[Jesus answered the Sadducees] “…as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they … More The With-God Life: God of the Living
Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness. Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. (Psalm 143:1-2) In yesterday’s reading, a drought threatened all of Israel. Today, David’s soul thirsts for God “like a parched land” (v … More The With-God Life: “Do not hide your face from me”
In the midst of a drought, God sent the prophet Elijah to Zarephath, where he had “commanded a widow there to feed you” (1 Kings 17:9). Elijah finds her and directs the woman to bring him “the morsel of bread in your hand.” She replies: As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, … More The With-God Life: The Widow of Zarephath
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, … More The With-God Life: Lazarus
I’m about as likely to read the Book of Ezekiel as the Book of Revelation, and for some of the same reasons. Both are strange, apocalyptic texts full of baffling, sometimes terrifying imagery. Both require much greater understanding of their original context than I possess. Both have hard words to speak to listeners who are … More The With-God Life: “I am for you”
“The unexamined life is not worth living,” Socrates famously said near the end of his life. So in the midst of a different kind of trial than the one that philosopher endured, I’ve tried to pause from time to time and observe myself. Sometimes I’m okay with what I see: it turns out that I … More The With-God Life: The Waiting Soul
And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, he … More The With-God Life: “It’s apocalyptic”
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28) I … More The With-God Life: Annunciation
As I’ve been seeking to spend more time with God this month, I’ve often prayed before morning devotions that God would help me see the daily lectionary text with new eyes, that familiar words might take on an unfamiliar meaning. But this morning, as I opened to Colossians 1, I realized right away that those … More The With-God Life: “We have not ceased praying for you”
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. (Psalm 146:5-7) It’s reassuring to start another week … More The With-God Life: “Do not put your trust in princes”
The Pietist Schoolman 