Reading 20 Faith Like a Child—Matthew 19 Read Chapter 19 In addition to serving as a pastor, I work as a professional musician. While learning music, I ask questions: What is the major theme? Where is the tension, the resolution? These questions help me understand the music. These questions work with biblical texts as well.

Reading 19 Living Forgiveness—Matthew 18 Read Chapter 18 “I forgive you.” These three small words came out of the mouths of my nieces and nephews often as I visited family earlier this summer. Days were filled with normal sibling behavior—stealing toys, stepping on fingers, eating each other’s snacks, or just looking at a sister the […]

Reading 18 High on the Mountain—Matthew 17 Read Chapter 17 There is a lot going on in Matthew 17. The chapter begins with a narrative of the Transfiguration, Jesus curing an epileptic man, and forewarning the disciples about what would happen to him, among other things; but the high point (pun intended) for me is […]

Reading 17 One Bite at a Time—Matthew 16 Read Chapter 16 For years, humans have been trying to boil down the Bible into bite-sized, easily-digestible chunks. One of the more infamous attempts to make the Bible easier to digest comes from Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson sat at his desk with a razor, carefully cutting out the […]

Reading 16 The Faith to Persevere, the Courage to Show God’s Love to All—Matthew 15 Read Chapter 15 Has your faith been tested by the completely unexpected pandemic? Because of the coronavirus, we find ourselves filled with uncertainty, anxiety, fear, or for many maybe even panic with things changing quickly and a constant barrage of […]

Reading 15 Human Pride and Christ’s Love—Matthew 14 Read Chapter 14 Herod is pretty sure this Jesus he keeps hearing about is John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod remembers John’s death because he ordered it. John told Herod to his face that it was unlawful for Herod to be “having” his brother’s wife, […]

Reading 14 Parables and Powerful Questions—Matthew 13 Read Chapter 13 Chapter 13 introduces parables for the first time in this gospel. It comes at a precarious time for Jesus. In Chapter 12 we learned the Pharisees were beginning to plot to kill him and in Chapter 14 (spoiler alert) we will learn of the execution […]

Reading 13 Recognized by Our Fruit—Matthew 12 Read Chapter 12 Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. Matthew 12:33 How many times have you gone to a produce stand or farmers’ market and […]

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 […]