on being led astray by idols
lection reflection for 23 May 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
For the worship of idols not to be names is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
--Wisdom 14.27
In our contemporary world, idol worship is not something we consider very much. We are far too 'sophisticated' and modern for idolatry to be a threat to our faith. Or are we?
Luther reminds us . . .
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for the last time, church, it's cool to not be cool
lection reflection for 15 May 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
This is the last time I'm going to rant on this, I promise. At least for a while...
Hey, church, yeah you--American Evangelicalism--the ones trying to be relevant, hip, cool, trendy, and (most importantly) liked by everybody around you...give up.
It's cool to not be cool. I promise.
Let's face a few . . .
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church, don't seek the world's approval
lection reflection for 14 May 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
Back from some wonderful time away on vacation and back to reading and writing. Today's readings pick up on the theme of the church being disliked, disdained, and hated by the world. In Luke's record of the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches, "Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you, insult you, and slander your name . . .
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chasing the shiny things of the world
lection reflection for 1 May 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
For Christians in affluent parts of the world, like the United States, today's epistle reading from 1 John may be one of the hardest parts of the bible to live out.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the lust of the . . .
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on hating and being hated
lection reflection for 30 April 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
Today's epistle and gospel readings both talk about hatred, but they discuss it from opposite directions, which makes for interesting reading and meditation. Rarely do we think about hating and being hated at the same time.
In 1 John 2, we are reminded that the idea of a Christian harboring hatred toward another believer is . . .
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starting Daniel and John's letters
lection reflection for 29 April 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
Today, the daily lectionary simultaneously starts two new books: Daniel and 1 John (with 2 and 3 John to follow). I don't remember starting two books at the same time, at least not for a while, but I'm looking forward to reading and praying through these over the coming weeks. I am especially looking forward to reading Daniel through . . .
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church, it's okay, the world has never liked you
lection reflection for 26 April 2019 / reading the bible daily with the church
Yesterday I wrote about the reality that the Church will never be the darling of the world. In fact, if she is praised and beloved by the world, then she is not faithfully being the Church, proclaiming sin and salvation as her Lord has instructed. Today's New Testament reading, from Acts 4, reinforces this reality and shows that the . . .
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