Scripture Reading — Leviticus 23:9-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.— 1 Corinthians 15:20A member of my church was diagnosed recently with terminal cancer. Another family close to me is watching as dementia robs th
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 23:6-8; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8Let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.— 1 Corinthians 5:8For one week, some years ago, I owned all the bread in the Jewish community in Salem,
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 23:4-8“Tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’”— Exodus 13:8Many people would rather avoid talking or thinking much about death, but the Bible is straightforward about this problem—and about God’s promises and acts of del
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 23:1-3“You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.”— Leviticus 23:3Our culture tends to wear busyness like a badge of honor. We work long hours; we juggle family, church, and school responsibilities; and we take our work with us when we g
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 18:1-6; Hebrews 13:4-6“You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you.”— Leviticus 18:3Our culture today is immersed in sex. Many advertisements use suggestive messaging to promo
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 17:10-16“The life of a creature is in the blood. . . .”— Leviticus 17:11We have about 30 trillion blood cells moving through about 60,000 miles of blood vessels in our bodies. And if we lose more than 40 percent of our blood, our life will be at serious risk. The words
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 16:6-10, 20-22“The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.”— Leviticus 16:22Limburger cheese has a smell that is sometimes compared to sweaty feet. Even worse, the smell can linger long after the cheese
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 16:6-10, 15-19, 34“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”— Leviticus 16:34When I was 12 years old, I told my father a lie—and I soon found that I had to tell more lies just to keep the first li
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 13:1-8; Matthew 8:1-4Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”— Matthew 8:3Rules in Leviticus about skin diseases and rashes may not make for the most comfortable reading—especially if we are reading this at mealtime. And there
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 10:1-7“[God] said: ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; . . . I will be honored.’”— Leviticus 10:3On my first day of work at a McDonald’s restaurant, my cash drawer was short 10 dollars, and my manager wrote me up, leaving me worried about keeping my job.
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 9:22-24Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.— Leviticus 9:22Our culture is obsessed with happiness. We seek joy in wealth, in our careers, in sports and leisure, and in a host of other things. Books have been written; research conducted; podcasts, m
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 8:1-9[Moses] put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him.— Leviticus 8:7A middle-school student asked why I was studying for eight years to be “ordained.” I explained that the church ordains ministers for special
