SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:50-56 “He himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 23:51) What does it mean to ‘wait for the kingdom of God’. If I wait for the bus, I sit at the bus stop and anticipate that it is coming. If I wait for the light to turn green, I am in the lane,…
Author: Norm
Psalm 104
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 104 What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER
With us through the storm
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 46-49 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord. Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.” (Jeremiah 46:28) Many people…
What’s going on here?
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:44-49 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) We live because God’s breath (Spirit) breathes in us. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any…
He will remember you…
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals on the cross next to Jesus has a change of heart. Hearing Jesus forgive everyone seems to break his own hardened heart. He has hated all his life, and this is where it led him. He is dying in defeat and despair, but this man next to him is…
Could I say this?
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:32-38 Imagine having given your heart to a certain cause and community of people. Your heart, your desire, was to do whatever you could to bless, to serve, to care, to help. Someone falsely accuses you of something, and though you are innocent, you are charged. Things you said and did are twisted by…
Warning!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:26-31 Jesus is predicting a time of frightening violence. He basically tells these women to save their tears for another time. We do know that the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) was a time like this. Jesus quotes Hosea, comparing this time of violence to the destruction of Israel (Hosea 10:8). A time so horrible,…
Telling yourself to focus on God!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 103 When I am discouraged, overwhelmed, scared, or troubled, what should I do? In moments like these, tell yourself to focus on God. In this Psalm David is engaging in ‘self-talk’, telling his soul (innermost being) to praise God. He then reviews all the great things about God, all the reasons why there is…
I did it… God’s way or my way?
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 40-45 This story needs to he understood in the context of world history. Violence, greed, perversion, corruption, injustice, misery – this was the norm. The governments enforced it, and the religions endorsed it. God sets up Israel to be a missionary people, to represent God’s justice and mercy to the world. To live God’s…
How much am I worth?
SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:13-25 How much am I worth? If the world had to choose between me and someone else, who would they choose? Me or the Queen, me or Pope Francis, me or Oprah Winfrey… If it was up to the masses, I know who would be worth more. But what if it was me or…