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July 1 – 5, 2019

Monday 2 Timothy 2:14-17  |  Common Authority It is difficult to get through any day without being subject to some form of authority. Imagine if we were to ignore the authority of the law when driving, and stop signs, traffic lights, speed limits, and other forms of road authority were ignored! We recognize, almost without...

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June 24 – 28, 2019

Monday Genesis 12:1-6, 17:1-27 This week our “In Common” series will focus on the common practices of the sacraments: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper/Communion. In an ECO leadership video on the sacraments, the Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Wagenfuhr, ECO Theology Coordinator, comments that the sacraments are “Holy Theater.” More than just acts of remembrance, they...

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June 17 – 21, 2019

Monday 1 John 1:1-3, 4:7-11; John 13:34-35 As we continue our “in common” series, let’s revisit something exceptionally uncommon in our fallen world, yet commanded by Jesus to be common among believers (John 13:34): agápē love, available to and through God’s people while mysterious to the unredeemed. This love washed over me as I pondered...

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June 10 – 14, 2019

Monday Revelation 5:9, 7:9-10; Matthew 1:1-17 Of the accusations frequently made against Christians, topping many critics’ lists are the labels “bigoted” and “narrow-minded.” How valid are these? Is Christianity available to only specific types—particular to race, nationality, affluence, education, etc.—and thereby elitist? Is the opportunity to follow Christ exclusionary? Ancient Israel was called to be...

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June 3 – 7, 2019

Monday 1 Peter 2:9 Remember that day on the playground when two of the most athletic students in the school, your secret heroes, were called out to choose two teams. It went quickly at first, the obvious picks, but then you realized with horror that you were still not part of a team; you had...

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May 27 – 31, 2019

Monday Ephesians 4:4-6; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; 1 Timothy 1:3-7 Has the US ever experienced a season of greater social, political, and religious divisiveness than presently? And the same might be asked of the Christian church. Depending upon the source and definitions, there are hundreds if not thousands of “Christian denominations.” Given Ephesians 4:4-6—“one body … one...

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May 20 – 24, 2019

Monday 1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 3 Our passage this week says that we are never finished with love. We were created because of love and for love. We all need and will always need love. But all too often we don’t feel loved. This last week alone I have had three separate situations where...

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May 13 – 17, 2019

Monday 1 Corinthians 13:11-12; John 8:3-11 In our continuing “uncommon love” series, 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 is this week’s featured Scripture. Verse 11 is well-known, though often quoted out of context and, thus, frequently misapplied. Let’s briefly recap the Corinthian situation. “‘The carnalities,’ the things that were troubling the [Corinthian] church [included] … the problem of...

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May 6 – 10, 2019

Monday Luke 15:11-32; 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 Prodigal Father’s Love “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV). Love never quits, never stops, never runs out. What other passages in the Scriptures speak of love? What Bible stories illustrate love? One love story is the “Parable of...

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April 29 – May 3 , 2019

Monday 1 Corinthians 13:4-6; Galatians 5:13-26 If you’ve ever been to a wedding, Christian or otherwise, you’ve likely heard the Apostle Paul’s concise “love Scripture” shared during the ceremony. This week’s primary Scripture is 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 as we continue exploring “uncommon love.” Paul’s verses capture the attributes and elusiveness of love in less than...