The Victory of the Servant

Click here for the Good Friday reading   This is the last of the four Servant Songs that are found in Isaiah (see last week’s reflection, “The Vindication of the Servant”). Of the four, this is perhaps the most well-known, and for good reason: Of the four Servant Songs, this is the one that most explicitly

The Vindication of the Servant

Click here for this Sunday’s Reading This reading is the third of four Servant Songs that are in the book of Isaiah (the other three are in 42:1-7, 49:1-12, and 52:13-53:12). Here, rather than the Servant being addressed by God, it is the Servant speaking directly. In the first half of the reading, he is

The Valley of Bones

Click here for this Sunday’s Reading In Ezekiel 37, we are presented with a rather graphic vision of a valley full of dry bones. These bones represent the people of Israel: Spiritually dead and in exile.  God asks the prophet Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?”, to which he replies, “O Lord God, you know” (v.

Matters of the Heart

Click here for the Sunday reading There is a human tendency to look at outward appearances to determine a person’s worthiness for a task or a position, especially one of leadership. Physical strength, attractiveness, wealth, family connections, and personal charisma are the usual categories that we use when choosing a leader. Even in the ancient

Water from the Rock

Click here for this Sunday’s Reading One of the recurring themes in the Bible is the persistent faithlessness of the people of Israel. Even after they had just witnessed God bring down ten plagues upon Egypt and parted the Red Sea, they still express doubt about God’s ability to provide for them. So God performs

Abraham’s Call

Click here for this Sunday’s readings God’s calling of Abram is a pivotal moment in the Biblical narrative. After the first 11 chapters of Genesis describe the creation and fall of humanity, chapter 12 shifts gears and focuses on one obscure family, whose history marks the beginning of God’s plan to redeem the world. Here

Adam, Eve, and the Fall

Click here for the Sunday Readings One of the ongoing discussions that is taking place in theology is the question of how the story of Adam and Eve fits into our understanding of the world. Because of modern evolutionary theory, there is a tendency to simply dismiss that story as a myth. However, to do

Holiness to the Lord

Click here for this Sunday’s Reading The focus of this reading from Leviticus is on the theme of holiness. It begins with an affirmation that God is holy. The term literally means “set apart.” Although God has many attributes, Scripture puts a special emphasis on the holiness of God. That’s why we read that God

God of Justice

Click here for this Sunday’s readings In order to fully appreciate this Sunday’s reading from Isaiah, it’s worth reading the whole of chapter 58, as the 6 verses preceding the reading provide important context for the reading. In Isaiah 58:6, God refers to acts of justice as “fast that I choose,” because in verses 1-5,

The Faithful Remnant

Click here for the Sunday Readings The prophet Zephaniah lived in Judah during the late stages of monarchical period. He wrote his book during the reign of King Josiah (Zeph. 1:1), who was one of Judah’s righteous kings who enacted religious reforms in accordance with the Law. Despite this, however, there was still much wickedness