by Janice MacLean | Aug 14, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord;...
by Janice MacLean | Aug 3, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“Yahweh is good, a stronghold in a day of troubles, protecting those who take refuge in God.” — Nahum 1:7 God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good. It is a popular call and response. I’m not sure of its origins. I recall it as I...
by Janice MacLean | Aug 2, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” — Micah 6:8 All prophets claim authority. Most prophets are full of courage. Micah balances...
by Janice MacLean | Jul 23, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish.” Jonah 2:1 Now about that fish, the whale that swallowed Jonah. Some scholars believe the Book of Jonah is the story of a real life messenger of God: Jonah, son of Amittai, a prophet of...
by Janice MacLean | Jul 8, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“Though you soar like the eagle, and your nest is set among the stars, From there I will bring you down— oracle of the LORD.” Obadiah 1:4 Speaking in metaphor, Obadiah addresses the Edomites who lived among the cliffs and mountaintops around the Dead...
by Janice MacLean | Jun 26, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” — Amos 5:24 What a drenching vision Amos has, this farmer prophet from a small village in Judea, called to preach to the people of the north country. What a justice...
by Janice MacLean | Jun 20, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“The pastures are desolate and the land mourns, for the grain has been destroyed, the new wine has dried up, and the olive oil is but a trickle… the farmers wail, the vines wither, the fig trees fail. Pomegranate, palm, apple – every tree in the land have dried up,...
by Janice MacLean | Jun 17, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.” – Hosea 11:8 They deserve judgement....
by Janice MacLean | Jun 15, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“To you, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and power, and have now revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have revealed to us what the king ordered.” – Daniel 2:23 It wasn’t a song in...
by Janice MacLean | Jun 6, 2018 | Lectionary & Scripture, Reflections
“In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” — Ezekiel 1:1 To read Ezekiel you need mind and heart engaged. He is a...