Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you.” When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah. 1 Samuel 7:5-6 Sundown today marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is a day of fasting and repentance, a day to seek the Lord. It is a day to make things right between you and God as well as […]
Category Archives: Other
Another New Year
We’ve come to another Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year on the Jewish calendar. The hot summer months are transitioning into cooler fall months, all part of the normal annual cycle. The fall festivals have begun. Imagine the calendar like a slinky. We keep going round and round the annual calendar, coming back to where we were a year ago. However, this year is not last year. Nor is is next year. Each day is unique. A slinky is made of circles, but each loop moves a little. We remember what happened on a given day, yet we press on […]
Summer Gods
“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 I didn’t intend to take the whole summer off for my blog, but that’s how it turned out. I have something to think about as the summer ends. I’ve seen plenty of temples in the places I’ve traveled around the ancient world. The gods were worshiped everywhere. Pervasively, the worship of the Roman emperors grew, starting at the end of the Roman Republic with Julius Caesar. In the eastern Mediterranean, he was called god and savior. About four months after his death, a comet appeared in the sky, interpreted to […]
Traveling Assembly
When the day of Pentecost came, [the apostles] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, […]
Death Nullified
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28:5-7 Today around the world, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah, is being remembered. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem marks […]
Swept Under a Rug
For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. Exodus 12:15 The Feast of Unleavened Bread is in full swing this week. Passover was on Monday. It’s a yearly reminder of the redemption God worked by bringing Israel out of Egypt. I was able to enjoy a Seder meal with my church small group again this year. However, this holiday is more than just a large meal […]
Christmas 2013
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 People gathered again at the Church of the Nativity, the traditional place of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. Although […]
Thanksgivukkah
Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise? Psalm 106:2 The holiday season is upon us in full spring. Today is Thanksgiving. It is also the first day of Hanukkah this year. These holidays rarely coincide. While Thanksgiving has devolved into “Turkey Day” and the beginning for the Christmas shopping season, it was originally created as a day to give thanks to God. Consider this excerpt from Abraham Lincoln’s original proclamation 150 years ago: (emphasis mine) I do therefore […]
God’s Tent
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 The last of the fall festivals has just finished: Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. We set up our sukkah and have enjoyed spending time in it. Spending time in a sukkah is meant to remind us of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, living in tents for forty years. The Israelites followed the presence of God through that harsh, hot land. God dwelled in their midst. […]
A Tale of Two Goats
Then [Aaron] is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats–one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. Leviticus 16:7-10 The second of the fall festivals, Yom Kippur […]