The choice God gave the Israelites echoes through to us today: choose life or death. To choose life means to “attach” oneself to God which seems the opposite of freedom. But to choose “death” means to attach oneself to all whims we may experience. Freedom is a gift we must choose.

God’s promise of guidance reminds God does not leave us without direction. We may find it challenging to discern God’s will and way forward but the guidance of the grace of Christ remains an unchanged promise.

“Blessed” is a word that gets lost in translation. God’s promise of “blessing” has nothing to do with cause and effect, nothing to do with a state of ease or material or emotional “blessing,” but has everything to do with the acceptance we have in Christ’s love for us.

Much to our disappointment Jesus never called us to a life of ease. Instead, Jesus called us to serve. God’s promise of ministry is that we have a purpose, a job, a calling.

God’s faithfulness to us is not dependent upon our faith in God or our ability to be “full of faith.” There is freedom and joy in realizing God is faithful even when we’re not.

When we come to Jesus in a commitment of faith or baptism we are effectively dying and rising again, just as Jesus did at his resurrection. This “new life” is a gift and promise from God. Our role is to accept it and begin to move toward this new life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah and the Psalmist cry out “Let us go up to the house of the Lord.” There are echoes of hope for better days, for peace, for calm, for a ceasing of war. How is Isaiah’s vision of hope relevant for us today?

The encounter with the Sadducees proves There’s no such thing as a dumb question” and “I don’t know” are perfectly acceptable answers. Sometimes the answer to the question is found in the question itself. Resurrection is about more than immortality.

The story of Zacchaeus challenges us to ask are we willing to go out on a limb for Jesus? Are we willing to risk total transformation or play it safe in our comforts?

After healing ten lepers, only one returned and fell at Jesus’ feet in thanks. The leper didn’t have eloquent words: his actions were his grateful response. How can our actions show gratitude for what Jesus has done in our lives?