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Genesis 50:15-26

EMS
Erin M. Stout

Comments and Observations The book of Genesis is about the God who makes and keeps promises – often in the unlikeliest of situations. Early in the story, God calls Abraham, and promises that he will give him a family. Through that family, the LORD promises to bless him, make him into a great nation, give…

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Exodus 2:11-25

EMS
Erin M. Stout

Comments and Observations Sometimes deliverance takes a long time. The Israelites lived in Egypt for almost four hundred years before God raised up their deliverer. In the midst of forced labor and the murder of their infant sons, Moses was born. Miraculously, God delivered him from what should have been a certain death, because he…

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Numbers 16

EMS
Erin M. Stout

Comments and Observations Who has the LORD chosen? Who belongs to him? Who is holy? These are the questions at the heart of our passage. But how we ask often matters as much as the content of the questions themselves.  The people who oppose Moses and Aaron’s leadership, led by Korah, ask these questions with…

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Joshua 1

EMS
Erin M. Stout

Comments and Observations These notes focus on Joshua 1:1-9 Joshua was in need of strength and courage. The narrator of our passage doesn’t reveal Joshua’s feelings here…but we do hear the LORD tell him three times with increasing intensity: “Be strong and courageous” (v. 6), “Be strong and very courageous” (v. 7), and “Be strong…

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2 Samuel 15:1-22

EMS
Erin M. Stout

Comments and Observations David’s sudden and dramatic turn from king to fugitive did not come out of the blue. A whole series of consequences from David’s actions – and inactions – now come to a terrible convergence. Perhaps it started with David’s sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. David had known that Bathsheba was married, but…

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Psalm 29

Epiphany 1C

Doug Bratt Headshot
Doug Bratt

Psalm 29 may feel a little hard on ears that are tired and worn down by all the recent holidays’ noise. It is, after all, a “noisy” hymn of praise that the poet fills with the sounds of music, thunder, wind and even the sound that earthquakes make. It’s a psalm that the psalmist also…

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Isaiah 43:1-7

Epiphany 1C

Scott-Hoezee
Scott Hoezee

Scholars tell us that there may have been at least two, probably three (perhaps four!) “Isaiahs” whose prophetic words make up the one Old Testament book we call Isaiah. If so, then the version of Isaiah we get in this 43rd chapter is definitely the “Happy Isaiah” as compared to the doom-and-gloom Isaiah from earlier…

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Genesis 33

BS
Bill Sytsma

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent,” he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. -Martin Luther Comments and Observations: Early in his monastic life, Martin Luther was consumed with the worry that his righteousness was not great enough.  He tried fasting, praying, and self-flagellation in order to convince…

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Exodus 11:1-10

BS
Bill Sytsma

Sermon Idea:  God will fight for His people. Comments and Observations: Everybody loves a hero.  Tales of individuals who will champion the cause of someone who is unjustly oppressed fascinate us. True heroes, however, are hard to find.  Most of us feel as though others are hardly interested in our struggles.  Even if we find…

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Deuteronomy 30:11-20

BS
Bill Sytsma

Common Misperceptions: It is far too common for us to have images of God that don’t match the way He is described in the Bible.  One of those misperceptions is picturing God as a sadistic overlord who watches diligently to make sure no one is violating His commandments.  We might be prone to believe that…

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