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Listen to me, you islands;hear this, you distant nations:Before I was born the Lord called me;from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. (Isaiah 49:1) Isaiah the prophet was raised up for a purpose: to speak the words of God and to glorify God before all the nations. But this passage is not about …
Continue reading "The One Who is to Come: Jesus Like Isaiah"
Rembrandt van Rijn, The Holy Family by Night, ca. 1642-1648, oil on panel When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. (Matthew 1:24) The openness of Joseph to Mary and her unborn child reveals an admirable generosity and hospitality of life. When …
"Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly....he...considered this" (Matthew 1:19-20) When studying for my message on Joseph this past weekend at Eastbrook Church, I stumbled upon this excerpt from a sermon by an anonymous …
Continue reading "Joseph’s Inward Musing: a word from the ancient church"
Working through a preaching series on the minor prophets, again and again I come across a phrase, “The word of the Lord that came to…” That phrase appears more than twenty times in the minor prophets (at least 10 of those are in Zechariah alone!): “The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son …
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.” (Luke 1:46-48) "Love is blind." At least, that's how the saying goes. The phrase means that when love is at work, …
Matthew Erickson 