Spiritual

Today we are given another excerpt from one of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant Songs. This un-named servant has been given a well-trained tongue to speak encouragingly to the weary and open ears to hear. I was reminded of the admonition I’ve been given often, “Did you think before you spoke!” How often am I really listening […]

Isaiah’s excerpt from one of his four Suffering Servant Songs today says that the servant was called from the womb and formed for a special task. Did you ever think that you were specifically formed for a reason? That God fashioned you in the womb because there was a job here on Earth that you

God is spendthrift. Today’s reading from Isaiah says that God stretched out the heavens and spreads crops across the earth and gives breath to people. What do I do with all this overflow of blessings? In John’s Gospel, Mary, the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead, is also spendthrift. She uses a

Jesus is not the person I would want to take a trip with because he doesn’t plan. He assumes that he will find what he needs. Today’s scriptures give us two examples of that—the first Gospel from Matthew recounts Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Before he gets to town, he sends disciples off to find a

Today we hear that Jesus has gone into hiding. John’s Gospel tells how the Sanhedrin was convened and decided to have Jesus killed. So, Jesus needs some time to gather his strength before his ordeal commences. We take time to prepare for any major event in our lives. And Jesus has his disciples with him

The readings are getting darker as we approach Holy Week. Poor Jeremiah is being stalked, and so is Jesus in John’s Gospel. I want to focus on a bright spot that comes at the end of today’s Gospel reading. “Many began to believe in him” because of what John the Baptizer had said. I got

In the reading from Genesis today, God promises Abraham to be God to him and to his descendants. Jesus promised that we will never die. What does that mean—to be our God forever and we will never die? I don’t know, but I got to wondering about all the people who came before me, contributing

In John’s Gospel today, those listening to Jesus insist that they are not slaves—they are free. Jesus reminds them that they are slaves to sin. In the excerpt from Daniel, the three youths are free because they refuse to bow to the societal norms of the day, choosing instead to be thrown into a furnace. The world

Did you ever wonder where the symbol for the medical profession of a snake on a pole came from? Today’s reading from Numbers will tell you. The Israelites were instructed to gaze upon a snake to be cured of snake bite inflicted upon them because of disobedience. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says that when he

Two women, two charges of adultery. Today’s readings consist of familiar stories—Susannah (from the book Daniel) who is wrongfully charged, and the un-named woman caught in adultery (from John’s Gospel). In each case, the worst was believed. Do I do that? Do I immediately assume guilt because it is easier than finding the truth or