BIBLE ON THE BLOCK

What does Scripture look like on the streets? Here are reflections from regular folks in our church, sharing how each Sunday’s text relates to your everyday life.

Freed to Fully Rest (Exodus 20:8-11)

Freed to Fully Rest (Exodus 20:8-11)

In Genesis 1-2, we read that God created the world in six days, then rested on the seventh day. Did he rest because he was tired? Did speaking the whole world into existence exhaust him? Of course not; God does not get tired! (Isaiah 40:28) So, why did God rest on the...

Freed to Represent God (Exodus 20:7)

Freed to Represent God (Exodus 20:7)

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. (Exodus 20:7) A name used to mean something. In the ancient Hebrew language of the Book of Genesis the name Adam comes from the root word dam which...

Freed From Our Idols (Exodus 20:4)

Freed From Our Idols (Exodus 20:4)

Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. (Exodus 20:4) On the surface, the Second Commandment seems pretty easy to keep. “Don’t make an idol for yourself, whether in...

Freed to Enjoy God (Exodus 20:1-3)

Freed to Enjoy God (Exodus 20:1-3)

American founding father Thomas Jefferson is famous for many things, and eminently quotable on a number of topics, but perhaps his best known role is as the author of the Declaration of Independence. In the opening sentence of the second paragraph of that document it...

Celebrate the Lamb (John 1:29-42)

Celebrate the Lamb (John 1:29-42)

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29) Today is Wednesday, January 1, 2025. It is just another Wednesday, not much different than yesterday, but it is special because it is the...

Celebrate the Light (John 1:4-13)

Celebrate the Light (John 1:4-13)

Light is like no other element in the perceivable universe. It has characteristics of energy and matter, but it also is like electricity that moves through a conducting cable. Electricity doesn’t flow like water, rather it is a charge that is passed from one molecule...

Glory Revealed (1 Peter 5:1-14)

Glory Revealed (1 Peter 5:1-14)

The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while. To him be dominion forever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:10-11) The book of 1 Peter has much to say about...

Blessing Revealed (1 Peter 4:12–19)

Blessing Revealed (1 Peter 4:12–19)

You’ve no doubt heard of “wine pairings,” but I’d like to suggest a “Scripture Pairing” for this section of 1 Peter. That would be Psalm 34. In verse eight of that Psalm, David advises us, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge...

Love Revealed (1 Peter 3:8-22)

Love Revealed (1 Peter 3:8-22)

Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. (1...

Respect Revealed (1 Peter 3:1-7)

Respect Revealed (1 Peter 3:1-7)

In 1 Peter, we find a continuation of instructions that began earlier in 2:13 with the call, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution.” While that section touched on political structures, Peter now shifts the focus to interpersonal relationships,...