Exodus 3:1-15 God knows the suffering of the chosen people. Moses is told that God has heard their cry and has come down to deliver them. God also hears our prayers and knows our suffering. God is with us and will deliver us. In this Exodus story, Israel will not be led out of Egypt…

Isaiah 51:1-6 This Sunday’s Old Testament reading comes from Second Isaiah, and in it the prophet seeks to comfort the Judean exiles by appealing to YHWH’s past saving actions. The story of Abraham and Sarah’s difficulty in bearing and child is specifically in view. Blenkinsopp notes two interesting aspects of this appeal to tradition: in…

Genesis 45:1-15 Oftentimes, when we read the stories of Genesis (and other biblical books), we are perplexed at the turns of events attributed to God. For example, why would God place a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? Why would God destroy the world through a devastating flood? Why would God tell Abraham to…

1 Kings 19:9-18 Nobody likes feeling discouraged. When in a rut, our frustration drives us to want to throw our hands up in the air and say, “That’s it! I’m done! I can’t do this anymore!” Granted, although there may be certain situations in which such a response is warranted, the feelings produced still bring…

Genesis 32:22-31 Forgiveness. “He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone…” Despite readings, prayer, and support from others, when we have been wronged, the path to forgiveness often feels like an isolated journey. It is a stripping down to the essence of who we…

1 Kings 3:5-12 Desire is important. Not the sort of desire we might have for cars or money or sex or fame, but the deepest desires and longings of our hearts. Our inmost desires can clue us into what God truly desires for us. Desires can help us understand who we are becoming and what…

Genesis 28:10-19a Jacob has left home. He has recently bribed the ancestral birthright from his twin brother Esau and he must surely be somewhat anxious as he embarks on his journey. The dream of Jacob is what is needed for such a worried mind and troubled heart. The stream of rising and falling angels connects…

Genesis 25:19-34 The layers of meaning in this passage go far beyond its being a simple tale of sibling rivalry. Jacob takes advantage of Esau’s hunger in order to get the birthright, or blessing, that rightly belongs to Esau. It says something about the human condition that Esau is willing to give it all up…

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 When the lectionary skips verses in a reading, it is often helpful to check in with the Bible and see what got left out. In this week’s reading, Abraham’s servant asks Laban and Bethuel a question in Genesis 24:49, and then the reading skips to verse 58, where they call Rebekah…

Genesis 22:1-14 Many contemporary Christians find this text to be very challenging, for it raises uncomfortable questions about the nature of God and how God interacts with us. Why would God test Abraham by ordering him to sacrifice his son Isaac? One explanation is that the authors of Genesis were attempting to clearly and definitively…