It is comforting to hear that despite all that has gone on - all that is going on - God still identifies us as “my people.” God continues to be our God, and God has not abandoned us.

Everyone totally understands that story from 2 Kings, right?

Today, we hear of another horticultural project of God’s: a vineyard.

God, by being who God is, mends the brokenness and creates relationship and new life out of anything, even out of a cross.

Elijah is devoted to the one true God, Yahweh, and wants the Israelites to stay devoted, too. It seems, however, that the Israelites have gotten confused.

We are not the church we used to be.

In Second Samuel, we are thrust into a kingdom that stands on the cusp of a new era. However, the story starts with a big call-back to everything that has happened prior.

The problem with these “wow” moments, though, is that it’s easy to feel left out. It’s easy to just watch from the sidelines as all these great people - Abraham, Jacob, Moses - get to have unreal, intimate interactions with God.

Did you know that what we read today is actually the second set of Ten Commandments in the Bible?

The burning bush scene from Exodus 3 is one of the most famous events in all of scripture. It is definitely in the top 10 - if not the top 5 - of well-known Bible stories.

In our story, this time of transition for Jacob isn’t merely a “change.” It is a profound and sacred experience that brings him a new name, a new life, a new journey with God. 

What kind of promise is harder to believe than one that has been repeatedly left unfulfilled? More than that, what kind of promise-maker is harder to believe than one who has consistently not kept their word?

Creation. We start at the beginning. Well, almost.

Can you imagine God's chosen Messiah enduring suffering? The Son of God achieving triumph not through military might but through vulnerability? It’s simply too much, too hard to take in, too impossible to entertain.

So Jesus wants to know. Why are you following me? Why have you left everything you know? “Who do you say that I am?” This might be the most important question Jesus has ever asked them.

As far as stories found in the Gospels, this one is a doozy.

There’s a reason why this story is referred to as “walking on water” and not “mountain top prayer.” The whole Jesus and Peter thing, that’s kind of the point.

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is the only miracle story recorded in all four Gospels. And because it is the only miracle story recorded in all four Gospels, there must be something pretty important about it.

The whole point of today is to remind us that God shows up in our world and in our lives - and not just in long lists and immaculately wrapped presents; not just in the big, festive holidays we get stressed out over, no. God gives love now.

The Parable of the Sower always gives those listening a dirty mind.