Acts 1:6-14 Last Thursday was Ascension Thursday, and today’s reading presents an account of the Ascension of Jesus the Christ. Even though Acts of the Apostles was written around 85 to 90 CE by the same person who wrote the Gospel According to Luke, the Gospel locates the Ascension on the Day of Easter (Luke […]
Acts 17:22-31 The book, “The Acts of the Apostles,” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke around 85 to 90 CE. The second half of Acts (Chapters 16 to 28) recounts Paul’s Missionary Journeys. Just before today’s reading, Paul was at a synagogue where he would have focused his conversion efforts […]
Acts 7:55-60 The book, “The Acts of the Apostles,” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke around 85 to 90 CE. Today’s reading presents the death by stoning of Stephen, the first martyr. Stephen’s story began in Chapter 6 when the apostles appointed Stephen as one of the first seven deacons […]
Acts 2:42-47 The book, “The Acts of the Apostles,” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke around 85 to 90 CE. Today’s reading is a description of the early Jesus Follower community (they were not called “Christians” until 85 CE or so). It follows the long speech given by Peter after […]
Acts 2:14a, 36-41 The book, “The Acts of the Apostles,” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke around 85 to 90 CE. Today’s reading presents the last part of Peter’s long speech after the Pentecost Event. Rather than offend the ruling Romans by stating that they crucified Jesus (which they did), […]
Acts 2:14a, 22-32 The book, “The Acts of the Apostles,” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke around 85 to 90 CE. Today’s reading presents the second half of Peter’s long speech after the Pentecost Event, and reflects the theology of the community from which Luke-Acts came. In Luke and Acts, […]
Acts 10:34-43 The book called “The Acts of the Apostles” was written by the author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic “history” of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with an account of the Ascension of Jesus and ending (in Chapter 15) at the so-called Council […]
Isaiah 50:4-9a The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel’s history. Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and were written in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the […]
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Ezekiel is one of the three “Major” Prophets – so called because of the length of the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a priest who was among the first group of persons deported by the Babylonians when they captured Jerusalem in 597 BCE. The Book of Ezekiel is in three […]
1 Samuel 16:1-13 The Book of Samuel is part of the “Deuteronomic History” that includes the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books emphasize that God controls history, and when the people (and their kings) worship Yahweh properly, good things happen to them. When they worship false gods, however, bad events overtake […]