The revchristruelsen’s Podcast

Refocus, Recenter

Text for discussion:  Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 

Is life unrelenting?  Has it gotten to busy, too full?  There are times and seasons in our lives when we reset.  We do not enslaved to the patterns of the past.  Lent is a time to reset, and recenter our lives on faith, on the things of God.  

 

The Hymn: Savior When in Dust to Thee (Public Domain) 

Pharisees in the Temple, by Rembrandt.  1648.  

Breaking Down the House!

Leviticus 14.  

 

What do you do when a house is unsalvageable?  Before you do that, you might see if the foundation is good and the studs are in good shape.  You might tear everything out down to the studs.  If it is unsalvageable, here comes the bulldozer.  

People are different.  God makes what seemed unsalvageable, salvageable.  He makes the unclean clean, and the dead to life, alive.  And in Christ, He raises the dead to life!   

The engraving: by Dore.  Moses is represented.  Public domain.  

The hymn: Beautiful Savior.  Public domain.  

Of Ants and Grasshoppers

Luke 16

 

We can become engrossed with worldly ways and perspectives, forgetting that life is transient, and neglecting the bigger picture.  Christ has risen from the dead, and He has a future beyond this life in store for us.  

The hymn: My Faith Looks Up to Thee (public domain).

The painting: Lazarus and the Rich Man by Eduard von Gebhardt, 1865.  Public domain.  

Are People Expendable?

Text: Luke 15 

 

Sustainability is not a word that comes up in Scripture.  What was God's desire for His very good creation?  

In this episode we look at the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son.  Prodigal is a word that means "overly extravagant, or wasteful."  Who is truly the prodigal one?  And, in the end, are people expendable?  

The hymn: What Wondrous Love is This (public domain)

The art: Return of the Prodigal Son by Bartolome Esteban Murillo. (1667-1670, public domain).

 

Salt and Life

Text for discussion:  Luke 14.  

 

Jesus was constantly being scrutinized by the Pharisees.  For us, following Him will not be easy.  It may put us at odds with family and friends.  It may mean persecution.  Being salt is not easy.  What does this mean?  

 

The hymn: Savior Again, To Thy Dear Name we Raise

Painting: Christ Weeping over Jerusalem by Ary Scheffer, 1849.  Public domain.  

Fate and Tragedy

 

Text for discussion: Luke 13

God does not will that tragedies happen, they are a result of life in the Fallen world where God's rain falls on the just and the unjust.  In this world, the safety nets are taken down, though in certain instances God will intervene.  In Luke 13, Jesus speaks of two tragedies, and what they mean.  

Hymn: The Day Thou Gavest (public domain hymn).

Painting: Christ Weeping over Jerusalem by Ary Scheffer, 1849.  Public domain.  

The Life Well-Lived

Text for discussion: Luke 12.  

The world can be a rat race.  We may live our lives caught in a constant cycle of doing: of eating, sleeping, working, and repeating the cycle day after day.  Yet, it is God who provides for us, and Jesus urges us to look to higher things, keeping our eyes on the God who not only provides, but is preparing a place for us in His Kingdom.  

The hymn:  The People that In Darkness Sat.  

The painting: The Last Judgement, by Rogier van Der. Weyden.  1445-1450.  (public domain).  

The Purpose of Christmas: The Gift of God’s Love

This is the story of the God's Word made flesh, the Savior, Jesus Christ being born into the world, taking on human flesh to rescue us from sin and death. 

A Day to Rejoice

When we needed rescue from sin, death, and the devil, God didn't send an angel.  He sent His Son into the world.  

The Secret of the Ages, Revealed

A message for the morning of Christmas Eve 

No room in the inn?  Sent to the stable? A baby in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger? 

There were no mistakes here, according to God's plans and intentions.  

 

Painting: The Nativity of Christ by Vladimir Borovikovsky.  Public domain.