Reading: Genesis 29: 15-28 Verse 18: “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel”. After stealing Isaac’s blessing from his brother Esau, Jacob runs away to his mother’s family in Haran. His mother, Rebekah, had schemed to get the son she loved more the coveted birthright. Her love for Jacob led her to place him before his older brother Esau. Once Jacob safely arrives in Haran, he soon meets Laban, Rebekah’s brother. Laban says to Jacob, “You are

Reading: Matthew 28: 16-20 Verse 17: “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted”. At the very end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gathers with his disciples for the last time. Once they see the risen Christ the disciples worship him. In this gospel only the women who came to the tomb have seen the resurrected Jesus. If we only had this gospel it would seem a big leap from seeing Jesus die to receiving these instructions that we read today. Fortunately in Luke’s gospe

Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14 and 5:6-11 Verse 10: “The God of grace… after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast”. Peter is writing to encourage the followers of Jesus Christ who are in trials and sufferings. As foreign as this sounds to us, suffering for their faith was a regular event. For much of the first 300 years of the church, it was dangerous to be a Christian. The Jews and the Romans were both openly hostile t

Reading: Psalm 31: 1-5 and 15-16 Verse 5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth”. When David wrote today’s Psalm he must have been at a difficult point in his life. We do not know what was challenging him at this point, but we do get a sense of his trust in the Lord. For David, this trust has been built on many experiences where God has proven trustworthy. As David seeks refuge and lifts his voice to God, he is counting on God to once again