Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 5:16-17If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!— 2 Corinthians 5:17Chip had become an old man, and when he returned to the small town where he had grown up, hardly anyone recognized him.It wasn’t because he looked so diff
Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 5:16-17If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!— 2 Corinthians 5:17When Jesus came back to life, the people who saw him required new eyes to see him clearly, truly.Mary saw only a gardener until Jesus spoke her name (John
Scripture Reading — John 20:19-23He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”— John 20:22Dead people don’t breathe. And they surely don’t breathe life that flows into others!Just a few days earlier, Jesus had “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46), and everyone around him had assumed that was
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:13-35Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.— Luke 24:31I often wish I could see better.I wish I could see Jesus face-to-face.I wish I could see God’s will for a decision I have to make.I wish I could see God’s power so cl
Scripture Reading — Isaiah 35:1-10; John 20:11-18He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”— John 20:15In Isaiah 35 God gives his people a vision of a fully restored creation. His glory will appear, and a desert will turn into a lush, blossoming garden. A “Way of Holin
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:1-8, 36-48“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you. . . .”— Luke 24:6I remember walking up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for the very first time. I thought I knew what to expect since I had heard so much about the Grand Canyon. But then I stepped out of th
Scripture Reading — Luke 23:50-56There was a man named Joseph . . . and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God.— Luke 23:50-51There seems to be a lot of waiting in Scripture. Abraham and Sarah waited for a promised child (Genesis 12-18).The Israelites waited for many years to be freed from sl
Scripture Reading — Luke 23:44-49It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.— Luke 23:44-45What do you think of when you hear the word “darkness”?Children often think of darkness as scary, and when they grow up most of them
Scripture Reading — Mark 14:12-26“Take it; this is my body.” . . . and . . . “This is my blood of the covenant . . . poured out for many.”— Mark 14:22-24The Jews of Jesus’ day often told stories from their history. And every year at this time they told the ancient story that is referred to in today’
Scripture Reading — John 3:1-21Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”— John 3:3In today’s text Jesus’ words baffled and amazed Nicodemus the Pharisee:• To experience fully what God is doing, you must be born again.• This rebirth, like yo
Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:18-27“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”— Matthew 21:22God shows his faithfulness by responding to the prayers of his people.In our reading today, a fig tree that does not bear fruit receives judgment from Jesus. The religious leaders ask
Scripture Reading — Matthew 21:12-17Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there.— Matthew 21:12Jesus entered Jerusalem and was cheered as a king—but not for long.In the next scene, Jesus went to the temple courts in Jerusalem. And as he looked around, he becam
