Matthew 26:25-33 (NSRV) 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about [...]

Matthew 4:23-25 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Revelation 21:3-4 “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will [...]

Matthew 5:43-45; 48 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust… 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Reflection: What a strange kingdom, this Kingdom of God! Nothing is meant to be [...]

Matthew 13:31-32 Jesus told another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in his field. It’s the smallest of all seeds. But when it’s grown, it’s the largest of all vegetable plants. It becomes a tree so that the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.” Reflection: I like this parable – it paints a picture of the beautiful contradiction that is the Kingdom of Heaven. It can be big and small. There’s another mustard seed reference later in Matthew 17 where Jesus says, “I assure you [...]

1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” Reflection: I was a 26-year-old straight, married man when I finished Gilmore Girls. Yes, that Gilmore Girls, the early 2000’s sitcom. My wife said she loved the show and Netflix was coming out with a long-awaited follow-up season, and we have a rule in my home that [...]

John 17:20-26 (NRSV) 20 "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that [...]

Luke 12:32 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Reflection: I’ve got news, and it’s really good news. God loves you. In fact, God loves you very much- more than you imagine. One of the ways that God shows us his love is by telling us not to be afraid. In fact, there are more scriptures addressing fear than any other; 365 to be precise- one for every day of the year. So we should get that, right? “Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to [...]

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV) 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Reflection: Last year at Thanksgiving, I wrote this in my journal: “The thing I’m most grateful for this year is normalcy. We’re not grieving a loss, there are no secrets, no skeletons; it’s just a plain Jane Thanksgiving. I think people (me more than anyone) scoff at normalcy when, in fact, it’s the biggest blessing. I’ve really been trying [...]