Rick Godby

Reading 12 The Love between Cousins—Matthew 11 Read Chapter 11 My grandparents had nine children, eight of whom survived to adulthood, so I have many first cousins. My cousin Tom introduced me to my husband Jim, so we’re close. Sometimes cousins are close to one another because they are close in age. Tom and I […]

Reading 11 Called by Name—Matthew 10 Read Chapter 10 Jesus names, calls, and equips his disciples to heal, preach, and teach in his name. Jesus warns the disciples they will encounter opposition and lack of resources, not always being welcomed along the journey. Despite difficulty, the disciples were encouraged to continue their journey regardless of

Reading 10 Daughter, Your Faith Has Made You Well—Matthew 9 Read Chapter 9 This chapter of Matthew is full of great stories of Jesus’ ministry but there is one pericope within this chapter that stole my attention. In Matthew 9:18-26, a man comes to Jesus to tell him that his daughter has died and asks

Reading 9 Jesus Save Us!—Matthew 8 Read Chapter 8 As I write this, we are in week 12 of quarantine, COVID-19 has reached 7 million cases worldwide, American job loss is now over 20 million, and protests and riots sparked by George Floyd’s death are in full force across the US and the globe.

Reading 8 Good Advice Is Not Good News—Matthew 7 Read Chapter 7 Chapter 7 brings us to the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and, as in the previous two chapters, it is chock full of some of Jesus’ most quotable quotations. They have taken on almost proverbial status as one-liners, usually lifted out

Reading 7 Hey Neighbor!—Matthew 6 Read Chapter 6 We have sat on this mountain before. Patches of grass and rocky soil leave little comfort for our bottoms, but we hardly notice. Jesus speaks in a way that captivates our imaginations. Even now, as we sit six feet apart and turn our masked faces towards him,

Reading 6 “But I tell you…”—Matthew 5 Read Chapter 5 How much time and emotional energy do you spend comparing yourself to others? We have all kinds of measuring sticks we like to take out to see how we measure up. We have report cards, quarterly evaluations, bank accounts, the number of “likes” on Facebook,

Reading 5 After Faith Is Tested, Faith Is on the Move—Matthew 4 Read Chapter 4 Matthew was written to a mostly Jewish audience and it seeks to show the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Therefore, it is no accident that Jesus is in the wilderness and there for forty days. It immediately brings to mind

Reading 4 Remember Your Baptism—Matthew 3 Read Chapter 3 Three chapters into Matthew’s Gospel we get to eavesdrop on the conversation between Jesus and John the baptizer. I suspect Jesus’ awareness of God’s presence in his life evolved over the course of years. No doubt he knew of his unique calling as God’s messenger and

Reading 3 “Where is Jesus?”—Matthew 2 Read Chapter 2 The congregation of which I am a member, Lutheran Church of the Epiphany, has a closet full of elegant, regal wise men costumes with matching crowns and faux gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Some of the costumes are for wise women, and some represent countries