Isaiah 25:6-9 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare — a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy — the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. Read the context As the coroner exits the scene of...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Psalm 16:9–11 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; — my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, — nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; — you will fill me with joy in your presence, — with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Read the context Last week's veggies start wilting in the fridge drawer unused. Your deck boards start to rot from the rain. Decay seems inevitable. Long before...
3 days ago • 1 min read
1 Cor 15:3–5 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. Read the context What is the first thing you'd want to tell someone about Jesus? Would you tell someone about his power to heal the sick of his teaching? Maybe. But at the top of your list should be this: You have a...
4 days ago • 1 min read
John 20:15–16 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Read the context I can hardly imagine the emotions Mary was experiencing—the grief of watching her teacher die, the fear of not knowing what comes next. And then,...
5 days ago • 1 min read
Luke 24:5b–7 “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Read the context They went searching for a dead man—but found an empty tomb. Do you still expect death in a place of life? You don’t have to live with their expectation. He is not here! The angel’s question still echoes...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Luke 23:50-53 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. Read the context Born to a family in Israel. He was known as the son of the...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Luke 23:44-46 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. Read the context On Good Friday —Jesus is hangs from a cross. The sun stops shining. God forsakes his son. The promised Messiah dies. What could possibly be good about that? As he gives up...
8 days ago • 1 min read
Luke 22:39-42 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Read the context A cup of suffering is placed before Jesus. On the night before his crucifixion, will he run from it? In this moment before the pain he turns...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings... Read the context The ancient Israelites were separated from God's presence by a curtain in the temple. Only the High Priest could enter that...
10 days ago • 1 min read