By Barbara Higdon Psalm 25:1-10 There are dozens of alphabet books for children that help to teach them their ABCs. Most feature a picture of something that starts with each letter of the alphabet or acrostic poems starting each line with a different letter. Psalm 25, our Lenten reading for today, is an acrostic poem,…
By Garrett Vickrey Psalm 51:1-17 One night while I was a student at Baylor University I stepped into a Catfish King in Waco, TX to grab a bite to eat. The place was packed. A friend and I took the last available table. Who knew so many people went out for catfish on Wednesday nights?…
By Karen Calhoun Luke 1:46-48 If you had lived in the time of Mary, you would have been very familiar with the long history of your family. Stories of your Jewish ancestry were common conversation. You would be excited about always looking for and expecting the coming of the Messiah. Perhaps your young teen girlfriends…
By Garrett Vickery Colossians 2:16-19 A few years ago at a Christmas Party, my friend Kevin and I were standing near the back of a living room packed with friends with cups of wassail in hand. He and I were chatting and enjoying being at the back of the room watching as the packed house…
By Randy Edwards Luke 2:11-14 Hear the ancient text, which is the basis of one of the Sanctuary Choir’s favorite Advent anthems, composed by Douglas Wagner: Thou Shalt Know Him Anonymous Thou shalt know Him when he comes, Not by any din of drums, Nor His manners, nor His airs, Nor by anything He wears. Thou…
By Diana Bridges John 6:33 The Roman Empire was well known for its bread and circuses strategy. The idea was simple. Keep people fed and entertained and they’ll be easy to rule. Though the term was coined in the century after Christ, some who were attracted to the ministry of Jesus seemed to be looking…
By Leo Parchman Isaiah 43:1-3 The world is a very scary place. It always has been. Nations war against nations. Ideologies clash. Conflicts appear to be everywhere. People disagree. Even when people agree on a common goal, they cannot seem to agree on how to accomplish it. We even have conflicts among ourselves and within ourselves, such as family disputes and personal…
By Debra Arredondo John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” How many of us really understand that peace is our inheritance? Peace is what Jesus left us. It…
By Leonora Newell Jeremiah 29:4-14 During the Advent season, parents are always trying to balance the attention between the gifts and the desire to instill in their children the true meaning of Christmas, and developing in them a heart of service with a focus on giving instead of getting. In Jeremiah 29 we find a…
By Edie Dutton Philippians 4:4-7 Philippians 4:4-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness by evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,…