Samuel is given the responsibility of anointing the next king of Israel, and he will make the selection from among the sons of Jesse. He begins the ritual with the assumption...

When Paul wrote the letter we now call Second Corinthians, his relationship with the believers at Corinth was already well established. He had lived among them for at least eighteen months....

From the beginning of life, we begin dying. This is true of all living things. We don’t know if other creatures conceive of this reality. But humans do develop this knowledge,...

Jesus continually demonstrated that the reign of God does not correspond directly to any earthly entities. In this passage, the demonstration becomes rather pointed. A crowd has gathered so quickly around...

The psalmist begins with overflowing praise to the Lord. This psalm exudes relief, triumph, and gratitude. The Lord is exalted above both heavenly beings and earthly monarchs. We do not know...

Warnings abound regarding hyper-partisanship globally. While many around the world work for peace, just when we think a new age is on the horizon, new hostilities break out somewhere. Those hostilities...

Dejected and depressed, Samuel turns to the Lord with the elders’ appeal. Not satisfied with governance by judges, they demand a king. Perhaps their dissatisfaction has something to do with Samuel’s...

“If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you jump also?” That might be the question Samuel wanted to ask the elders when they demanded a king “like other nations.” Samuel...

Today is Trinity Sunday, when Christians contemplate this unique understanding of God as Holy One, Holy Three. This text from John is one of the few places in scripture when God...

John 3:16 is one of the most familiar verses of scripture. Many people may have memorized it in childhood Sunday school challenges. It shows up on banners at sporting events. Conversely,...