“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, …
Christmas 2020
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 2020 was a year that no one expected, planned for, or wanted. No one planned for mass unemployment, thousands of people dead from a global pandemic, heightened racial tensions, murder hornets, snake infested …
Waiting for Advent
“I wait for your salvation, O Lord.” Genesis 49:18 If 2020 has been a year of anything, it has been a year of waiting. Waiting for a global pandemic to be over. Waiting for a vaccine for COVID-19. Waiting to see loved ones again. Waiting to gather once again in our churches and let our …
2020, Trauma, and Lament
Earlier this month I attended an online seminar on trauma and spiritual direction, sponsored by Grafted Life Ministries. The presenter, Dr. Genalin Niere Metcalf, noted that recently we have all experienced trauma caused by COVID-19 and the racial tensions brought to the forefront in the United States. We are all dealing with the effects of …
Keep Singing
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” Psalm 95:1 Singing has been a defining characteristic of Christian worship since the beginning. Christians did not start this in a vacuum; they inherited the rich singing tradition of Israel found in the book of …
Worship in a Foreign Land
“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” Psalm 137:4 Written in the context of the Babylonian exile, Psalm 137 reflects the lament of the Israelites in Babylon. The Babylonians torment the people, asking them to sing “songs of Zion,” to which the people ask about singing Lord’s song in a foreign land. …
Hidden Easter
“That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” …
Steadfast Love
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’ The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It …
Peace Be With You
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples …
Book Review: Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition
The God that Christians serve, worship, and seek to know is often called the God of the Bible. The Christian tradition considers the Bible to be the revelation of God himself, through which we know God, His story, and our place in it. In Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition, Craig A. Carter provides the …
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Joshua Strickler 