Monthly Archives: February 2023

Judges 3:16

      Comments Off on Judges 3:16

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every day during this season of Lent we’re looking at one of the “3:16” verses of the Bible, spotlighting some of the significant theological statements that happen to fall on the 16th verse of the third chapter of a number of Old and New Testament books.  “Now Ehud had made a double-edged… Read more »

Exodus 3:16

      Comments Off on Exodus 3:16

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every day during this season of Lent we’re looking at one of the “3:16” verses of the Bible, spotlighting some of the significant theological statements that happen to fall on the 16th verse of the third chapter of a number of Old and New Testament books.  [God said to Moses], “Go,… Read more »

Genesis 3:16

      Comments Off on Genesis 3:16

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every day during this season of Lent we’re looking at one of the “3:16” verses of the Bible, spotlighting some of the significant theological statements that happen to fall on the 16th verse of the third chapter of a number of Old and New Testament books.  Genesis 3:16 “To the woman… Read more »

Ash Wednesday

      Comments Off on Ash Wednesday

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. If you’ve been a Morning Reflections reader for a few years, you know that on Ash Wednesday we typically use a Q&A format to address some of the questions associated with this first day of Lent.  What’s different this year?  Check out the section that deals with the special topic we’ll be… Read more »

Shrove Tuesday

      Comments Off on Shrove Tuesday

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Shrove Tuesday is the holy day that got away.  During the Middle Ages, it was a solemn day of preparation.  On the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday – the traditional beginning of the season of Lent – churchgoers would shrive.  That means they would confess their sins to a priest, readying themselves for the… Read more »

Trust in the Midst of Doubt

      Comments Off on Trust in the Midst of Doubt

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The first-ever presidential inauguration took place on April 30, 1789, in New York City. On that date, Washington D.C. – the nation’s capital that would ultimately be named for the first president – was still swampland by the Potomac. Every detail of this special event was meticulously planned.  Except for one.  Nobody had remembered… Read more »

Tears in a Bottle

      Comments Off on Tears in a Bottle

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. When you think of an archeologist painstakingly excavating an ancient site, what kinds of objects do you picture coming into view? Coins, pottery, inscriptions, and shards of bone are valued finds.  But one of the objects that frequently ends up in an archeologist’s bag is what you see above: a tear bottle.  At least… Read more »

What You Say and What I Hear

      Comments Off on What You Say and What I Hear

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. There’s often a big difference between what other people say and what we hear. Not to mention the difference between what we think we hear and what we actually understand. Author and pastor Brian J. Dodd remembers the time a British church leader was asked to preach in the United States.  He had a… Read more »

The Tide of Faith

      Comments Off on The Tide of Faith

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. The memory of a visit to a rocky English shoreline inspired one of the 19th century’s most famous poems. In Dover Beach, published in 1867, the British poet Matthew Arnold declares that belief in God is slowly but surely fading away.  The old assurances about divine care in this world and blissful life… Read more »

A Love Like No Other

      Comments Off on A Love Like No Other

To listen to this reflection as a podcast, click here. Every year on Valentine’s Day, the age-old question seems to feel a bit more urgent:  Does anybody out there really love me? According to Nancy Jo Sales’ harrowing book, American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers, an overwhelming majority of young females in our country are looking to… Read more »