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Matthew 2:16-18 When Herod knew the magi had fooled him, he grew very angry. He sent soldiers to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding territory who were two years old and younger, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.  This fulfilled the word spoken through Jeremiah…

Matthew 2:13-15 When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.”  Joseph got up and,…

Matthew 2:1-12, NRSV After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem.  They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.”  When King Herod heard this,…

Matthew 1:18-25 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly.  As he…

Today, we begin a journey through the book of Matthew.  This is a lengthy series that I wrote back in 2021, so those of you who have been subscribers since then may recognize some of the content.  I am editing these as we go through them this time in order to prepare a manuscript for…

Proverbs 31:10-31 , NRSV Today, I simply offer a different way to read this well-known passage in Proverbs.  Proverbs, as we have noted before, was most likely written for men to read.  So, in that context, it is understandable that when talking about an ideal spouse, the text would describe a wife.  However, all the…

Proverbs 31:1-9, The Message The words of King Lemuel,     the strong advice his mother gave him: “Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of!     Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God! Don’t dilute your strength on fortune-hunting women,     promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders. “Leaders can’t afford to…

Proverbs 30:24-28, The Message – There are four small creatures,     wisest of the wise they are—         ants—frail as they are,             get plenty of food in for the winter;         marmots—vulnerable as they are,             manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;         locusts—leaderless insects,             yet they strip the field like an army…

Proverbs 30:1-9, New Living Translation The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message. I am weary, O God;     I am weary and worn out, O God. I am too stupid to be human,     and I lack common sense. I have not mastered human wisdom,     nor do I know the Holy…

Proverbs 27:17, CEB – As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens a friend.        Today I share the insights of Gordon MacDonald about the people we chose to spend time with.  Years ago, he wrote a book called Renewing Your Spiritual Passion where He classifies the five types of people with whom we spend time. …