DAILY READING Psalm 119:113-128 Mark 6:45-52 FIELD NOTES In verse 48, there’s a short sentence that we modern readers of the Bible might get confused with. The verse says (in the NRSV): “He intended to pass them by.” What does that mean? Was Jesus on his way somewhere else and just thought walking on the…

DAILY READING Psalm 119:113-128 Acts 27:39-44 FIELD NOTES There’s nothing about this story from Acts that sounds or feels safe. After being pummeled in a storm for two weeks, the exhausted crew finally sees land, though they don’t recognize where they are or if the land is safe for them. And yet, having no other…

DAILY READING Psalm 119:113-128 Acts 27:13-38 FIELD NOTES Paul’s journeys through the closing chapters of the Book of Acts are miraculous accounts of God’s provident grace in the midst of trial, hardship, and disaster. Paul, a Jewish/Christian prisoner, is the least likely to take the reins of leadership on a Roman ship, and yet this…

DAILY READING Psalm 72:1-7 FIELD NOTES 1 Give the king your justice, O God,    and your righteousness to a king’s son.2 May he judge your people with righteousness,    and your poor with justice.3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,    and the hills, in righteousness.4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,    give deliverance to the needy,    and crush…

DAILY READING Isaiah 60:1-6 FIELD NOTES Notice the language the prophet uses in these verses to portray unification and solidarity among people and nations. “Nations shall come to your light, kings to your dawn… they all gather together… the wealth of the nations shall come to you.” Jesus draws us all together in praise of…

DAILY READING Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 FIELD NOTES I’ve read these verses countless times. Yet this time I notice something different. Verse 11 particularly stands out to me: “God has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done…

DAILY READING Psalm 8 FIELD NOTES This psalm of celebration reminds us of God’s ultimate power and authority over all Creation. And yet as I read through the verses, I am reminded yet again of God’s propensity to flip power on its head. “Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a…

DAILY READING Matthew 25:31-46 FIELD NOTES “Thank God I didn’t give her any money.” The words were full of anger as a Christian member of my family recounted the story of encountering a woman panhandler and her children one day outside of a grocery store. The woman had begged for money to buy some groceries,…

DAILY READING Luke 2:15-21 FIELD NOTES In our reading today from Luke’s gospel, we see a familiar scene. After receiving the good news, the shepherds “went with haste” to find the holy family and share with them what had happened in the fields.  According to the Wesley Study Bible, “Shepherding was a despised occupation in…