Root of Jesse

Root of Jesse

Photo: Elizabeth Odders-White When reading this passage, I think not only of its promise—of a Messiah who will grow from humble beginnings—but of the many forms of growth and change we long for in our lives. We so often want, or even expect, change to happen quickly,...
Burning Bush

Burning Bush

Moses was doing what he did every day. He went to work. He did what he was supposed to do and what he wanted to do–he was a shepherd who took care of the family livestock. Day after day it was business as usual. But it seems God likes to shake things up for...
Whirlwind

Whirlwind

Photo: Amy Grunewald-Mattison Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: -Job 38:1  That colon is like a river dam, holding back God’s answer to Job that despite the horrors that have happened to him, despite his willingness to give up everything to show he is...
Vine

Vine

Photo: The Guardian The disciples and Jesus in John 15 are on the move. They have left the upper room and are walking through Jerusalem eastward to a little garden called Gethsemane. Jesus looks at his disciples who, like many of us, are concerned about their safety,...
Water

Water

Water has been present since the beginning. We read in Genesis that in the beginning, the spirit of God hovered over water. God separates this water between the seas and sky and between sea and land. Throughout scripture water serves as both a symbol of life and as...