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A Boat with No Oars
Collage by Beth A. Richardson It has been a year since our lives were upended by Read More
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Whitney R. Simpson | Read Ephesians 3:1-12
Disciplines is available in a variety of formats: print, digital, and print/digital combo packages. A digital subscription includes access to author bios, the ability to comment, and audio lectio.
Sign Up TodayPaul is privy to a secret! And while the secret has been around
for time eternal, only within the present age has the secret
been made known; “it has now been revealed to [Christ’s] holy
apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” The Gentiles and Jews are
fellow heirs in the...
Creator, give me boldness and confidence to shine your light for all the world to see. May I sense the sacredness of the life of servanthood to which I am called and participate in the mission to make your wisdom known in the world. Amen.
Many will read the Isaiah text and identify the servant with Jesus, the one God enables to do the work of justice and transformation. The psalm announces the glory of God, a king powerful over the turbulence of nature and whose voice is a transcendent revelation. Matthew’s story of Jesus’ baptism joins the themes of servant and king. The baptism inaugurates Jesus’ ministry in which he proclaims God’s righteousness. Peter’s speech in Acts reminds us that Jesus’ baptism carries with it the promise of baptism in the Spirit.
• Read Isaiah 42:1-9. In this new year, what promises of God do you want to breathe in?
• Read Psalm 29. When the storms of life rage, how do you listen for God’s promptings?
• Read Acts 10:34-43. To whom do you need to proclaim the promises of Jesus Christ?
• Read Matthew 3:13-17. How does your understanding of your own baptism encourage you to live as an obedient child of God?
Respond by posting a prayer.
I join many of those who will pray for you as you seek to discern what you are called to be at this moment. May God grant you the courage to fulfill that calling. May we all open our eyes and see the misery, open our ears and hear the cries of God’s people, and, like God through the Lord Jesus Christ, be incarnate amongst them.”
View a growing list of resources for the spiritual work of overcoming racism.
