By this point, Hebrews has thrown out one obscure name a couple of times without any explanation. The name is Melchizedek, and as a side note, it is still on the table if you are expecting a son and in the market for something unique. This person is one of the most mysterious figures in the Bible; besides the book…
When I was growing up, there was a huge cottonwood tree in our front yard. It wasn’t just huge because I was a small boy; at some point throughout the day, the tree’s shade moved to touch 80% of our yard and 70% of the roof of our one-story home. I literally grew up in the shade of that tree.
On Sept. 7, 2001, a surgeon named Jacques Marescaux performed a relatively routine noninvasive surgery on a patient. What made this surgery newsworthy was that, for the first time, the surgery was performed over the internet from a distance. It wasn’t just a small distance either—the doctor was in New York and the patient was in France. This was made…
Our reading for today reminds us of the tension that exists inside us all to some extent: the need for perfection. We live in a heavily performance-based society, and oftentimes it’s hard to not measure one’s value based on one’s success. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us of where the old system falls short. Striving for…
Yesterday’s reading reminded us of the new covenant found in Jesus. We are no longer captive to sin looking for our way out, but instead find freedom in the power of the cross. Today’s reading reminds us what to do now with this freedom. The writer of Hebrews tells us what the church is: a new community of people whose…
Our reading today offers a word on the power of faith. The idea is that if there is to be faith, something beyond our senses must pull it into being. In faith, we are being called from despair to hope. To come out of despair sounds liberating, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an easy process, or that it happens…
Our reading today continues the message of a pursuit of faith that we read yesterday. The author continues to account the faithful followers of God that came before, such as David and Moses. This lesson of faith in the midst of an enduring journey is reinforced as the author paints for us the dichotomy between faith in God and the…
I’d like to start our devotional today with Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing of verses 12-17: So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it! Work…
For 15 years, I was a baseball umpire (spanning all levels from T-ball to NCAA Division III). My dad got me into it when I was 13 years old. One of the most important lessons he taught me was to be the calm one on the field. My dad told me I was never going to make everyone happy and…
What I’m about to say may not be very popular, at least here in the Midwest where Hope is located: I’m a Braves fan! I have been my whole life. And though the season didn’t end as I’d hoped, it was an exciting season nonetheless. But more important than winning ballgames, I’ve been impressed with our first baseman, Matt Olson,…
