Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:6I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.— Psalm 23:6Forever is a long time. And most of us are not fans of waiting. Sometimes even TV ads between our favorite shows can seem unending.When we think about it, forever can seem intimidating or overwhelming. So it can
Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.— Psalm 23:6Most cultures have a word for that feeling we all get when we experience being home. It includes a sense of safety and warmth and even coz
Scripture Reading — Galatians 5:13-25The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.— Galatians 5:22-23My mother used to advise me and my sisters to leave a place better than we found it.What might that look like for followers
Scripture Reading — Psalm 23:1-3, 6Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.— Psalm 23:6Looking again at Psalm 23, we can see that the Lord our shepherd is not like a cowboy chasing us to move us along or dragging us alon
Scripture Reading — John 14:15-31“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”— John 14:18One of the hardest things for the disciples to grasp was how Jesus could continue to shepherd them after he returned to be with the Father. So Jesus prepared them ahead of time for that transition. He
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:33-35“It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”— Luke 24:34Buoyed by a renewed understanding of Jesus’ mission and their calling to tell others, all of the disciples found renewed hope. They shared stories among themselves of other encounters with the ris
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:30-35They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. . . . Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.— Luke 24:33-35The news about Jesus was too important for the disciples in Emmaus to keep to themselves!
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:26-27Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.— Luke 24:27The two disciples from Emmaus needed to be reminded that they belonged to Jesus. They were like lost and confused sheep that couldn’t ar
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:15-19, 32. . . Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.— Luke 24:15-16Does it seem unfair that these disciples were kept from seeing Jesus? I have heard people say that it seems Jesus was being tricky here. While Jesus wal
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:13-35As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. . . .— Luke 24:15One of the more poignant places where Jesus shows up as the good shepherd is when he goes after two despondent, lost sheep on the road to Emm
Scripture Reading — John 19:17-27When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.”— John 19:26-27Here we see the good shepherd so near to the end of his life and in so much pain that
Scripture Reading — Matthew 26:17-30While they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”— Matthew 26:21The patience and generosity Jesus shows as he prepares for his last supper with his disciples is really awe inspiring. Without anger or malice he tells the truth of what
