Readings for November 17, 2024

We are in the final two weeks of the Pentecost season, and this is what the Revised Common Lectionary has for us this week:

Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16 Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 Mark 13:1-8

I’m going to have to do something I don’t typically do in these first-blush looks at the Scripture, I’m going to have to do some quick study of context.  I could easily dash off some provocative thoughts, but we need to be careful so that we understand and speak about Scripture properly

Readings For November 10, 2024

Yet another week of Pentecost, by far the longest liturgical part of the year.  Here’s what the Revised Common Lectionary has for us this week:

1 Kings 17:8-16 Psalm 146 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44

I’m sure you’re all surprised that a hymn came to mind as I read the Old Testament lesson.  I also thought about another story I heard as a teenager.  The provision of God is on miraculous display as the jar of meal to make bread never emptied.   Thy hymn “Little Is Much When

Readings for November 3, 2024

Another week closer to Advent believe it or not.  As the liturgical season of Pentecost lingers, here’s what the lectionary has for us this week:

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Psalm 119:1-8 Hebrews 9:11-14 Mark 12:28-34

A lot of thoughts swimming around in my head as I go through the Old Testament lesson, let’s see if I can make something coherent out of them.  One way to think about this new law, is a new way of living.  If you’re going to live in the so-called promised land, there i

Trunk or Treat

Trunk or Treat is another event where I do very little but reap wonderful benefits.

Nurture Commission along with the help of all who donated candy and money, put the whole thing together, such as choosing the theme, setting up, ensuring we have enough candy to hand out and this year it also included blowing up inflatable animals.   There’s probably much more that I don’t even think about, but all I have to do is ride out to the town park with my robe, fake hair and fake be

Out of the Garage #49

The Jesus Bible, well aren’t they all?

This is a neat, compact Bible and not a traditional Study Bible.  There are some notes but not many.  There are plenty of what I would call tidbits sprinkled throughout the Bible, but nothing heavy.  Some of the best notes appear to be in the Book of Psalms.  Each book has a short introduction with a brief timeline, but again nothing too serious.  The text of the sidebars (tidbits) is large and very easy to read.  The regular text is

Readings For October 27, 2024

This Sunday we reach the 23rd week after Pentecost, but Advent is now on the foreseeable horizon and will be here before we know it.

The lectionary offers these four readings this week:

Jeremiah 31:7-9 Psalm 126 Hebrews 7:23-28 Mark 10:46-52

One problem when trying to share thoughts on Scripture like I do each Monday is that just looking at the readings themselves lacks context and thus your thoughts lack context.  The Old Testament reading is deep in the book of the prophe

The Hymn I Didn't Use

Some weeks are harder than others to choose the hymns, but this week there were numerous possibilities.  Sadly, one got left on the cutting room floor that deserved a much better fate.

As we look at the Old Testament lesson from Isaiah, we read the words of verse five, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (NRSV, Anglicized).  A hymn that captures some of that

Hurricane Relief Update

The Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren has provided an update on recent efforts to assist with hurricane relief.

Volunteers with the Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren Disaster Ministries have been filling clean-up buckets and going through hygiene kits to prepare supplies for distribution to flooded areas in Southwestern Virginia. Twenty-eight volunteers arrived on Monday at the Kit Depot behind the District Office to load 192 clean-up buckets, 405 personal

Readings for October 20, 2024

We continue on in this season of Pentecost, now pushing into the 22nd week after the holy event.

Here’s what the lectionary has for us:

Isaiah 53:4-12 Psalm 91:9-16 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45

The prophet Isaiah starts this selection with a callback to the message of last week, that God was made one of us in Jesus.  Not only was he made man, but he shared in our infirmities and in our sorrow according to the prophet.  That’s the important distinction made when we talk abou

Shenandaoh District Helene Update

As Hurricane Milton has already made landfall, there continues to be much discussion about Helene and what is being done by Brethren Disaster Ministries.

District Executive John Jantzi shared the following:

Hurricane Helene Response Update

From the Desk of District Executive Minister John Jantzi

The following information is in response to the many phone calls and requests for information on how best to respond to the tragedy of Hurricane Helene. We will do our best to provid

Brethren Disaster Ministries Responds to Helene

Church of the Brethren Newsline

October 3, 2024

As media report that the death toll from Hurricane Helene has topped 200–with more than half of the deaths in western North Carolina–Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) have begun active responses to aid survivors of the storm and its aftermath.

CDS has deployed volunteers to care for affected children and families in North Carolina. A CDS team of four volunteers deployed on Oct. 1 to Fletcher, N.

Out of the Garage #48

Despite the fact it typically resides in the downstairs library, this copy of the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups is special to me.  This was given to me by former Pastor Bernie Fuska as we prepped for a neat dueling sermon we did the week after Christmas several years ago.

As the name suggests, it’s a Bible that is aimed at helping folks who are leading a small group discussion or Bible Study.  Many Scriptures have the three-step lesson in the margin, each starts with

Readings for October 13, 2024

I always get a kick out of seeing a reading from Job in the lectionary.  As some of you know, the very first sermon I ever gave was on Job.   I’m very interested to see what the Epistle lesson is from Hebrews because my friend Tim Munson used the Hebrews reading from last week.

Enough of my babbling, here is what is recommended to us this week:

Job 23:1-9, 16-17 Psalm 22:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31

I love this section of Job.   Can you imagine asking for an audience

Readings for October 6, 2024

Typical fare this week as we continue in the Gospel of Mark, however we shake out of James and move to Hebrews for the Epistle lesson.  Here are the readings recommended by the Revised Common Lectionary:

Genesis 2:18-24 Psalm 8 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16

This section of Genesis deals with the creation of woman.  On one hand it is the specific creation of one woman we now know as Eve, but it is so much more.  We as humans crave to be in relationships.  I often look a

Readings for September 29, 2024

Pushing further into the Pentecost season, the lectionary stays with James for another week as our Epistle.  Let’s see if I can break the streak which has now run to four consecutive weeks using James in some way, shape or form for the message.

Here’s what we have for this week:

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29 Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50

I have a real distaste for Scripture that is chopped up, like the Old Testament reading is this week, so I just read the entire ch