Exodus, Lesson 20: God Begins to Furnish His Tabernacle–The Ark of the Covenant

With the Covenant now formed between God and His people, God now begins to formalize how His people will come to Him and how they can be in His presence. Read Exodus 25:1-9 –          What does God ask of His people?   –          What stipulation does God put on how they give?   In Exodus […]

Midweek Advent Services to Begin

Our Midweek Advent services will be on December 4th, 11th, and 18th.  We will have two services each Wednesday, with 7:00 PM as the primary time and an afternoon alternate time of 1:00 PM.  The order of service for both services will be Evening Prayer.

Romans 13:11-14: The Time when Time was Fulfilled

Before the people who became of age in the 1960s got the name “Baby Boomers,” some called them the “Now Generation.”  Back then, that generation was young–but it was more than that.  They also wanted to change the world!  The Who sang “My Generation” and Bob Dylan crooned, “The times they are a changing.”  The […]

Luke 17:11-19: Thanksgiving with the One Leper

How do you receive your gifts?  Sometimes, we receive gifts with disappointment.  It’s not what we wanted.  It’s not what we needed.  It’s not the right gift.  It’s not big enough or good enough.   So, what’s it like when it comes to receiving the gifts of God?  Our Gospel reading for today shows us […]

Matthew 25:1-13: The Parable of the Ten Virgins

When Jesus tells a parable, pay attention!  For if you don’t, you’ll miss the meaning in the details of everyday-life events that Jesus uses. So, in today’s parable from Matthew 25, who represents whom and what represents what?  Well, let’s start with the easiest person to identify: The Bridegroom.  He’s Jesus.  That’s obvious if you […]

Understanding Isaiah 66:24

In adult instruction (catechesis) for those being brought into the Church, we cover many teachings of Scripture.  Sometimes, we have classes dealing with people’s specific questions.  One such class dealt without how to understand the last verse in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.  That verse reads: “And they will go out and look on […]

Exodus, Lesson 19: God Instituting His Covenant with His People

God is getting ready to institute His covenant with His people, Israel.  However, this covenant will be based on loyalty: loyalty to God by Israel and loyalty to Israel by God.  God’s expectations of loyalty from Israel are inextricably linked to the loyalty that Israel can depend on from God.  Further, Israel’s loyalty is an […]

Thanksgiving-Eve Service

Our Thanksgiving-Eve Service will be on Wednesday, November 27th at 7:00 PM. Thanksgiving is not a holy day on the Church’s calendar.  It is, instead, a day of national thanksgiving when we take a moment to reflect on the blessings that God has given us–individually and as a nation.  It is also a time to […]

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: For Those in Christ, Death is but a Sleep

We have a saying: “Ignorance is bliss.”  When we say that, we don’t apply that expression to every piece of our life.  But ignorance is bliss instead of knowing every thoughtless and unkind word spoken against you.  Ignorance is bliss when it comes to a special surprise that others have planned for you.  But ignorance […]

Exodus, Lesson 18: Sabbath Laws and God’s Instituted Festivals

We now move from societal laws to God-mandated festivals in the Old-Covenant annual calendar.   Read Exodus 23:6-9 –          Who is specifically singled out to help ensure justice is done?  Why?   –          What is mentioned about bribes?   –          Why is a foreigner singled out for justice?   Laws about the Sabbath Read Exodus 23:10-11 […]