Daily Bread

Young David was a shepherd who was also a soldier. He was a harpist, whose music could tame the savage beast.  He was a hero and a popular peasant who had overcome great adversity.  People were singing his praises and comparing him to King Saul and Saul was not looking so good anymore.

One of my favorite places to visit is Fort Davis in the Davis Mountains of Texas.  It is an area that has its own kind of beauty.  There aren’t many trees larger than the small and scrubby little trees that have taken hold in that semi-arid land.

This passage speaks of the attitude of leadership we were to have in the church—servant leadership.  He read these words:  “Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.”

One day an expert in the law approached Jesus and asked a question “to test him”:  “Which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  Jesus answered, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

One of the central scripture readings in the season of Lent is the 51st Psalm.  Part of that psalm reads, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”

Our scripture reading comes after a challenging time for Elijah, the prophet.  You can read that part of the story in the preceding verses, but suffice it to say that it was a time of intense and productive activity, relational conflict, physical exhaustion, a major success, and a crushing disappointment.

It’s Easter Sunday, and we celebrate resurrection day with hope.  How do you most often use the word “hope”  or hear the word being used? 

Today is an in-between day—between the tragedy of the cross on Good Friday and the glory of resurrection on Easter Day.  As I think about it, it occurs to me that we always live in an in-between time—no longer the past and not yet the future.  We live between past and future. 

Jesus was crucified between two thieves, according to Matthew and Mark. Luke doesn’t specify their crimes. He simply calls them criminals. According to Luke one of them joined in the mob that was mocking Jesus, hurling insults at him.