You can tell a lot about the speaker and the speech by the opening line. If you hear the words, “Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages,” you are probably listening...

The epistle writer appears to assume that the Christians of his day are not following the way of love. He offers an epistle whose central theme is the call to love....

We may find it insulting to be called a sheep. That’s what this psalm seems to do. We often have disparaging images of sheep as dim-witted, bumbling, and prone to wandering....

Psalm 23 is a cherished scripture because it expresses a lot about life in the real world. It does not paint a picture of a perfect life in which days are...

It’s hard enough to be scrutinized when you’ve done something wrong. It’s even more difficult when you’ve done something right. Peter and John do a good and right thing: They heal...

People lose jobs, accidents happen, loved ones die. The wicked seem to prosper, and sometimes life is downright scary. Many psalms give the psalmist voice as he tells God his problems....

In seventh grade, I felt torn between the popular crowd and a longtime friend the other kids considered dorky. The popular girls were cute, well-dressed, bragged about fabulous parties, and felt...

People express astonishment when Peter heals a “man lame from birth.” Rather than bask in the limelight as a miracle healer, Peter speaks plainly to the crowd. He walks them through...

Jesus comes to us in the midst of our ordinary lives. We know him from scripture, in worship, as we pray and sing songs of faith. In this passage, Jesus attempts...

The disciples’ world has been turned upside down. In the past days they celebrated a memorable meal with their beloved Jesus, then saw him dragged before Pilate, crucified, and buried. Deep...