One of Jesus imperatives to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount is “Search, and you will find.” (Matthew 7:7, NRSV)
On more than one occasion Jesus told a parable that featured a banquet or a feast. In this parable of the kingdom of God, a man is holding a banquet and the invited guests are too busy to show up — all of them have excuses.
The Psalmist is singing and praising God. In his praise, he remembers the ways in which God speaks to us and the tremendous difference that makes.
Within every moment of deep darkness lies the certainty that the dawn is coming. Most people have felt, at one time or another, that everything seems hopeless.
This is one of the two passages Jesus quotes as the summary of “all the law and the prophets”—“you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”