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We continue our examination of a “complaint-filled world” with text from Paul’s First Letter to the church at Corinth: 1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and [...]

The disciples, like the delivered people of Israel, found Christ’s teaching hard to believe: 60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to [...]

Before reading today’s lesson scripture, read John 6:35.  Okay, now here’s the scripture for today: 41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he [...]

Following the Red Sea experience, the people of Israel journey into the wilderness and show their human nature by forgetting what God had done to bring them out of captivity and complaining and longing to go back to that captivity for the material comforts it offered.  Today’s lesson scripture reads as follows: 1 The whole [...]

Eerdman’s Commentary, categorizes today’s lesson scripture as one of the “Individual Laments“. A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer. 1 With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When [...]

The concept of Jubilee – that every fifty years there would be a time of reconciliation and liberty – may seem very foreign to us.  It’s not something that we practice in today’s society.  Indeed, even at the time of the second temple, it doesn’t appear that the Jewish people actually practiced Jubilee.  What does [...]

Today’s lesson is familiar to us in the context of those in need . . . of clothes, of food, of water, of visiting in prison, of welcome . . . Let’s focus instead on what he means by “the least of these”: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the [...]

Many signs and miracles worked by Jesus were for the specific purpose of advancing the message – the Good News – of his ministry here on earth.  In today’s lesson scripture there is no doubt that the Lord’s agenda was served in the miracle worked for the widow’s son at Nain, but we also need [...]

In line with today’s lesson scripture, I’ll point out that the harvest is plentiful on this ole internet thing, but the bloggers are few.  I started to just link to Danny’s post today and leave it at that, but decided I needed to at least set out today’s lesson scripture: 35 Then Jesus went about all [...]

While reading Will Willimon’s Why I Am A United Methodist, I came across these words that I found a bit provocative (Willimon, at the time, was on the faculty at Duke University; now he’s bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church): A young man came in to see me and said [...]