There are some challenging instructions in this letter from Paul to the Thessalonians: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. If Paul is telling us that we should...

Today’s psalm offers us another image of planting. Verses 5 and 6 describe the people of God going out into the field with their seeds, weeping as they sow. Why are...

In our scripture reading for today, the psalmist remembers a moment when the people of God were filled with laughter because God had restored them to the Promised Land after years...

In verse 11 of today’s text, the prophet uses the image of a garden to offer a word of hope to the people of Israel who had suffered through decades of...

Today we hear the voice of the prophet Isaiah speaking a word of hope to the people of Israel, who have been devastated by the armies of Babylon. They are poor,...

The Advent and Christmas seasons bring many images to our minds. We think of gentle scenes of snow or of bright stars in the sky. Some prefer to envision a crude...

Despite the attempts of our culture to make this season a time of instant gratification in the here and now, I believe that the Advent and Christmas seasons, at their core,...

This time of year feels a lot like those long drives many of us take as a part of our family vacations. I’ve finally packed everything, herded the kids into the...

Have you ever read the ending of a book before you read the rest of it? Have you ever watched the last fifteen minutes of a film before seeing the rest...

What better indicator of trouble in a relationship than the “silent treatment”? At least when we argue, we engage one another. But when we go silent—either because we don’t care enough...