Revelation on Discouragement

liturgy

Heavenly Father: You know all about us

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:4, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Jeremiah 17:14, James 5:15-16, Romans 8:28

Heavenly Father: You know all about us – our weakness, our failing, our sin; And you still love us enough to give your Son to redeem us. Hear the cries of our hearts today. There’s someone for who...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Jeremiah 33:14-16

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 33:14-16, Jeremiah 32:1-2, Jeremiah 30:3, Jeremiah 30:16, Jeremiah 31:1, Jeremiah 31:31, Jeremiah 33:17-18, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Matthew 4:17, Revelation 21:null, Philippians 1:6

Check out our video discussion of the text with the author, Austin D. Hill. Click here to view! Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Exile and Catastrophe There is deba...

lectionary

First Sunday of Advent

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 33:14-16, Jeremiah 32:1-2, Jeremiah 30:3, Jeremiah 30:16, Jeremiah 31:1, Jeremiah 31:31, Jeremiah 33:17-18, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Matthew 4:17, Revelation 21:null, Philippians 1:6

AIM Commentary Check out our video discussion of the text with the author, Austin D. Hill. Click here to view! Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Exile and Catastrop...

Quote

Author

Helen Keller

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 41:10, Revelation 21:4, Psalm 34:19, 1 Peter 5:10, Romans 8:18

All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming.

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Christianity Refuses Cynicism

Author

Andrew Greeley

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:31, Habakkuk 2:14, Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 21:1-4, Revelation 22:3-4

Reject Christianity, if you will, out of motives of cynicism; turn away from it because you believe. Reality is malign and punitive; choose a God that is cantankerous, vindictive, or forgetful, or det...

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Divine Do-Overs: God's Renewable Compassion

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21:5, Lamentations 3:22–23, Jonah 3:1–10 , Isaiah 1:18, Luke 15:11–32, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalm 103:10–12

Hope remains possible even amid our failures—whether we disappoint God, let down our families, or fall short of our own expectations—because divine compassion operates like an inexhaustible well. Each...

lectionary

23rd Sunday after Pentecost

Author

C. Hassell Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 65:17-25, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21:4, Revelation 21:5

preaching commentary Scripture’s proclivity for a new creation Some people have an aversion to describing a future day when the troubles of this world will have passed into oblivion, the kitchen-ta...

liturgy

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Ezekiel 47:1-12, 48:35, Psalm 51:, Revelation 21:5

Pastor: God sent the prophet Ezekiel to the Israelites in exile to preach repentance and deliverance. They were an unfaithful, hard-hearted, rebellious nation who refused to obey the Lord or submit...

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Tearing Down and Building up in the Kingdom

Author

Barbara Brown Taylor

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 65:17-18, Jeremiah 1:9-10, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Matthew 24:1-2, Revelation 21:1-4, Psalm 46:8-10

Since Jesus isn’t attached to the same things we are, he can take the God-view, which is about more than redeeming our individual lives. God means to redeem the world, which is going to require some m...

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The Promise of Joy

Author

Jen Pollock Michel

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 30:5, Romans 8:18, John 16:20-22, 1 Peter 1:6-8, Isaiah 35:10, Revelation 21:4

When God Talks Back, psychological anthropologist T. M. Luhrmann sets out to explain how sensible people believe in an immaterial God. One aspect of evangelical Christianity that she finds particularl...

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PTSD and Our Core Story

Author

Casey K. Tygrett

Keywords

Scripture

Genesis 1:31, 1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Revelation 21:4, Jeremiah 31:3

The robbing of our lives occurs when the core story of who we are—created as “very good” (Gen 1:31) and never downgraded, and “beloved” of God (1 Jn 3:2)—is taken through specific memories and twisted...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Mark 13:24-27

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 13:24-27, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 21:null, Revelation 21:3-4

Ancient lens What's the historical context? The Worst Is Yet To Come I wonder if some of Jesus’ Galilean crew regretted volubly admiring the beauty of Herod the Great’s temple. I can see Pete...

lectionary

Second Sunday of Advent

Author

Austin D. Hill

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 1:3-11, Acts 16:, Revelation 21:1-6

Ancient Lens What can we learn from the historical context? Paul’s Relationship to Philippi There is practically no debate that Philippians was written by Paul. This letter is an intimate portray...

lectionary

Fifth Sunday of Easter

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:1-6, Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 63:1, Isaiah 55:1, John 4:13-14, John 6:35, John 7:37-38, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:14, Revelation 19:13, Exodus 40:34-48, John 1:14

Preaching Commentary A Revelation and a Prophecy The Revelation of Jesus Christ can be overwhelming to read and difficult to understand due to its heavy use of imagery and symbolism. However, the o...

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Life Without Hope of Resurrection: An Atheist’s Explanation of the Human Condition

Author

Bertrand Russell

Keywords

Scripture

John 3:16, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 139:13-14, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Revelation 21:4

Sometimes it is helpful to see what life looks like on the other side of faith, that is, for those who believe that God does not exist. Bertrand Russell, the renowned philosopher and avowed atheist, h...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Isaiah 65:17-25

Author

C. Hassell Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 65:17-25, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21:4, Revelation 21:5

Scripture’s proclivity for a new creation Some people have an aversion to describing a future day when the troubles of this world will have passed into oblivion, the kitchen-table expression being “p...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Revelation 21:10, 22:1-5

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:10, Revelation 21:2, 10, 22-27, Revelation 22:1-5, 1 Kings 6:20, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:23-24, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 3:17-19, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Ephesians 6:5-9, Colossians 3:23, Genesis 1:26-27, Exodus 33:20-23, John 14:9, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3, Mark 15:34, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Exodus 28:15-21, 29-30, John 4:13-14, John 7:37-38, Matthew 27:46, John 3:2, Romans 8:29

Pulling Back the Curtain The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a “pulling back of the curtain” to reveal both the unseen realities of the present (what is really going on in the world from God’s perspect...

lectionary

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5, Revelation 21:2, 10, 22-27, Revelation 22:1-5, 1 Kings 6:20, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:23-24, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15, Genesis 3:17-19, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Ephesians 6:5-9, Colossians 3:23, Genesis 1:26-27, Exodus 33:20-23, John 14:9, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3, Mark 15:34, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Exodus 28:15-21, 29-30, John 4:13-14, John 7:37-38, Matthew 27:46, John 3:2, Romans 8:29

Preaching Commentary Pulling Back the Curtain The Revelation of Jesus Christ is a “pulling back of the curtain” to reveal both the unseen realities of the present (what is really going on in the wo...

Quote

Author

Dallas Willard

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:23, Colossians 3:12, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Titus 2:11-12, Isaiah 61:3, Philippians 4:8, Psalm 27:4

If your salvation does not include living with God in beauty, truth, and goodness, it’s going to be a very dry haul. And so much of our difficulty today for Christians in this world, and for the world...

lectionary

First Sunday of Advent

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Mark 13:24-37, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 21:null, Revelation 21:3-4

Advent 2023: Make some noise Alive, Awake, and Alert AIM commentary Ancient lens What's the historical context? The Worst Is Yet To Come I wonder if some of Jesus’ Galilean crew regre...

lectionary

New Year's Day

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:1-6a, 2 Corinthians 5:17

Preaching Commentary A New Heaven and a New Earth In this well-known passage from Revelation, John receives a vision of the New Heavens and New Earth that will come with the return of Jesus (The Se...

illustration

Surrounded by Beauty

Author

Thomas Merton

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:22-27, Psalm 27:4, Psalm 8:, Psalm 96:6, Isaiah 33:17

I am abashed, solitary, helpless, surrounded by a beauty that can never belong to me. But this sadness generates within me an unspeakable reverence for the holiness of created things, for they are pur...

Quote

Author

Simone Weil

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:6, Matthew 5:6, Isaiah 55:1-2, Psalm 16:11, John 4:13-14, Jeremiah 2:13, Romans 3:23

Every sin is an attempt to fly from emptiness.

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The Paradox of a Healing God and a Sick World

Author

Andy Reimer

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 2:25-27, Hebrews 9:27, Romans 8:22-23, John 11:25, Revelation 21:4, 2 Kings 13:14

I believe that it is the paradox between serving a healing God and the persistence of illness and even death that ultimately lies behind most theological debates about divine healing in the Church. ...

scripture guide

Scripture Guide Revelation 21:1-6a

Author

Gabe Fung

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:1-6, Psalm 42:1-2, Psalm 63:1, Isaiah 55:1, John 4:13-14, John 6:35, John 7:37-38, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:14, Revelation 19:13, Exodus 40:34-48, John 1:14

A Revelation and a Prophecy The Revelation of Jesus Christ can be overwhelming to read and difficult to understand due to its heavy use of imagery and symbolism. However, the opening chapter introduc...

illustration

New Bodies in the New Creation

Author

John Eldredge

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 2 Corinthians 5:1-2, Revelation 21:4

I love that part in The Silver Chair when old age simply vanishes from frail King Caspian, because age is the unavoidable meltdown, stripping even the bravest and most beautiful of their former glor...

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Emotions, Language, and the Experience of Homesickness

Author

Jen Pollock Michel

Keywords

Scripture

Hebrews 11:13-16, 2 Corinthians 5:1-2, John 14:2-3, Revelation 21:3-4, Matthew 8:19-20, Luke 9:57-58

In her book Keeping Place: Reflections on the Meaning of Home , Jen Pollock Michel reflects on the nature of home in a transient age. In this short excerpt, Michel focuses on the language associate...

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Politics and the Resurrection

Author

Rachel Clark

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:1-28, Romans 13:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, 1 Peter 1:3, Revelation 21:5

It seems that every four years, the American people come through another exhausting political season. No matter who “wins,” there are feelings of frustration and disgust on all sides as we observe the...

liturgy

Pastor: As we begin a new year in the shelter of God’s love

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:5

Pastor: As we begin a new year in the shelter of God’s love, let us confess our sins to God and to one another, and let us take to heart His words of forgiveness. People: Mighty God, we co...

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The Opiate of the People?

Author

Augustus Nicodemus Lopes

Keywords

Scripture

Revelation 21:1-2, 2 Peter 3:13, Titus 2:13, Romans 8:18, Isaiah 65:17, Matthew 6:10

Some people call religion the opiate of the people. Karl Marx had Christianity and our eschatological hope in mind when he said that. Some contend that pointing to the future as the Christian’s ultima...

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