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Believing and Living
The Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday, March 29th, spotlights Jesus’ restoration of Lazarus to life. This amazing account, as recorded in John 11, offers believers timely hope amid an ongoing global pandemic. As Jesus’ prospect of suffering and death grew closer, He returned to the area of Jerusalem. Though the religious establishment spurned Him (10:39), His closest followers loved Him. Even rejection and scorn could not dim the glory of the Messiah as displayed through the restoration of Lazarus to life, a miracle that likely occurred in the winter of AD 29. The record of the above incident is important, for it serves as an undisputed, confirming sign of the…
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God’s shepherding love
Psalm 23 is part of the lectionary readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent on March 22nd. It is a fitting passage of Scripture to spotlight, especially given our current circumstance of national and global crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Of the 150 songs in the psalter, Psalm 23 is perhaps both the simplest and the best loved. On the one hand, the poem was written by David from the perspective of a shepherd. On the other hand, the ode represents the prayer and meditation of a person with a mature spirit. From an historical perspective, David’s confession of faith, hope, and trust in the Lord as the…