The Archive
We kept going after the table on 1 Thessalonians 2 — Paul's picture of gentle, sacrificial ministry among the Thessalonians, and what it means to receive the gospel as truly the word of God.
We continued in 1 Thessalonians 2 — Paul's defense of his ministry among the Thessalonians, his tender care like a nursing mother and father, and his thanksgiving that they received the gospel not as a human word but as what it truly is, the word of God at work in believers.
We kept going after the table on 1 Thessalonians 1 — Paul's thanksgiving for the Thessalonians' faith, love, and hope, and what it looked like for the gospel to take root there.
We started a new letter — 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul's thanksgiving for a church known for its work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope, and how the gospel took root there in word and in power.
We kept going after the table on Colossians 4 — Paul's charge to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, and the personal greetings that close out the letter.
We closed out Colossians together — Paul's instructions on prayer, wisdom toward outsiders, and gracious speech, followed by his personal greetings to Tychicus, Onesimus, Mark, and the rest of his co-workers.
We kept going after the table on Colossians 3 — what it looks like to put on the new self, and Paul's picture of a household and a life ordered around Christ.
We worked through Colossians 3 together — Paul's call to put off the old self and clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, and forgiveness, letting the peace of Christ rule and the word of Christ dwell richly among us.
We kept going after the table on Colossians 2 — what it means to be rooted and built up in Christ, and Paul's warning against being taken captive by hollow philosophy and empty tradition.
We worked through Colossians 2 together — Paul's warning against being taken captive by hollow philosophy and empty tradition, and his picture of being rooted and built up in Christ, alive together with him.
After the table went quiet, we kept talking about Colossians 1 and the claim it makes about who Christ actually is — this is that conversation.
We opened Colossians 1 together — Paul's prayer for the church at Colossae and his soaring description of Christ as supreme over all creation, holding all things together. What does it mean to be reconciled, and what does a life "worthy of the Lord" actually look like?
While Moses was on the mountain, the people made a golden calf. We worked through Exodus 32 — the shattering of the tablets, Aaron's excuse, Moses' intercession, and what it reveals about the patience and justice of God.
Moses names Bezalel and Oholiab, filled with the Spirit and skill for every craft needed for the tabernacle. Then the Sabbath command is given as a sign between God and Israel — work rests on purpose, not by accident.
The altar of incense, the census tax, the bronze basin, and the anointing oil. A chapter dense with symbols — we're going to sit with each one.
We worked through Exodus 29 verse by verse — the long, deliberate ritual for setting apart Aaron and his sons. What does it teach us about holiness, about mediation, and about the priesthood that was still to come?