As Zacchaeus hurries down from his perch in the sycamore tree and welcomes Jesus to his house, everyone witnessing this scene starts murmuring. We can hear them now: “What kind of...

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus encounters in Jericho a throng eager to see him, a familiar scene in Luke. Jesus also encounters a rich tax collector, also familiar. In the...

The first chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians begins and ends with grace: “grace and peace to you” in a salutation and the “grace of our God” in a...

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” What a way to begin a letter! Perhaps, like me, you receive voluminous e-mails daily, many unwanted...

In this prayer of lament, the longest psalm in the Psalter, righteous is a key word and is repeated five times. The psalmist points us not only to God who is...

Habakkuk positions himself to hear God’s response to the dominant question posed in yesterday’s reading, “How long?” In his declaration that he will be at his “watchpost” waiting for God, Habakkuk...

In today’s passage, the beginning of a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and God, Habakkuk complains vehemently to God and questions God, who seems to be silent and inattentive in the...

On this sabbath day in thousands of settings, faithful Christ-followers take their places of leadership to teach, praise, preach, and pray. They have studied, prepared, and centered themselves in the presence...

The psalmist expresses his deep gratitude to God using the metaphor of water. His imagery reminds me of a dear friend who loved to quip: “A day without rain is like...

Locusts, grasshoppers, fire, invaders, destruction, desolation, dust, death—these do not foretell the future but rather Judah’s current-day reality. Devastation and defeat overwhelm, and deportation to Babylon looms. Yet, following his descriptions...