born and raised twice in the bay, I preach Jesus and him crucified
BiblePlaces.com. (n.d.). Stone feeding trough (manger), typical of first-century Judea We prefer our saviors at a distance. Close enough to help, far enough not to expose. Scripture offers no such Messiah. It gives us one who comes near and stays. There is no Golgotha if there is no Bethlehem. The cross does not appear suddenly... Continue Reading →
Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaᵃ), The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Shrine of the Book, This scroll is the oldest complete manuscript of Isaiah we have, preserved in Hebrew and dated by scholars to the late second century BCE, and it includes Isaiah 52–53. Leadership is learned. Leaders listen. Leaders lead. We all face moments when we're called... Continue Reading →
Papyrus 87 (𝔓87), Philemon 13–15. P. Col. theol. 12, Köln, Institut für Altertumskunde. CSNTM. Paul writes from prison with an impossible request. He is sending back a runaway slave named Onesimus to his master Philemon, asking him to receive Onesimus not as property but as a brother. Under Roman law, Philemon had absolute authority over... Continue Reading →
Noli Me Tangere, by Fra Angelico (c. 1440–1441) I think that most of us know the small ache of being misunderstood. Not seen. Reduced to a role that does not quite fit. We carry it from a workplace where we feel invisible, from a home where words land harder than they should, from rooms where... Continue Reading →
David sits in his palace of cedar, finally at rest. The wars are won. The kingdom is secure. God has given him peace from every enemy. In that stillness, David looks around and feels the weight of disproportion. “I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” It... Continue Reading →
Phillip W. Martin 