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Less Resolving, More Doing
Angela Schaffner with her family. ‘Tis the season for announcing resolutions for self-improvement. Since I am Read More
Arianne Braithwaite Lehn | Read Isaiah 6:1-8
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Sign Up TodayGod offers Isaiah a fresh invitation to serve. Isaiah finds himself entangled in regret and shame as he witnesses God’s glory and holiness firsthand. He doesn’t feel “clean” enough to be God’s messenger.
Yet God meets Isaiah with grace. God loves and accepts Isaiah, but Isaiah doesn’t perceive this. He...
Patient God, you come to my fearfulness and boundaries with mercy and compassion. You come to my small vision with an eye, a word, a touch that swallows the universe in love. You come sharing forgiveness as an unlocked door, always giving me a chance to change. Please work within me today to bring my soul to new life and courageous trust. Amen.
This Sunday we will celebrate the Trinity, the Christian belief that God is one being and exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christian theologians point out that there are many references to this doctrine throughout the Bible. In Isaiah, the voice of the Lord asks, “Who will go for us?” not, “Who will go for me?” In the passage in Romans, Paul speaks of all three persons of the Trinity: We pray to the Father through the Spirit because of the work of the Son. Jesus also speaks to Nicodemus about the role of all three persons of the Trinity. This may not be the simplest of Christian doctrines, but it is foundational because it explains the nature of God and God’s work throughout human history.
• Read Isaiah 6:1-8. When have you experienced a cleansing by God, resulting in a greater willingness to serve?
• Read Psalm 29. As you read about the power of the Lord’s voice, do you find yourself frightened or drawn in? How approachable is God to you?
• Read Romans 8:12-17. What have you released to God? What bitterness has taken its toll on your soul? Are you ready to let it go?
• Read John 3:1-17. How has your life been reshaped by the Spirit? How did sins and failings manifest in the new creation?
Respond by posting a prayer.
"God comes to the woman who feels in exile in her own marriage. To the man who grieves the loss of life dreams. To the child who lives on the street. To the parents who struggle to feed and clothe their children. To the one whose loneliness or depression intensifies every Christmas." Click to watch video.
