Colossians 1:15-20 The bronze snake Moses lifted up in the wilderness was used by Jesus to point to himself. (John 3:14–15) Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. When Jesus was asked…

Colossians 1:15-20 Monday morning I opened up I Samuel and read about the first confrontation between Saul and Samuel when Samuel chastised Saul for making the sacrifice to God himself rather than wait for Samuel. I worked at the text and read the commentaries but felt a gnawing discomfort. I felt this a bit last…

Colossians 1:13-27 Peter Lee preached last week about Immanuel, God’s gift to us of his presence. He reminded us that Immanuel is a Hebrew word meaning, God with us, and that this word came from Isaiah to a nation troubled by the imminent prospect of war. Immanuel, God with us, came into a time of…

Colossians 1:24-27 Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo, was born in what is today Algeria on November 13, 354 and died on August 28, 430 when the Vandals had Hippo under siege. Although he lived more than fifteen hundred years ago, Roman Catholics consider him a saint and the pre-eminent Doctor of the Church. Evangelical Protestants…

Colossians 1:15-23 I met last week with the Village of Hope team to create a budget from the strategic planning we have been doing. It was three days of work but we created a budget that we think is honest and reflects what we believe God has in store for us. We had an unexpected…