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Remembering is the First Step Forward
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and Read More
James A. Harnish | Read Psalm 48:1-14
I never cease to be inspired when I arrive in Washington, D.C. and ride past the Washington Monument or walk around the Lincoln, Jefferson, and King memorials. They are architectural witnesses of the yet-to-be-fulfilled vision that gave birth to this nation. They inspire hope that we may yet accomplish the...
Come we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known; join in a song with sweet accord, and thus surround the throne. We're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God (UMH, no. 733).
The readings from the Hebrew scriptures this week celebrate Jerusalem, the capital of the great King David, who united the ancient Israelites and built up the city. The psalmist praises Jerusalem using the image of Zion—a name used for earthly Jerusalem but also a gesture toward a future day when God’s people will abide in a heavenly city. In Second Corinthians, Paul explains that even though he is an apostle, he struggles like everyone else. Speculation surrounds the “thorn” that plagued Paul; but his point is that when he is weakest, God is strongest. In Mark, we see God’s power working through Jesus, who sent out others to expand God’s healing work.
Read 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10. What qualities of leadership are important in this reading? How do those qualities square with your experience with those in power?
Read Psalm 48. Bring to mind a place where you experience God’s presence. What is it about that place that makes you especially aware of God’s presence?
Read 2 Corinthians 12:2-10. When have you experienced weakness becoming a source of strength and power?
Read Mark 6:1-13. When have you discounted someone because of your assumptions about them?
Respond by posting a prayer.
