Matthew 14:25 During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

I wonder why Jesus walked on the water? It seems odd, and unlike the many miraculous healings and feedings and deliverances and resurrections he brought about in order to help, to minister to those in need. Somehow, odd as it seems, the disciples needed to see it—Jesus on the water. So out he went!

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

Psalm 8 was an ancient processional hymn—the people sang this one as they marched together toward the temple in Jerusalem. Somehow we know to line up and march and sing when something really important is about to happen! From deep within the human spirit comes forth praise to the Living God, the majestic one, famous in all the earth.

Matthew 14:8 Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

In a public moment of unbelievable vengeance, a mother and daughter call for the death of John the Baptist, and they get their amazing wish, right there in front of a large party. For that truly awful request, we remember them all these centuries later. It could not possible have given them any measure of contentment, peace, joy, or hope as time went on.

Galatians 1:23 They only heard the report: the man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.

The Apostle Paul is describing himself here—an enemy of Christians who became a missionary and evangelist after Jesus called him out in a very dramatic way. What must the believers have thought, at first ? Can a leopard change his spots? Maybe not, but a man can change the direction of his life in an instant.

1Samuel 2:1 Then Hannah prayed, and said, “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.”

After many barren and miserable years, Hannah had been given a son, the baby Samuel. He was destined to be one of the greatest prophets in all of Israel, but his Mom mostly knew that he was destined to be her great joy! She could not contain her vast gratitude and unbounding joy.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus is the source of our peace—a peace which the world cannot give, and which passes all human understanding. We are justified in him alone, and we find that peace in him alone.

Proverbs 26:25 Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

I wonder if the Apostle Paul thought about this old Jewish proverb as he walked thousands of dusty miles bringing Really Good News from a distant land. The Good News of Jesus Christ would change the whole world, like a cool drink of living water in a parched desert.

Psalm 31:24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

St. Peter says that we should always be ready to give an accounting for the hope that is in us. That hope in the Lord will naturally make us strong, will enable us to take heart in all kinds of situations. Those strong hearts get people wondering where the hope comes from.

Matthew 13:30 Let them both grow together until the harvest.

The farmer has a whole field of baby wheat, with baby weeds growing all in it as well. He sees them both, but he knows that any serious weed-pulling will disturb the new roots of the good grain. Let it all take root, he says, at harvest time we’ll divide it up. Are we in the wheat pile?

Psalm 38:6 I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning.

Mourning is the hard work of the human journey—taking in loss, injury, failure, disappointment, death, and somehow continuing on. If we can mourn and rejoice at the same time, Hallelujah! God is with us! If we can only mourn, we know that the living God is still with us.

1Timothy 1:18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophesies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight

Timothy’s mother and grandmother were early Christians, and Paul also was a mentor in his faith journey. Although Timothy was young, great things had once been seen in him, and were now coming to fruition. He fulfilled that earlier vision, as he lived out the Gospel of Jesus Christ and became a powerful teacher, leader, and witness.

Proverbs 10:7 The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

I’m not really sure if a name can actually rot, but we get the idea. Slimy, smelly, wormy, disgusting—these are the signs of something rotting away. After we’re gone, may our name be blessed and spoken often, not left out for the garbage!

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

The believers in the risen Lord Jesus clung to each other in those early days, they were one in prayer and joy and awe and fear. That’s how the Holy Spirit found them and filled them on the day of Pentecost. After that day, it was mostly power that bound them together, and love. And their mission to the world.

Ephesians 6:14 Stand, therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Paul wants all of the believers to be decked out in the full armor of God—shoes, sword, helmet, belt and breastplate. Clothed in truth and righteousness, we are ready to stand tall, ready to confront the enemy without fear. Let the battle begin-- we have on the full armor of God.

Jeremiah 31:33 I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God longs for a faithful people who are true to him and who love him. We can only hope to be that people now, because he has graciously placed his own Spirit within us, within our hearts. Thank God that God keeps his ancient promises.

Psalm 105:43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.

The Hebrew people tell and re-tell and re-tell their amazing tale of deliverance at the Red Sea that day. As they miraculously crossed over on dry land, they must have known in their hearts that future generations would echo their joy and singing forever.

Matthew 8:34 Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.

These people had witnessed a powerful miracle—a legion of wild demons had been cast out of 2 possessed men (by Jesus), then they entered a herd of pigs, then they threw all the pigs into the ocean. The 2 men were healed and restored to themselves, but the observers were terrified! Can we really blame them?

1 Samuel 16:11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.”

One of Jesse’s sons was destined to be the next king of Israel. Surely not David, he must have thought, the shepherd boy, the smallest and youngest. But God saw a mighty ruler and strong warrior out there in the pasture. God saw in David a shepherd for his chosen people.

Matthew 8:15 Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.

The woman here with the high fever was Simon Peter’s Mother in law. She was the first sick person that Jesus healed, there in Capernaum. As the next several years unfolded, and her son-in-law became less and less a, “normal, stable fisherman, good provider, etc.,” the Mom had no doubts about him whatsoever. She knew the truth. She knew the Way, the Truth, and the Life—Jesus.

John 17:20-21 I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they all may be one.

Jesus is praying here for his disciples, at the last supper as he prepares to leave them. Then, amazingly, he prays for US: for all those who will come to the faith later on. Jesus asks that he and we and they might all be made one. Hallelujah, we are one.

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.

It is our tremendous joy and privilege to live within the family of God—right there in his household, sitting right there at the dinner table. As sons and daughters, we bear his name, claim his inheritance, and learn his words and his ways. We are his, members of him.

Psalm 86:11 Give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

An alternate translation of Psalm 86 says, “To fear your name.” The psalmist knew holy fear of the power in the Name of the One God. It was not a name to be spoken out loud, or to be taken lightly in any way. The name of the One God lives in our own time, unchanged and unchanging. How might we better revere that name?

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and ...

... and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

In this one sentence, Luke gives us the outline of the entire Book of Acts. He might as well have said, “Look out Jerusalem, here we come! Look out Judea and Samaria, look out ends of the earth, Here we come!! They were indeed his witnesses in all of those destinations.

Ephesians 1:5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Much of our service of Holy Baptism comes out of the Letter to the Ephesians. Really, our baptism is the sign of our adoption, our good fortune that it gave God pleasure to graft us onto/into himself.

Leviticus 26:2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary; I am the LORD.

Our love of the sacred places and sacred words is very ancient. God claims the time of Sabbath as his own, and he claims the house of worship as his own, as well. We enter that time and space as worshipers, as guests, as beloved children.

Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you.

Paul had heard about the Colossians’ great faith, and their, “Love in the Spirit.” He just could not stop thanking God for them and blessing them. I wonder how he kept up all that ceaseless prayer for so many different people? He did it, and even worked for a living AND preached!

Matthew 5:28-29 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ...

... yet I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

The lilies are clothed in glory and splendor, but they don’t last for long in the overall scheme of things. I always think Jesus should have said, “Consider the moon,” or, “Consider the sea,” something with a little longer history! The lilies are fragile, and beautiful, and they rest in the hands of the Father. So do we. Not to worry.

Psalm 114:5 Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan that you turn back?

The psalmist reflects back on two miracles: the parting of the Red Sea, and the Jordan River flowing backward—both to let the people of God pass over on dry land. He looks at it from the water’s point of view, as if the water had somehow changed its mind! God created the water in the first place, and everything that swims in it. He has the power to turn it around, or not.

Exodus 33:11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp.

Moses set up a tent outside the camp to meet with God, and whenever they visited a pillar of cloud would hover at the entrance to the tent. (That way people knew not to go barging in!) There was never another like Moses, but even his life could not compare with the later prophet and savior, Jesus. They both had God in common and the welfare of God’s people, but even Moses and the law could not save. Jesus saves.

1Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ...

... Grace to you and peace.

Whatever Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy thought they were writing when they sat down with some thoughts for the Thessalonians, they could not have imagined that these words would be the first ever written in the New Testament of the Bible. This letter, written only 15 years or so after the death and resurrection of Christ, give us the purest view of life in the church in those very early days. How grateful we are for all those who copied and carried it over many years and many miles. Grace to them, and peace.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The first of the Gospels to be written, Mark’s Gospel jumps right in with the important part first. The news is good, and the savior is the son of God! His book is just the beginning, and his news would spread all over the world.

Psalm 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

The good shepherd cares for his flock, day in and day out. He knows our need for rest and nourishment, and he knows our soul’s need for rest and nourishment as well. Because he is our shepherd, we have everything we need.

Psalm 30:5 Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Anyone who has ever wept all the long night through knows the peace of dawn. With the sunrise, all of our problems have not gone, but darkness has gone and a new day has begun. Who knows what might happen in its light and hope?

Colossians 2:12 When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him ...

... from the dead.

In our tradition, we generally use just a small amount of water for baptism, but going into the Jordan River to be baptized is more like being buried in a potential grave. We should never forget that water is dangerous AND life giving. We die by drowning with him in baptism, and he raised us to new life.

Exodus 20:8-9 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

This passage is part of all the ten commandments listed by Moses as he came down from the mountaintop. God knew then and he knows now that we will always be tempted to work more, earn more, play more, spend more than six days’ worth. No, he says—the seventh day is mine.

Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

Nobody really knows why Jesus received the baptism of John—he was the greater of the two, and he had no sins from which to repent. But he did receive the baptism of John. He was willing to stand in the crowd of sinners and to listen to John’s message. He was willing to go down into the water and come up again. He led the way for all who would come later, down in the water in the name of Jesus and born again to live for him.

Colossians 1:9 We have not ceased praying for you, and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom ...

... and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord.

Paul tells everyone that he knows that he is constantly praying for them. I love to imagine him traveling down the road just naming them all over and over. He wanted this group to be wise and to let that wisdom guide them into lives worthy of their calling. He hadn’t started that congregation, but he had heard all about them, and desired blessings on them, and on their work.

Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

The psalmist recognizes the value of being humble. Only from a place of humility will we ever be able to be taught and led. God desires that we learn and follow, but we must let him lead.

John 21:15 Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

As they ate breakfast there on the beach, the resurrected Lord gave Simon Peter a chance to undo the damage he had caused by denying that he even knew Jesus. He was restored to his place of leadership in the church, and became its most powerful preacher and teacher. He did love Jesus more than these after all.

Exodus 17:4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me!”

As Moses led his people across the desert, they got crankier and crankier, hungry, thirsty, and generally argumentative. As he pleaded to God for help, we remember that he didn’t really want to be their leader in the first place! He was called, and so he obeyed. God hears him out and helps him out all along the way. But it wasn’t easy.

1Peter 3:15 Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands of you an accounting for the hope that is in you.

Many demand an accounting from us at one time or another, but not usually an accounting for our hope. What would we say if it happened? We should always be ready with an answer, with a witness to the Lord Jesus who IS our hope.

John 15:15 I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.

I love this verse, because it tells us that Jesus valued and loved his human friends. He was speaking here to the disciples, telling them good-bye. He was a friend to them, and they were friends to him. Where would any of us be without friends? Even Jesus knew not to find out!

Psalm 12:6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.

There are lots of places in the bible that talk about a refining fire or furnace. All kinds of ore is purified as the heat burns off the parts that are impure. What is left is pure, refined, and strong. Promises can be pure, those who follow them can be pure, the results can be pure, if we are willing.

Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord : “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider ...

... he has thrown into the sea.”

As they gathered safely on the far side of the Red Sea, the children of God gave him thanks and praise. They sang to him and danced right there on the seashore. They were so grateful, no other kind of praise would have worked!!

1Peter 1:8 Although you have not seen him, you love him.

As Peter wrote to Christians all over the place, he addressed them as one who had actually seen the Lord Jesus in his earthly life. He commended them for believing without seeing what he had seen. Peter sounded in awe of their faith during times of trial, and their joy in every circumstance, and their love for the Lord Jesus, sight unseen.

John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God. ”

Thomas is often called “Doubting,” because he wanted to see proof of the Lord’s resurrection. Once he saw the proof, he became the only person in all the four Gospels accounts to call Jesus, “God.” Many called him Lord, Rabbi, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Anointed One, and many other names. “My God,” exclaimed Thomas the Apostle.

Mark 16:15 Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel.

The chapel of the Virginia Theological Seminary was built in 1870, as the seminary regrouped after 4 years as a Union army camp, hospital and cemetery. A beautiful window is over the altar, then painted in huge letters is this verse —Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. Graduates of V.T.S have scattered to all corners of the globe in 140 years, preaching every chance they got.

John 21:13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

There on the beach, the Risen Lord cooked breakfast and ate it with his friends. Nobody asked him who he was—they all knew it was Jesus. He received and restored them to ministry, even though they had all pretty much let him down. The food and the fellowship gave them new strength and new power.

Acts 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.

Peter and John had encountered a lame man begging at the temple’s entrance and had healed him with a word. He was begging for money, but he received so much more than he had asked for. The Book of Acts says that he jumped and danced and clung to the disciples. His joy was made complete.

Luke 24:15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up, and walked along with them.

As two disciples walked along on the way to Emmaus, they were very downhearted about the death of their Lord, Jesus. They were baffled and even more saddened by the story of an empty tomb that morning. They didn’t know that Jesus was the stranger walking with them that evening—he taught them and revealed himself in the breaking of bread at their table. They RAN back to tell the others what they had seen and heard!

Psalm 118:19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

We sometimes forget in our joy and gratitude as Christians, that even though Christ wipes away our sins, he still desires righteousness from us. He desires a holiness in our everyday lives, a sacred heart set apart for him. When we learn those holy ways, we give thanks forever.

Acts 2:24 It was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Preaching before thousands in Jerusalem, Peter tried to describe Jesus in many different ways, with lots of different examples. He finally laid out the proof that Jesus had defeated death itself—that even death could not hold the Lord of life in its grip for long. That day, 3,000 came to believe and were baptized. Death no longer had any claim on them, either.

Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.

The women who had loved Jesus when he was alive still loved him after his death, and they imagined that they were going to perform one last gesture of love to his dead body. They were in for one big surprise, and a jolt of joy and relief and astonishment that would carry them for many days and many years to come. They could not stop rejoicing, and they could not stop telling everyone they met what they found that early Sunday morning. He was alive!

1Peter 4:6 For this is the reason the Gospel was preached even to those who are now dead.

This letter from the Apostle Peter is the only place in the Bible where we get this piece of information—that during his days and nights in the tomb, Jesus was actually down in Hades in the Spirit, preaching to all those who had died in the centuries past. Artists have always loved this image—often painting Adam and Eve reaching up for Jesus’ hand as he leads them out of Hell into paradise. The Good News was for everyone in every age and every possible place, even the place of the dead.

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

There are very few things that Jesus just plainly tells us to do, and this is one of them. Washing the feet of our brothers and sisters is a visible and tangible sign that we are here to serve them, that we are willing to stoop down and do the work we have been called to do. It is also the visible and tangible sign of our love. It was the sign of His love, as well.

Psalm 70:5 Yet I am poor and needy; Come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer.

It amazes me, really, that we never fail to cry out to God when we are desperate, and that he keeps on listening to us wail. Poverty of one kind or another helps us see our need for God, helps us rely on someone or something other than ourselves and our measly schemes. We are called to serve the truly poor, and to recognize our own brand of poverty.

Psalm 71:14 But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.

The people of God are never without hope. They are never without SOMETHING for which to give thanks and praise to God. At the beginning of this life, in its final moments, somewhere in between, God is present and accounted for. He is with us, and we praise him more and more.

John 12:2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table.

I love that—Lazarus eating his dinner there at the table like everybody else. This is the same Lazarus who lay in the grave for four days, before Jesus called him back to life. His sisters were afraid that day, that the grave would smell horrible. One of his sisters opened a jar of perfume this night that filled the whole house with a beautiful smell. The bible really never talks about what things smell like, but in this case it is a sign of life, beauty, belief, and joy.

Isaiah 50:6 I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.

Not long after entering Jerusalem in triumph, surrounded by his fans and followers, Jesus would come to know mocking and spitting, and much worse. He would come to know flogging and dying. Never did he hide his face from such ill treatment. How did he do it? I wonder.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore, we do not lose heart.

Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians about experiencing things like beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, cold, rejection, stoning—quite a list of ministry experiences! He was preaching and teaching among people who had never even heard of the one God, or the prophets of the Hebrew people. He must have made them quite anxious, hence all the hardships. He never lost heart, though, and he tells us to never lose heart. Whatever the situation, keep on in the sure and certain hope of life eternal, the life with Christ.

2Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

We are the jars of clay. St. Paul was a jar of clay. The jar is nothing flashy or particularly powerful or beautiful or unique. What is inside the jar—the Good News of Jesus Christ –has all the power and wonder and glory, and Paul doesn’t want us to get in the way of that really good news. That’s why we’re not a diamond-studded solid gold vase!! We would get all the attention.

Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.

Righteousness and justice are the two things that appear over and over again in descriptions of a reign that is pleasing to God. A king who is righteous and just, providing for widows and orphans and resident aliens, can expect to be blessed in his rule. The kings of Israel knew this, it’s just hard to do.

Exodus 7:16 The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you, “Let my people go!”

This came to be the most famous line of Moses, as he confronted the Pharaoh of Egypt over and over, and said over and over, “Let my people go.” After great suffering the Pharaoh relented, only to change his mind and chase them to the banks of the Red Sea. God delivered the people that day, and set them on the long journey forward to the promised land. It was their exit, or “Exodus.”

Mark 9:50 Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other.

Jesus told the people gathered around him one day that they were the light of the world and the salt of the earth. He warned them about hiding the light or losing that saltiness that gives life. Stay alive and full of flavor and radiance. His peace will be the result.

Psalm 31:5 Into your hands I commit my spirit.

Jesus must have known this particular psalm well—he said these exact words as he died on the cross. His work on earth was finished, and he freely gave himself over to the Father. He was never apart from those hands of God, maybe it was for the benefit of those standing by that he spoke. Or maybe the Psalm was just in there, and needed to come out.

Philippians 3:7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul had once been quite an over-achiever in spiritual and religious matters. He gave more, prayed more, learned more, and followed the law more than anybody else, and was quite proud of himself. No more, he says. None of that mattered one bit when he considered what Christ had done for him. It was all nothing compared to the glory of the grace of the Lord Jesus.

1Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.

Paul writes to the Corinthians about all of the awesome gifts of the Holy Spirit that they might experience, and the wonders of that spirit-filled life. No matter what the gifts are, though, love must be the foundation of all. Without love, he says, all ministry and teaching and preaching and singing and speaking is lost. They are worthless unless the love is in them.

Luke 2:39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, and we remember and give thanks for him. He became the earthly father of the Lord Jesus, at great cost to himself, and provided a home and safety for his family. He raised his children to know God and to love him, to know the Scriptures and the ways of the prophets. It would be hard to overestimate what we, the human family, owe St. Joseph for that important work of his.

Exodus 1:15-16 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth ...

... and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him.”

As a nurse, this is one of my very favorite verses in all of Scripture. Of course the midwives ignored the king and chose to honor God instead. Their choice caused the life of Moses to be spared, who would deliver all their people from bondage. I wonder what the king’s name was? He was so insignificant to the narrative we don’t even know which King it was, but we are given the names of the important ones in the story—Shiphrah and Puah. From them, we learn.

Mark 8:24 “I see people, they look like trees walking around.”

These are the unique words of a man who had been entirely blind, whom Jesus healed in 2 installments! After the first anointing, he saw what he describes here--people like trees. After the second round, he saw everything quite clearly. Why did JESUS have to pray for him twice? We don’t know, but we know not to give up if our first attempt at something seems to yield half way results.

Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

This is a traditional canticle for services of Morning Prayer. It seems that we may need a daily reminder of who made whom! We are the beloved members of a flock, and our shepherd stands ready to provide for us.

1Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

On Sundays, a portion of the bread and wine that has been blessed goes out to members who are shut-in for some reason, and can’t make it to 2200 Avenue E for services. That Communion is a sign to them and to us that we are all one Body of Christ.

Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.

God’s time is not like our linear time as we work or watch or weep. All of the human family in a thousand years are gone in a single day, yet He loves and treasures each and every one. What an awesome God we serve.

Genesis 47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

We know, of course, that the one with spiritual authority of some kind blesses the one who does not have the authority. A blessing is willingly given and willingly received, and in this case it was received by the mighty Pharaoh of Egypt. Jacob, also known by the name Israel, had been through a lot, but he never forgot the covenant with his heavenly Father, and the unique place of holiness and authority that he had been given.

Mark 6:48 When Jesus saw that they were straining against the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, ...

... walking on the sea.

What on earth did the disciples think? The Scripture says that at first they thought it was a ghost, then they knew that it was the Lord. On the water. They were another step further along in the process of recognizing the Lord Jesus for who he was. He was like nothing they had ever seen before. Same for us.

Psalm 83:1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

The psalmist here is calling God down on treacherous and unrighteous enemies. He is confident that when God shows up it will be all the good for his side. I am not quite so persistent/confident in asking God to show up in full force with a Word for all of my situations!

1Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

We are always in pursuit of knowledge, and value education so highly as we raise our families. Paul himself was quite a smarty, and had the best education available in his day, but he knew that love was needed alongside learning. Love and learning—they go hand in hand.

Genesis 45:4-5 I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; ..

... for God sent me before you to preserve life.

What the brothers had intended for evil, God had used for good. In one of the most amazing moments in all of Scripture, Joseph---the one who had been harmfully misused—embraced that whole overarching idea. Can we possibly see God at work when we are abused in some way, probably a lot less traumatic than being sold off into slavery by our own family??!

March 8: Psalm 80:8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

A vine, or a vineyard, take a lot of patience and loving kindness and work before you see any sign of grapes. Years go by, years of watering and pruning and protection, before any results can be seen. That’s why God is always calling his people a vineyard or a vine—we are a lot of trouble, but we are his precious planting.

March 7: Exodus 3:4 God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses.” And he said, “Here I am.”

Look out for God calling your name out twice—it usually means trouble or a really big job that needs to be done. On the other hand, Moses know the exact response we are all called to make: Here I Am. Before we say that, God knows where we are already, but by saying it out loud begins the conversation that God is planning.

March 6: Mark 5:5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones.

This is part of the description of a very unfortunate man, possessed by a legion of demons and unable to be a part of his family, village, or home. Jesus command them to leave him at once, and all the howling and bruising stops at once. We have an awesome savior—ask the guy among the tombs!

March 5: Psalm 95:7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.

Not be sheep-herders ourselves, the image of being sheep is a stretch. What would the Psalmist use as a twenty-first century image? We are the students in his class, or the children in his family, or the operators in his plant? However we imagine it, God leads, shelters, teaches, loves, and saves those in his flock.

March 4: Mark 4:31 The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.

Jesus described the roots of his kingdom in this way—verrrryyy tiny! He know that one day, the reign of his father would stretch out over all the earth. One sows, another waters, but God himself causes the growth. The smaller the beginning, the greater the potential!

March 3: 1Corinthians 6:7 In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged?

The Christians in Corinth are suing each other, and appearing before judges who are non-believers. This horrible witness is appalling to Paul. Is our witness one iota better? The problem is that both parties in the lawsuits think they are right, think they are justified. I wonder what Paul is telling us?

March 2: Genesis 42:6 Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

Joseph had been sold into slavery by these 11 brothers, because they didn’t like Joseph’s dreams about them all bowing down before him. They had no idea, as they groveled before Pharoah’s governor that the dream had actually come true. Ultimately they were all reconciled in one of the most powerful moments in all Scripture—God had been at work in all of them, all along.

March 1: Romans 4:10 We are fools for the sake of Christ.

Paul writes here of his own lengthy experience preaching, teaching, and writing. From the very beginning, he has been careful not to try and be too clever, too wise, or sharp. He wants us to be saved by the simplicity of Christ crucified, not by a clever argument or witty style. He will gladly be thought of as a fool, if it means that someone has come to Christ and has not been impressed by a flashy witness or made to feel foolish himself.

February 28: Psalm 27:11 Teach me your way, O Lord.

Show me your ways, instruct me in your ways, teach me your ways, over and over we hear the cry of the psalmist. This is a simple request, but it carries quite a punch. Once we learn the way of our Lord, we pretty much have to follow it!

February 27: Mark 2:27 Then Jesus said to them, ”The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.”

God has given his people the gift of Sabbath—the recognition that as human beings we must have time for rest, time free of responsibility in order to worship and think rightly. It loses all meaning if we make it something MORE of a burden. Sabbath was intended for us, as a gift.

February 26: Genesis 40:8 They said to Joseph, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, ...

... “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

The officers of Pharoah are baffled by their dreams, and this is the moment when God will lift Joseph up out of prison and will give him a place of influence in Pharoah’s household. The tribe of Jacob will be saved because one of Jacob’s sons can interpret dreams, and because he never forgets that the gift of interpretation comes from God alone.

February 25: Psalm 50:11 I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.

God is the one speaking here, through the Psalmist, and he has just finished describing all the cattle on a thousand hills that are at his disposal. I think the point is that he doesn’t really need the things we offer him, they are his in the first place, but he does need our willing hearts.

February 24 John 15:12 Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

We can usually name most of the 10 Commandments, and we can usually spit out the summary of those 10—love God and love you neighbor. Jesus has further boiled it down to one! If we really did the one thing—really loved one another as he has loved us, all the laws and commandments in the world would be fulfilled, wouldn’t they?

February 23: Mark 1:15 Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the Good News.”

These are the very first words of Jesus recorded in Mark’s Gospel, his very first preaching to be written down. Repent and believe—this seems to be the heart of all that will come. It is still the heart of the Kingdom in our own day.

February 22: 1Corinthians 1:4 I give thanks to my God always for you, because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus.

Paul writes the letters to all his friends in all his churches, and he never fails to tell them that his prayers for them are constant. (always, without ceasing, at all times, etc…) He is always thanking God for the house church in Corinth, because he knows that they are uniquely graced and blessed. They have their issues, but he nonetheless is ALWAYS giving thanks for them.

February 21: Deuteronomy 26:5 A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and ...

... lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.

The Hebrew Scriptures are full of singular and plural switching. The one ancestor was actually a tribe of significant size, it’s just that he was a much, much bigger tribe at the end of the Egyptian period than he had been at the beginning! Back then he was a wanderer, and so he would continue.

February 20: Psalm 30:11 You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

We have all been told, at one time or another, that time heals all wounds. We recognize that mourning runs its own course. I would say, rather, that God heals all wounds—time has no magic quality of its own. A desire for healing, a willingness to grieve and to call out to God—these are the things that find sack-cloth in the trash bag and dancing shoes back in the front of our closets.

February 19: John 17:11 Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one.”

As Jesus prays for us on the last night of his life, he asks that we might be one as he and the father are one. Surely this is impossible, since he and the father are totally one—one will, one mind, one plan, one love for all. But if it were impossible, why would Jesus have asked? And why would St. John have included it for our learning? And so we pray, father make us one.

February 18: Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whatever place we claim to be citizens of, we follow the laws of that place. We carry a passport with the name of that place on it, and wherever we travel people know our home location and loyalty. Here in this world we are resident aliens, working on a green card, and looking forward to the day of our return home—the day our visa runs out. In the meantime, may we serve joyfully and work faithfully and love the people of our transplanted country.

February 17 (Ash Wednesday): Luke 18:14 Jesus said, “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus humbled himself in such a way that he was “exalted” on the cross. Then, he invited all who were brave enough or crazy enough to follow along behind him, each carrying their own cross. The long road of Lent that looms before us is road of humility and a road of following that one who died for us. The long road is also the road of life.

February 16: Psalm 28:9 O save your people and bless your heritage; be their shepherd and carry them forever.

The ancient people of Israel understood that their God was their shepherd, and that they were his flock forever. They relied on him to care for them and protect them as a good shepherd cares for his lambs, even risking his life for their well-being and safety. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture, even now.

February 15: Philippians 2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.

Amazingly, Paul goes on to describe what kind of mind that was—the mind of one who gave up a lofty place in heaven to come among us and die, even to die on a cross. He is now highly exalted, and we are called to bow before him. And to have that kind of self-giving, self-emptying mind. The mind of Christ.

February 14: 2Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

This text of Scripture forms half of a Camp Allen song that many of the kids sing over and over. The name of the song is “Holy Freedom,” and they echo that phrase over and over. Where he is, there is freedom…holy freedom….holy freedom…holy freedom.

February 13: John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I Am.”

When Jesus refers to himself as “I Am,” he is claiming for himself the ancient name of God. In his encounter with Moses, the Living God first told one of us that He Is Who He Is, and was known by that name thereafter. Jesus was before the beginning and will be after the end—our Lord and our God.

February 12: Genesis 28:16 Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.”

Jacob had the vision in his sleep of the famous ladder, with angels coming and going in and out of heaven. It would sustain him in many trials and tribulations, and would continue to sustain all who put their trust in God. The Spiritual sings of OUR climbing the ladder, children of the Lord.

February 11: Psalm 146:7-8 The Lord sets the prisoners free, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those that are bowed down; ...

... the Lord loves the righteous.

Many centuries after the Psalmist described God in these poignant words, Jesus walked among us doing the very things he described. Even now, at this very moment, he stands among us to lift all who are bowed down by burdens or blinded to his grace or held captive by bonds that seem unbreakable. He loves us, and he still sets us free. Give him the burden.

February 10 Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what ...

... is good and acceptable and perfect.

We are capable of feeding our minds the kind of food that will renew it, or the kind of food that will not! Paul encourages us to chose carefully, and to renew our minds for service to God alone.

February 9: Genesis 26:4 I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands.

Here, God is talking to Isaac, letting him know that the same promise he had made to his father Abraham still stood for him as well. Isaac knew God as the One who provides, saves, redeems. Now he knows him as the One who keeps his word in every generation.

February 8: John 7:38 Jesus said, “Let the one who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall ...

... flow rivers of living water.’ ”

Once, beside a well in Samaria, Jesus described himself as living water that forever quenches thirst. Here, then, it seems like Jesus himself will flow out of the believer’s heart to quench the thirst of all who are in need. The world is a thirsty place.

February 7: Mark 10:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom ...

... of God belongs.”

I wonder what exactly were the child-like qualities that made Jesus say this? We can imagine—the wonder, the willingness to believe in what we can’t exactly understand, the knowledge that we sometimes need help and the willingness to ask for it. May we all become more childlike in these ways.

February 6: Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

We have an obligation to live with others as peacefully as we possibly can, to be peacemakers and reconcilers so far as it depends on us. But, holiness is also our obligation, and we should not veer away from the life God intends for us because that only leads to false peace.

February 5: Psalm 69:1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

We all have our own version of swirling flood waters!! It doesn’t have to be actual water or a visible rising tide to put right in line behind this anxious psalmist. He knows where to look for deliverance, where to look for help. Our help is in the name of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, and maker of us.

February 4: Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, ...

... and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

The author of this sermon remembers many famous champions of the faith, and also remembers that some of the faithful who surround us are not so famous. They all gather together into the great cloud of witnesses that cheer us on as we run. We breathe them in, and we breathe in strength. Who are the ones surrounding you that might not be so famous or dramatic in their witness? We give thanks for them today.

February 3: Psalm 72:4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

This is the psalmist’s prayer for the king of Israel. He asks God for victory and success for the king, and also that the king might never forget the poor. God’s kings are meant to be kings of righteousness and mercy, kings who reflect His heart--the heart of the Living God.

February 2: John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

Jesus reminds the crowd that had gathered around him that their ancestors had eaten the manna in the wilderness, and they had eventually died. Those who eat of this bread—Jesus—the bread of life--will never die. They begin to imagine that he is more than a teacher or prophet or leader. He Is.

February 1: Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

If we see the thing that we are hoping for, then it’s not really hope, is it? It’s just waiting. If we cannot see the thing that we hope for, but we know that God has given it to us, then that is hope, and that is faith. God is faithful, and we are called to be faithful.

January 30: Genesis 18:14 Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.

Abraham and Sarah, in their nineties and early hundreds (!) doubt that a son of their own is possible. God had promised them Isaac, and sure enough He kept his word in that very next year. What are the possibilities that we imagine are out of God’s control?

January 29: John 6:9 There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?

The disciples of Jesus could only see the crowd of very hungry people, their need and the scarcity of available resources. They had yet to understand what Jesus could do with what we offer him, even if it is only a few loaves and fish. We only have to offer it.

January 27: Psalm 119:54 Your statutes have been my songs, wherever I make my home.

My thoughts have turned, today, to the many men and women who serve in the armed forces all over the world. Also, I remember missionaries and teachers who are called to serve and preach in the very remotest of places. Wherever they make their home on this day, and during this night to come, may they sing the songs of the Living God and feel His love and presence surrounding them. Wherever they make their home, He is with them.

January 26: John 5:5 One man was there who had been ill for 38 years

This guy is two things at once: He is a real man with a real illness, and he is a symbol of all people in every generation who can’t quite make it into the pool for healing. Jesus asks him, and all the rest of us, if we really want to be healed? And Jesus tells us to go on ahead and pick up our mat. Start walking. The guy by the pool did just that, and so have many more after him, who have encountered the Lord Jesus in his story.

January 25: Genesis 14:18 And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High

This mysterious figure encountered Abraham during a journey of victory. He was both King and Priest, and he came along two generations before the sons of Jacob were even born. One of the sons of Jacob, Levi, would become the ancestor of all priests and temple servants on down the line to the days of Jesus. Jesus, also Priest and King, was not a Levite. He comes to us shrouded in mystery, much like the shadowy figure of Melchizidek.

January 24: Mark 7:37 They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the ...

... mute to speak.”

Before it was all over, Jesus would do a million things well! His earthly ministry would so amaze and confound the people who loved in his time and place, that they could hardly describe what they had seen. Thank God they DID describe it, as best they could, so that when that part was over and the church part began we would know the Good News of salvation in his name.

January 23: Hebrews 7:26 For it was fitting that we should have such a High Priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, ...

... and exalted above the heavens.

The old system of sacrifice, with its many animals slaughtered and it many human priests, did not effectively reconcile God and his people. Sin was still there in between them, including the sin of the priests themselves. Jesus offers himself as the one sacrifice, and becomes the one High Priest who is above and beyond all others. He is the reconciler God sends to us, who is without sin himself and who takes upon himself all sin. Holiness himself becomes the bridge.

January 22: John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

We are not a people who worship statues or idols or any other concrete object. For a time, God became a solid human in order that humans could understand him better, but he warned us that we would experience him in Spirit. For that reason, the sacraments of the church are so crucial to us. They are the concrete sign of the spirit life that we breath in as we worship

January 21: Hebrews 6:15 And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.

Over and over, the writers of the New Testament comment on and interpret the life of Abraham—hero of the Old Testament. He believed what God had promised, and he followed the way that God had laid out for him and for his family. Abraham is the example of faith and covenant, the patriarch who was well known to the Lord Jesus and to his earthly family and teachers. Imagine the day when Jesus boldly proclaims, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

January 20: Psalm 119:36 Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain.

Left to our own devices and desires, “selfish gain” wins out most all of the time! It seems to be our human nature at its purest to most always seek what benefits me and mine. The psalmist desires more than that kind of life, and in fact he asks directly for the tools he needs to leave that self-serving life behind—the decrees of the LORD. Turn our hearts in that new direction, we pray to you O Lord.

January 19: John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but ...

... may have eternal life.

This passage of Scripture has been called the Gospel in Miniature, because it sums up the Good News in a very concise few words. All over the world, in many languages, this one sentence helps non-believers come to understand the gift of life that Jesus offers. The gift is eternal, and it is available to all who accept it, and it comes from the only Son of God.

January 18: Genesis 8:10 Then Noah waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.

Imagine the whole earth, brand new and clean. The dove, as she flew over water and dry land, had the very best view ever. As soon as the rest of the ark emptied out, and all of the creatures began to live and move about again, our ancestors also began to sin again. It would be many generations until the human family would once again catch the vision of a new earth. Jesus would be there, and it would also include a new heaven. Come, Lord Jesus.

January 17: Ephesians 4:5 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, ...

... one faith, one baptism,one God and father of all.

These are called the seven signs of unity—the seven things that Paul says are “One”—body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God, father. We recall them every time we baptize somebody in the name of Jesus, and we are committed again the to the One. There can never be a substitute for these particular seven signs of our life in the faith.

January 16: Hebrews 4:13 And before God no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the One to whom we must ...

... render an account.”

“Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid….” As we begin every celebration of the Holy Eucharist, we are reminded of this truth from the Letter to the Hebrews. There are no hidden plans or sins or intentions or good deeds. And one day, we will each make an accounting of it all to our Lord and God.

January 15: Psalm 16:5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.

The psalmist talks about God, then sometimes just starts talking TO God with no warning to us at all! He does that here—telling us that out of all the choicest portions the feast of life has offer, he has chosen the Lord. He has filled his cup with God’s truth and love. Then he makes sure God knows that he understands—it is God who holds all things, all gifts, every “lot” there is.

January 14: John 1:51 And Jesus said to him, “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending ...

... upon the Son of Man.”

Wow. Jesus recalled the amazing dream/vision of Jacob’s ladder, the passageway back and forth from earth to heaven, and declared that HE was the ladder. HE himself was the way back and forth between he worlds. Nathaniel, the disciple Jesus was talking to, was in for the journey of a lifetime, a journey with very ancient and powerful roots. Nathaniel was about to see all kinds of things that he had only heard about!

January 13: Hebrews 2:18 Because Jesus himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those are being tested.

This is the heart of the doctrine of the Incarnation—the idea that God became “In-Carnate” or “In-Flesh.” He knows. He knows it all—the challenges, the sorrows, the tests, the joys, the life of all the human family. How else could he be our Savior?

January 12: Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made.

Serpents, as we see them in nature, don’t actually seem so crafty! They are pretty scary, and downright dangerous, but they are predictable and they are animals, just doing what they do. It is evil itself, temptation itself, that is “crafty.” If we begin to imagine that we are so much wiser and more immune to temptation than our earliest father and mother, we should probably think again. We need a Savior, and thank God we have one!

January 11: Psalm 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.

We experience a tiny death every day, as the day comes to an end and we lose all awareness of our surroundings in sleep. We need that time of rest and release, in order to begin a new life in the morning. God wakes us up for another round—He doesn’t have to, so we might start the new day out by saying thanks!

January 10: Genesis 1:3 Then God said, ”Let there be light,” and there was light.

Later in the creation narrative we hear that God divided the light, and made the sun and moon and stars. That’s not what this verse is talking about. Here we are told it was just light. Light everywhere, light where there had been darkness and void. God spoke and the darkness vanished. His light is still the great vanquisher of all darkness, all shadow, all blackness. It can never be extinguished by something as puny as a dark night!

January 9: John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light of the world.”

Jesus is making several things clear here: He is using the ancient name of God, I AM, in reference to himself. He is also going back to the beginning of the world and claiming to be The Light. He is speaking as if he were God. No wonder it was confusing, no wonder it was a gradual process by which people came to recognize his power.

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God.

God spoke and acted in many ways through all of our history, but being invisible was a huge disadvantage, wasn’t it? Jesus started a whole new chapter in the story of God and his people when he came to us in a very visible form. God became a man, and for a while lived among us in the flesh. Amazing.

January 7: Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits.

This line of scripture always makes me think of the girl singing it in Godspell, the Broadway musical from the 1970’s. She belted it right out in such a flamboyant way that you really got to thinking about those benefits. People have been belting out those lines for 3,000 years and the power of the sung word is still a benefit of knowing God and his ways.

January 6: Revelation 21:23 And the city has no need of the sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the lamb.

The heavenly city of God is so much brighter than our cities and so far beyond our understanding that this is the best explanation John can give us. Light is everywhere, not artificial light but pure light, like the light that God spoke into existence at the creation.

January 5: John 11:23 Jesus said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha believed that her brother would rise again at the resurrection on the last day, and she believed that if Jesus had come sooner her brother would not have died at all. She didn’t know enough to believe that her brother would be at their dinner table that night—back alive in his own body! She didn’t know enough to understand that Jesus IS the resurrection.

January 4: Jonah 2:7 As my life was ebbing away, I remembered the Lord; any my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.

Forgetting the Lord happens to everyone at some time or another. Jonah was in the stomach of a whale when he came to senses and “remembered.” The whales are everywhere, the dark places filled with acid that we find ourselves in. Remember the Lord, and let your prayer come to him.

January 3: Colossians 3:12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

Paul always seems to remind us that we have a choice in many matters. He tells us here that how we clothe ourselves is one of those choices. Will we put on pride or humility? Kindness or meanness? The Apostle seems to think it’s up to us!

January 2: 1 Kings 19:8 Elijah got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the ...

... the Mount of God.

The prophet Elijah was following in the ancient footsteps of Moses, who also spent 40 days on the mountain. Many years later, the Lord Jesus would go out into the desert wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights, preparing for his public ministry. We have assigned 40 days to the season of Lent. 40 seems like a number that works in the calendar of God.

January 1: Isaiah 62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like ...

... the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.

Over and over the scriptures use images of light to indicate the presence and actions of God—sunlight, starlight, lamps, torches, dawn, fire, daytime, etc., etc. Here we are captured by the image of salvation as a burning torch—something everyone can see, everyone can know and recognize from a distance. Is our salvation out there like that? Our salvation is in the name of Jesus and he is our burning torch to the world.