Like many other churches, this past weekend at Eastbrook we had to make a major shift in our gathering due to the concerns related to COVID-19 and coronavirus. This was accentuated by the declaration of a public health emergency in our state, and the recommendation that groups over 250 no longer meet. We switched to …
Exile Faith at Prayer [Daniel 9]
We continued our series on the book of Daniel this past weekend at Eastbrook Church by turning to Daniel's famous prayer in chapter 9. Daniel's prayer takes place in the first year of Cyrus' reign, around 539 BC, and references Jeremiah 25:10-11 in recognizing that the time of the exile is reaching its conclusion. Daniel has been in …
Faith Looking Forward [Daniel 8]
After a weekend off due to sickness (thank you, Pastor Jim Caler, for covering for me last weekend!), I continued our series on the book of Daniel this past weekend at Eastbrook Church by turning to chapter 8, the second of Daniel's apocalyptic visions. Daniel 8 continues the apocalyptic visions of the second half of the book. …
Faith in God Amidst the Beasts [Daniel 7]
This past weekend at Eastbrook Church, I continued our series on the book of Daniel by turning our attention to chapter 7, which begins the markedly different second half of the book. Chapters 1-6 are court narratives, while chapters 7-12 are apocalyptic visions. This first vision serves as a sort of parallel to Daniel 2 and …
Continue reading "Faith in God Amidst the Beasts [Daniel 7]"
Faith Speaking Truth to Power [Daniel 4]
As we continued our series on the book of Daniel this past weekend at Eastbrook Church, I turned our attention to chapter 4, where Daniel interprets another of King Nebuchadnezzar's dreams. This is an interesting passage, and has been debated in its historicity. In the Dead Sea Scrolls the "Prayer of Nabonidus" (4Q242) echoes this chapter, …
Matthew Erickson 