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The celebration of the Incarnation can support the life of the church all year long. The text for Christmas day, Hebrews 1, and the letter to the Colossians, which provides the first text for Christmas (...)

Many religious and ethnic communities have intricate celebrations for the declaration of a new family member’s name. Even for those who do not have such rituals, deciding upon and revealing the name of one’s child (...)

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are as distinct from the earlier books of Samuel and Kings as the times they narrate are different from the ages that preceded them.  Part annals, part lists, part (...)

Notes for a six-week preaching series on Job. These are suggested passages from the book of Job to be used for a sermon series. I’ve sketched a few ideas for each week, but you may (...)

Not many people will come to church on December 29th. It will probably be mostly just the regulars, the steadfast, the pillars, and perhaps one or two energized or interested new people. The church feels (...)

Habakkuk has in the past been deemed a dangerous book. Ulrike Bail writes that in 1940, a church newspaper in Basel Switzerland published a column under the title: “Word on the (Current) Situation” that included (...)

Last week’s scenes from the Joseph story showed God at work quietly, delivering God’s people in subversive ways. God enabled Joseph to interpret dreams, rise quickly through Pharaoh’s palace ranks, and use human systems in (...)

The passage seems to contain multiple voices: a preacher and healer, an administrator, and YHWH. These three speakers play a major role in the Jerusalem renaissance. General Mission 61:1-3b The literary motifs of Isaiah 40-55 (...)

There are two patches in Joel’s prophetic  quilt. Scholars do not agree on the editorial history of the book of Joel. Some argue for a ninth century date, while others suggest a Persian period (500- (...)

A mother’s prayer results in an unlikely beginning to kingship. The monarchy of Israel begins with a narrative of despair and humility. Hannah, from Ephraimite country, is a childless wife, thereby making her one of (...)