of darkness with the kingdom of light. He stands against hate, murder, rape, injustice, violence, deceit, crime, etc. He stands with the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the abuse, the tortured, etc….

THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 10:26-31 “And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” (Matthew 10:30) In my family of origin, early balding was an issue. For some reason, I held on to my hair covering, while my brothers didn’t. I joked it was because I was a minister, my boss had my hairs…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 13 “But I trust in your unfailing love…” (Psalm 13) This one word ‘but’ is the critical turning point in this song. The author is genuinely troubled, feeling abandoned and unloved. Their mind is a battleground of fear, doubt, sorrow and despair – they feel defeated. They are desperate, they feel like…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Exodus 22-24 “Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.” (Exodus 23:33) Why does God appear so stern and strict, a consuming fire? To my sensitive ears, this God sounds angry,…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Exodus 19-21 “You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:6) The bible is made up of two parts, the Old and New Testaments. Jesus is the bible’s turning point; He initiates a new arrangement. God used Moses and Israel (Old Testament) for a time and purpose….

THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 10:21-25 “The one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) I have never been hated because of Jesus. Some people I know may snicker at my religious gullibility, or naive beliefs. Do I experience little resistance because I’m not out there enough for Jesus? To be like my teacher, I…