Devotional Nov 15 2021
Psalm 89; 1 Macc. 3:1-24; Rev. 20:7-15; Matt. 17:1-13 Anthropology is the study of human behavior: every system of thought has an anthropology. Marxism assumes that humans are primarily motivated by group identity (capitalist, proletariat, etc) and by economics. Romanticism (in the 18th c sense) assumes that we’re largely the products of inherited ‘race […]
Devotional Nov 13 2021
Psalm 87, 90; 1 Macc. 2:1-28; Rev. 20:1-6; Matt. 16:21-28 When Peter tells Jesus that His message is too hard (because it’s not happy-happy joy-joy, not good-things-come-to-those-who-wait), Jesus turns and snaps at him. ‘Get behind me, Satan, you stumbling block: your mind is set on earthly and not heavenly things!’ Every religious and […]
Devotional Nov 12 2021
Psalm 88; 1 Macc. 1:41-63; Rev. 19:11-16; Matt. 16:13-20 Who do you say that I am? Forget the words, friends: it’s easy to say “personal Lord and Savior,” because let’s be honest, most of us couldn’t give a real definition of what Kyrios-kai-Soter meant to a 1st c Greek speaker if our lives […]
Devotion Nov 11 2021
Psalm 83; 1 Macc. 1:1-28; Rev. 19:1-10; Matt. 16:1-12 Kind of fun that today’s readings start off with I Maccabees and its retelling of the military escapades of Alexander the Great and his successors, the Diadochi. Happy Veterans’ Day, and take a moment to thank those who’ve served in our nation’s military to protect your […]
Devotional Nov 10 2021
Psalm 119:97-120; Neh. 7:73b-8:3,5-18; Rev. 18:21-24; Matt. 15:29-39 Interesting detail here in Matthew: the crowd has been with Jesus three days before He feeds them miraculously. Now, not every number in Scripture is metaphorical or allegorical–but often enough, they are. That’s why all the 40s and 7s and 12s and so on, over and […]
Devotional Nov 9 2021
Psalm 78; Neh. 9:26-38; Rev. 18:9-20; Matt. 15:21-28 Panel 90 of the Apocalypse Tapestries, in which the nest of demons hiding in the cellars of Babylon is revealed: Angers France, Castle Museum, wool, after designs by Jean Bandol (Flemish designer), 1370s Revelation 18:11-13 is perhaps the saddest statement on the human condition of any in […]
Daily Devotion Nov 8 2021
Psalm 80; Neh. 9:1-25; Rev. 18:1-8; Matt. 15:1-20 It’s what comes out of us, not what goes in, which defiles. I may not have had the perfect childhood (I didn’t, but perfect isn’t real, and mine was pretty sweet overall), I may not have had all the breaks and opportunities my neighbor got (I’m […]
Devotional Nov 7 2021
Psalm 24; Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44 SUNDAY after ALL SAINTS’ Fr Joe got it so right this morning: All Saints’ isn’t just a Christian memorial day (although it is that). It’s also about fresh starts, about you and I seizing the gift God extends to us to enter into new […]
Devotional Nov 4 2021
Psalm 70, 71; Ezra 7:1-26; Rev. 14:1-13; Matt. 14:1-12 ‘Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me.’ I’ve led a pretty charmed life, on the whole. Oh, there have been pains and sorrows and I’ve been caught utterly off-guard by things that fell apart in front of my eyes. I’ve had loss and shed plenty […]
Devotional Nov 3 2021
Psalm 72; Neh. 13:4-22; Rev. 12:1-12; Matt. 13:53-58 ‘What makes You so special, Jesus? We remember you from high school, all gangly and awkward and sometimes late with your homework. Heck, Your sister lives down the street, and her kids are holy terrors. What makes You think You’ve got anything new to teach us? […]