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He shall not judge by what His eyes see or decide by what His ears hear, but with righteousness He shall judge for the poor and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and with the breath of His lips He shall… Read more »

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him and the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall… Read more »

But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like washers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they… Read more »

Matthew 24:36 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. Matthew 24:43  If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be… Read more »

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. The prophet Malachi lived approximately 450 years before the time of the nativity in… Read more »

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old. God does unexpected things. His thoughts are not our thoughts, His timescale is not ours. As Isaiah 55:9 says, “For… Read more »

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land…. Read more »

  For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.  (NRSV) This verse became important in our family’s life when we became a foster family, and it often framed my prayers for foster children as we… Read more »

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the… Read more »

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. In the congregation I last served as pastor, I read the opening verses of John’s gospel on Christmas Eve as the sanctuary lights were dimmed and candles… Read more »