He provides

After Leviticus 26:1-11 

He blesses you

in faithfulness,

he blesses you

with the fruit

of the land

he gave to you.

You respond by

giving back to him.

You give him 

an offering of

your work,

the first fruits

of your work,

to be used

for your house,

for your priests,

for the sojourners

among you.

 

Photograph by Guillaume de Germain via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“The Raising of Lazarus,” poem by Franz Wright – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

A Legacy Better Than the Hall of Fame – Ryan Currie at Gospel-Centered Discipleship.

 

Breakfast with Brother Dave: The Blessing of Intergenerational Friendship – Jacob Adkins at Front Porch Republic.

 

“As You Came from the Holy Land,” poem attributed to Sir Walter Raleigh – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.

Not only our work

After Leviticus 2:1-2 

We offer not only

our work to the Lord,

we are to offer

the best of our work,

not the grain

but the flour,

flour with oil

poured on it,

with frankincense

the offering becomes

a rite, a handful

taken with the oil,

burned as 

a memorial to the Lord,

pleasing in its aroma,

given from the heart.

 

Photograph by Nick Hawkins via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

On Praying Psalm 130 – poem by Joel Kurz at Mere Orthodoxy.

 

8 Things Caregivers Should Know About Dementia – Gaye Clark at The Gospel Coalition.

 

Faithful Churches Can Rescue Cities – Greg Morse at Desiring God.

An offering from work

After Leviticus 1:1-4 

Work is that

five-day thing,

left behind

on the weekend

when we rest,

when we relax,

when we worship.

But not left

behind exactly,

because we’re

instructed to bring

our work, the fruits

of our work,

to worship, given

as an offering

to the Lord. 

Knowing it is

an offering

changes what

we understand

work to be.

 

Photograph by Josh Boot via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“God’s Indignation,” poem by Commodianus – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

Life with the Machines – Ian Harber at Mere Orthodoxy.

 

In the Desert of the Heart – Paul Kingsnorth at The Abbey of Misrule.

 

“Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us,” hymn by Dorothy Ann Thrupp – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

The Growing Power of Willful Ignorance – Seth Lewis.

The perfection

After Hebrews 10:12-25 

A single offering,

a single sacrifice,

most fragrant of all,

most pleasing of all, 

and then the offering,

the sacrifice, sat

at the right hand,

sat, waiting until

the footstool for his feet

was made, a footstool

of enemies, defeated.

His sacrifice perfected

all being sanctified,

perfected for all time,

no further sacrifice

needed or necessary.

It is finished.

 

Photograph by Milad Fakurian via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

The Unsung St. Nicholas – Joseph Pearce at the Imaginative Conservative.

 

Wandering in Silence – David Bannon at Front Porch Republic.

 

The Shepherd Boy – poem by John Bunyan at Kingdom Poets (D.S. Martin). 

 

That Time Paul Gave Timothy a Quote from Luke’s Gospel – Mitch Chase at Biblical Theology.

 

Responsibility and Blame Culture – Bill Grandi at Living in the Shadow.

 

The Conversion of John Randolph – Miles Smith at The Imaginative Conservative. 

 

Abel or Cain I

After I John 3:11-24

It is a story, to be sure,

a story as old as the time

it comes from, near the beginning,

a story of two brothers, one

with his lamb and one

with his harvest offering,

and it’s puzzling because

at first glance the two offerings

seem roughly equivalent,

don’t they, and yet they’re not,

one being acceptable

and the other being less so,

and so one kills the other,

strikes the other down

in anger, in pain, in shame,

in jealousy, a hatred

that left a mark, that

always leaves a mark.

Photograph by Bonnie Kittle via Unsplash. Used with permission.