Read Reflect Newton’s third law of motion is “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” a fact so commonly experienced in the physical world that it is easy to think that it also an experience in the spiritual world. For example, if I take from the poor in some manner I will […]

Read Reflect This passage is about forming and there are two kinds of forming going on. First, God is forming his people. The passage begins and ends with God telling his people to “fear not” because he has formed them, and as such they “will not be forgotten by me.” The second forming was Israel […]

Read Reflect Knowing someone’s name in the Bible is not just a matter of gathering a piece of data. It implies an intimacy and even a mastery over the person. Jews to this day do not pronounce the name of God, but instead refer indirectly to “The Name.” It is significant that God says to […]

Read Reflect “New and improved” are an unassailable pair fortifying each other in our modern culture. We take it so much for granted that new is better that it’s difficult for us to understand that the Bible assumes what is old and enduring is better. The potter comes before the clay, and the virtues of […]

Read Reflect We all run up against burdens that we can’t carry. Israel and the nations around them faced the burden of war and captivity that they couldn’t carry and their response was to create idols to help them. Gods in the ancient world were often carried into war, creating a ridiculous situation where people […]

Read Reflect As Luke continues to describe the emergence of the Church in the world, he brings us to one of the most critical turning points in the whole Story of God’s plan to save the world. Up to this point, Luke has been telling us about how the Holy Spirit was winning people to […]

Read Reflect Every afternoon when I get home I switch on the evening news. In these times, there is so much happening in our world that should bring us to tears. From the violence, to horrors of nature, to the injustice we see in our societies. Of course, I will often provide my own monologue […]