By Mark Scott “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” Our Jewish friends call this the Traditional Ha-Motzi Blessing, which is recited before eating bread on the Sabbath. Psalm 65 may be something like a predecessor to that prayer. It praises God for his […]
Praise God with a New Song—The Uniform Lesson for January 8, 2017
By Mark Scott The Psalms improve your song. If your song is exuberant, a psalm will sound like seventy-six trombones in a marching band. If your song is a lament, the psalm will sound like the blues. For every season of the heart, there is a psalm. Much like the preaching of Jesus, there is […]
Praise God for Creation—The Uniform Lesson for January 1, 2017
By Mark Scott Mother Nature is not God’s wife, but creation is God’s gift. It is therefore obvious that God’s people praise him for that gift. And it is right to start that praise on the first day of a new year. Creation arose from the character and power of God and finds its foundation […]
The Savior Has Arrived—The Uniform Lesson for December 25, 2016
By Mark Scott “The Savior has arrived.” That is quite a headline. Big news. Make no mistake—this is a big day for the church. Joni Eareckson Tada said, “If God can become man, then everything else is easy.” Paul Scherer, who taught homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary, said, “God came walking down the stairs of […]
The Forerunner of the Savior—The Uniform Lesson for December 18, 2016
By Mark Scott Musicians have their warm-up acts, knights have their introducers, kings have their cupbearers, and the Messiah had his forerunner. A forerunner is a predecessor, literally someone who runs before. For Jesus that person was John the Baptist. John the Baptist ran before Jesus. Today’s text backs up from last week’s lesson. Before […]