Isaiah 52:3-6; Revelation 2:1-7; John 2:1-11 One of the happiest times in life is when you enter into God’s presence with family and friends to witness a marriage. I can only imagine how happy Jesus, his disciples, and his mother were to be part of such a joyful celebration. Mary tells the servants to do

Isaiah 52:7-10; Revelation 21:22-27; Matthew 12:14-21 Each year at this time, daylight slowly creeps longer. However, light can be a paradox—at the same time encouraging and discouraging. Light allows a glimpse of what has passed and of what lies ahead, bringing joy and at times, despair. Isaiah’s prophecy gives clarity to God’s reign, using the nature of

Today’s readings: Joshua 1:1-9; Hebrews 11:32–12:2; John 15:1-16 A courageous cloud of witnesses bearing fruit that abides summarizes the three readings for this day. The message of God’s word rings down through the ages to our time. We are facing turbulent events in our age: upheaval in many “hot spots” around the globe, refugees, shortages,

Today’s readings: Exodus 3:1-15; Hebrews 11:23-31; John 14:6-14 “What is truth?” It is a question I have asked myself many times over the past several years. Divisions in the church, which in turn, caused divisions between long-time friendships and among family, caused me to search eagerly for the answer to this question. It is the same

Today’s readings: Genesis 28:10-22; Hebrews 11:13-22; John 10:7-17 “I am the good shepherd.” Living in Pontiac, IL, for many years, this picture played itself out every spring. A mother duck led her ducklings across a busy street. She would look back and quack to her ducklings to keep going. Those little ducks trusted her voice. She

Today’s readings: Genesis 12:1-7; Hebrews 11:1-12; John 6:35-42, 48-51 One of the first definitions of faith that I ever heard did not come from a pastor or the church. It was a line used twice in the original version of the movie “Miracle on 34th Street.” In that movie, faith was defined as, “believing in things

Today’s readings: Genesis 17:1-12a, 15-16; Colossians 2:6-12; John 16:23b-30 A promise is a beautiful thing, especially if it is issued by one who will not break that promise. It becomes for us a foundational moment of trust, creating reliable truth that bridges the relational gap and strengthens the bond between the one who gives the promise

Isaiah 26:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:16–6:2; John 8:12-19 On this eve of the new year, there will be many celebrations. People around the world will be remembering their past and hoping that certain things of the past are not carried into the new year. They will hope to begin the new year with a fresh start.