The Child King Josiah is a child when he becomes king, a mere eight years old. He rules for thirty-one years and does right in God’s eyes, just as his ancestor King David had done. Eight years into his reign, which makes him sixteen, he seeks God, just like David. Four years later, he purges […]
The Disciples Get Ready to Celebrate the Holy Day with Jesus Today’s passage: Matthew 26:17–19, Mark 14:12–16, and Luke 22:7–13 Focus verse: “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” (Matthew […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 35 Today’s passage: Luke 22:7–20 Focus verse:“Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” (Luke 22:8) Moses institutes Passover as a meal eaten just before the people leave Egypt to return to the land God promised for them through Abraham. For this first Passover meal they eat in haste, […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 5 Today’s passage: Luke 2:39–52 Focus verse:“Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) After Jesus’s miraculous conception, birth, and the testimonies from the angels—and later Simeon and Anna—we don’t hear anything more about Jesus until he’s twelve. We can only guess what his childhood might […]
Doing What Is Right in The Eyes of the Lord King Ahaz is king of Judah. He is an evil king. He comes into power when he’s twenty years old and reigns for sixteen years. He dies at age thirty-six. His son, Hezekiah, succeeds him. King Hezekiah, however, it’s not like his father. He’s a […]
Reclaim Our Practice of Communion from a Biblical Context In their practice of Communion some churches allow children to take Communion (the Eucharist) and others don’t. I’ve seen both occur at various worship services, but I don’t know which practice is more common. A similar consideration is the issue of closed Communion versus open. For […]
When We Take Communion It’s to Remember What Jesus Did for Us The Lord’s Supper is another phrase found only in the New Testament. This isn’t surprising since Jesus instituted this practice when he taught it to his disciples at Passover. Most Christian churches follow Jesus’s command to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19), though […]
We Should Celebrate the Lord’s Supper to Remember What Jesus Did for Us Holy Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) is a time of celebration. In this we remember what Jesus did for us when he died in our place for the things we did wrong. In doing so, he reconciled […]
Though We Cite Scripture When We Take Communion, We Don’t Do it in a Biblical Way Most Christian churches celebrate communion in some form in their worship practices. Though they do this in different ways and with varied frequencies, the central process is similar. As a basis for their practice of communion—also called The Lord’s […]
Jesus Turns the Celebration of Passover into the Celebration of Communion As the Israelites prepare to leave Egypt, Moses instructs them to have a special meal with their families and neighbors. They celebrate the first Passover. From then on Passover becomes an annual celebration. Fast forward a couple millennia. Jesus gives his disciples instructions to […]