Category Archives: Wide Angle

Wide Angle: We Stopped Trusting Too Soon

Posted on December 17, 2021 by salooper57

hrone of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Remember that he was born in, of all places, Bethlehem, the town of David.  The prophet had hundreds of years earlier said, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel.” Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: When the Line Vanished

Posted on December 15, 2021 by salooper57

That promise was recorded and published, and it left an indelible impression on the minds of the house of Israel. And I say “the house of Israel” again because it was only a few hundred years after David that the “kingdom of Israel” was a kingdom no more. The kingdom was shattered from within, and then crushed from without. David’s descendants were sent into exile. The royal line vanished in a faraway land.

wind. They had lost the promised land and the promised king in one blow. And where was God while all this was happening? That’s what the psalmist wanted to know. Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: Mount Moriah

Posted on December 10, 2021 by salooper57

In Genesis 22:6 we find one of the great lessons of the story of Abraham and Isaac. It is a lesson St. Paul and St. James both recall. It lies at the foundation of the Protestant Reformation and, more importantly, … Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: On the Mountain of the Lord it Will Be Provided

Posted on December 9, 2021 by salooper57

As Abraham came in sight of Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham was to sacrifice his son, Isaac spoke up: “Father?”  “Yes, my son?”  “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” … Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: When “Laughter” Was Nearly Silenced

Posted on December 8, 2021 by salooper57

In Genesis 22, we see God doing something in Abraham’s life that Abraham needs, and that even angels, rulers and authorities may be watching. He said to him, verse 1, “Abraham!”, and Abraham answered as a slave answers his master: … Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: Three Possible Reasons for Life’s Trials

Posted on December 2, 2021 by salooper57

God had a plan to undo the consequences of the Fall, to heal and restore humanity, and that plan began with Abraham. His line would lead to the Point-of-it-All. And God would get from Abraham to that Point by what … Continue reading →

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The Five Blessings of Genesis 12

Posted on November 30, 2021 by salooper57

Genesis 12 is one of the most important passages for understanding the Bible. It records the calling of Abraham, from whom the line begins that leads to the point – the point of it all; that leads to Jesus the Messiah.

There are five blessings in Genesis 12, which is significant because there are five curses in the previous eleven chapters of Genesis. Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: You Don’t Get to Know God in an Easy Chair

Posted on November 25, 2021 by salooper57

…nowhere in the Bible do we find God calling people by saying, “I have a no-hassle life-plan for self-fulfillment, and it has your name on it.  All I ask is that you do me the honor of signing up.”   God’s call stretches people.  Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: The Line Begins

Posted on November 24, 2021 by salooper57

We’ve been using the image of a panoramic picture to help us in thinking about the coherence of the larger story of what God is doing in the world. But it may also be helpful to think of the biblical … Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: Fallen (and Still Falling)

Posted on November 16, 2021 by salooper57

When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden, humanity’s authority over creation was ripped from them. They were divided from God, divided from their inner selves, divided from each other. God had warned them, “In the day you … Continue reading →

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