Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (NRSVUE) I once overheard the following from a woman in a restaurant. “I would like the Eggs Benedict, but I don’t really like ham, so if you wouldn’t mind, I think I would like sausage instead; and could you fry the … Read More

Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 (CEB) Brothers and sisters, we must always thank God for you. This is only right because your faithfulness is growing by leaps and bounds, and the love that all of you have for each other is increasing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (CEB) When we hear deep truths or experience great blessings, there is in all of … Read More

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed… 2 Timothy 3:14 (NRSVUE) These are the words of the apostolic traditions, the charge to “presbyters” (or “elders), and teachers like Timothy. Timothy, the son of a Greek father and a Jewish mother, was taught the scriptures by his mother, Eunice, and his … Read More

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8-15 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David — that is my gospel. 2 Timothy 2:8 (NRSVUE) “Remember Jesus Christ.” For the writer, that powerful memory sustains him through persecution and suffering. How can we find that sustenance? What does it mean to remember Jesus? The Pauline letters usually call the people of … Read More

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-14 So don’t be ashamed of the testimony about the Lord or of me, his prisoner. Instead, share the suffering for the good news, depending on God’s power. 2 Timothy 1:8 (CEB) In a world of e-mail, instant messaging, and texting, we often value convenience over content. But the construction and tone of our words matter. The … Read More

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-19 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NRSVUE) Many of us connect eternal life with life after death, something that happens after we die. Paul offers a powerful … Read More

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (CEB) First of all, then, I ask that requests, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be made for all people. 1 Timothy 2:1 (CEB) The author of First Timothy first urges that prayers, supplication, thanksgivings, and intercessions be made for everyone, but then singles out one particular group: kings and all who are in high positions. The implication … Read More

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (CEB) Our Lord’s favor poured all over me along with the faithfulness and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:14 (CEB) Water is remarkable. While sometimes soft and soothing, its fearsome power is on display in ocean waves or during floods. But water’s most remarkable transformations come over time. If you visit a canyon, … Read More

Scripture: Philemon 1:1-21 “Maybe this is the reason that Onesimus was separated from you for a while so that you might have him back forever— no longer as a slave but more than a slave—that is, as a dearly loved brother…” Philemon 15-16 (CEB) While a prisoner in Rome, Paul wrote a carefully crafted personal letter to Philemon, a fellow … Read More

Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 “Let mutual affection continue.” Hebrews 13:1 Love became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth. And Love invites us to love, for we are Love’s agents in the world. How easily we warm up to what we don’t have. We tell ourselves, “I would like to, but I don’t have time.” And while … Read More