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Remain In Me (John 15:1-8)

In order to have a connection, there must be two ends to connect.

The Vine and the Branches, by Irene Thomas I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.…

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Don't Get Too Comfortable (Amos 9:7-15)

Don’t simply believe you’re okay and anyone who disagrees with you is not okay.

“Are not you Israelites    the same to me as the Cushites?”declares the Lord.“Did I not bring Israel up from Egypt,    the Philistines from Caphtor    and the Arameans from Kir? “Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord    are on the sinful kingdom.I will destroy it    from the face of the earth.Yet I will not totally destroy    the descendants of Jacob,”declares the Lord.“For I will give the…

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Magic vs. Miracle (Acts 8:9-25)

Today, although few people practice an overt form of magic as the ancients once did, we still must be wary of those who promise magical results for whatever we need or what ails us.

Peter’s Conflict with Simon the Sorcerer, by Avanzino Nucci, 1620. Simon is on the right, wearing black. Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed…

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Persecuted (Acts 8:1b-8)

Suffering can be tolerated, even embraced, whenever we are aware that it can lead us to peace and joy – both personally and communally.

A scene from the movie, “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” in which Saul sought to wipe out Christians beginning with the stoning of Stephen On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house,…

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Mercy Is Coming (Micah 7:8-20)

We are to quietly go about our business of bringing justice, mercy, and love to this world with a quiet and confident expectation that mercy will overcome and overwhelm everything in its path.

“Justice Tempered with Mercy,” an oil painting by Emil Bisttram, 1936 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy,        because when I fall, I will rise;            if I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light.I must bear the raging of the Lord,    for I have sinned against him,        until he decides my case and provides justice for me.    He will bring me out into the light;        I will see by means…

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The Lord Was With Him (1 Chronicles 11:1-9)

The Lord almighty was with David. And that is what made all the difference.

All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’” When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron…

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The Divine/Human Dialogue (Psalm 95)

When the worship rhythm is off, then our responses will be off.

Psalm 95: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your heart.” By Gina Lazarchik Come, let us sing to the Lord!    Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.Let us come to him with thanksgiving.    Let us sing psalms of praise to him.For the Lord is a great God,    a great King above all gods.He holds in his hands the depths of the earth    and the mightiest mountains.The sea belongs…

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The Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18)

We sheep need only to keep the Shepherd in our line of sight, and let him do his job of caring for us – without whining or complaining.

Jesus the Good Shepherd, by Solomon Raj (1921-2019) “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him. “I am the good…

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Receive the Blessing (Genesis 48:8-19)

“We’ve never done it that way before,” are the seven last words of any institution.

Jacob Blessing Ephraim and Manasseh, by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?” “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father…

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Challenging the Status Quo (Acts 4:1-4)

Sometimes, we take the prideful stance of believing that our own status quo is best for everyone. So, there’s no listening, paying attention, or teachable spirits.

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them. They were incensed that the apostles were teaching the people and announcing that the resurrection of the dead was happening because of Jesus. They seized Peter and John and put them in prison until the next day. (It was already evening.) Many who heard the word…

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The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23)

Serenity for our anxious racing thoughts becomes a real hope, for there is a shepherd who protects the human flock and ensures that they have everything they need.

Psalm 23, by Cliff Gleason The Lord is my shepherd;    I have all that I need.He lets me rest in green meadows;    he leads me beside peaceful streams.    He renews my strength.He guides me along right paths,    bringing honor to his name.Even when I walk    through the darkest valley,I will not be afraid,    for you are close beside me.Your rod and your staff    protect and comfort me.You…

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To Believe, or Not (Mark 16:9-18)

There are some who may search for evidence their entire lives, never to find it, because they want confirmation by means of their own mentally contrived and culturally conditioned constructs.

The risen Jesus appears to his disciples, by Unknown Italian artist, 1476 [Note: The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.] When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that…

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Hallelujah! (Psalm 150)

There is a time for quiet reflection and contemplation, and there is a time for jubilant shouts of praise.

Psalm 150, by Christie Michael Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy place.Praise him in his mighty heavens.Praise him for his mighty acts.Praise him for his immense greatness.Praise him with sounds from horns.Praise him with harps and lyres.Praise him with tambourines and dancing.Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.Praise him with loud cymbals.Praise him with crashing cymbals. Let…

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Restoration (Jeremiah 30:1-11a)

No matter how nasty, misguided, or sinful the political leadership and governmental system, none of those rulers or politicians have the last word.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.” These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel…

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Jesus Is In the Room (Luke 24:36b-48)

Startled, troubled, and frightened the disciples were, as if somebody had just dropped a skunk into the room.

Jesus appears to the apostles, by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319) Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a ghost does not have…

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Spiritual Sight and Power (Acts 3:1-10)

It is not really money that gets things done. And it’s not our ingenuity or intelligence that really makes things happens.

Peter and John heal the crippled man, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883) Peter and John were going to the temple courtyard for the three o’clock prayer. At the same time, a man who had been lame from birth was being carried by some men. Every day these men would put the lame man at a gate in the temple courtyard. The gate was called Beautiful Gate. There he would beg for handouts from people going into…

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Spiritual Strength (Daniel 10:2-19)

Do our outward practices and behaviors reflect our inward dispositions and attitudes?

At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body…