Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “2015”
Isaiah 58:1-13 In the opening books of the Hebrew Bible laws, rules and rituals are set out to help the people in their daily worship. By the time Isaiah spoke these words, those rituals had become a stumbling block as the people began to fast without meaning and sacrifice because they felt they had to, not because they wanted to. …
Joel 2:1-2 + 12-17 The prophet Joel’s words to the people of Judah deal mainly with a call to repentance and a coming back to God’s way. Often at times of preparation and repentance we do our business as individuals keeping it isolated and private. But Joel’s message was for the people; a community of people gathered together to seek …
Matthew 6:1-8 + 16-18 Jews in Jesus’ day held three practices as ‘givens’ for their spiritual life. As Jesus preaches the Sermon on the Mount we can see that He assumes all the hearers are doing these three things; Giving, Praying and Fasting. These three disciplines have been a part of the life of the church since the beginning and …
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus’ reading of Isaiah’s word in his local synagogue announced His mission to the world. He told the listeners that day that the words He had read had now been fulfilled by Him. It is important for us to hear the words of this proclamation in their fullness. It is good news, freedom, healing and justice but we …
Exodus 33:12-23 Moses and God had a relationship unlike many in the Old Testament. They conversed many times since their meeting at the burning bush as God commanded Moses to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. In this instance Moses asks to first see God’s ways and then his Glory. Both of these God denies but instead He tells …
Leviticus 25:8-10 The sound of the Shofar horn would have rang out on different occasions in the life of the Jewish nation. The horn is still used today at certain times to mark festivals and important occasions. As the Shofar sounded on the Day of Atonement in the Jubilee year, it marked for all people the beginning of an important …
Proclamation and preparation go hand in hand. How can you prepare for something if you have not been told about it? You have to hear an announcement or receive an invitation before you can get ready for the event. The Jubilee and Lent are no different. Both events need to be proclaimed so that people can be ready for the …
Tucked away in one of the most difficult books of the Old Testament is a chapter relating to the year of Jubilee. This event which would take place every 50 years was a time of renewal for the people of God and the land they had been promised. Fields would be rested from being worked, land would be return to …
