All the people of the land will be required to give this special offering to the prince in Israel. – Ezekiel 45:16

Today's Scripture Reading (October 15, 2026): Ezekiel 45

I was reminiscing with some friends about the 1971 Grey Cup (the Canadian Football version of the Super Bowl). In 1971, two of my favorite football teams met for the championship: the Toronto Argonauts and the Calgary Stampeders. Three years earlier, I had moved with my parents from Toronto to Calgary. I was eight when we moved, and I hadn't been interested in football until I arrived in Calgary. By the 1971 season, I lived and breathed the Stampeders.

That year, the Toronto Argonauts were led by rookie quarterback Joe Theismann. Theismann would later become an NFL great with the Washington Redskins, now the Washington Commanders. Toronto was favored to win, but rain made it a low-scoring affair. However, when the final whistle blew, the underdogs from Calgary won the 59th Grey Cup, 14-11. It was only the second time Calgary had won the Canadian Football Championship and the first since 1948. I was eleven years old and in sixth grade at the time. 

What I really remember about the 1971 Grey Cup is what happened after the game. Because Grey Cup winners were uncommon in Calgary, saying the city's sports fans were excited would have been an understatement. I remember the Mayor coming on TV and radio with an exciting announcement. The city was going to welcome our Stampeders home in style, and the Mayor wanted all the kids to gather at the downtown arena, the Stampede Corral, on Monday afternoon to scream for their heroes. It didn't take long for someone to question whether the Mayor had the authority to cancel school, and the school board answered that he did not. Quickly, the school board chairman replaced the Mayor's voice. Classes would not be canceled so the kids could welcome their Stampeders home. Everyone was expected to be in school.

Ezekiel says that the landowners are to give an offering to the prince of Israel (Israel no longer had a king). The prince was to use the money for various sin offerings at the nation's religious festivals. But as I read this passage, the question that jumps out is: why was the money given to the prince? Would it not have been better to give the money directly to the priests who were responsible for making the sacrifice? Surprisingly, I consulted some experts, and they were silent on the reason, only confirming that the money was not to be given to the priests.

So, let me offer this as my humble suggestion. If the religious feasts were to become a reality, they would not happen simply because the religious structure decreed them. They would also require political support. And perhaps the best way for that to happen was to divide responsibility between the two forces in people's lives: the political would collect the offering and prepare everything for the sacrifice. In contrast, the priests would minister at the altar, properly offering the sacrifice to God. The political and religious fronts would work in unity, making the religious feast not just a possibility but a reality in the life of the new nation. In this way, there would be no embarrassing conflicts between the two forces of religious life in Judah.

Maybe that is the reason, or maybe not, but back when I was eleven, it would have been nice to have the two forces in my life, the School Board and the Mayor, on the same page. Eventually, a compromise was reached. The schools would be open, but no one would take attendance. With that knowledge firmly in hand, the eleven-year-old me headed for the Corral to welcome the Calgary Stampeders home. 

Just one more note. The Prince of Israel could also be called the Messiah of Israel. When Jesus arrived, he became prophet, priest, and King. The New Testament places major emphasis on only one of those roles: King. Jesus was the Prince of Israel and heir to David's throne. Just as the landowners during the rebuilding of Judah brought offerings to the Prince, we now bring our sacrifices to our King. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 46

 

Instead of carrying out your duty in regard to my holy things, you put others in charge of my sanctuary. – Ezekiel 44:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 14, 2026): Ezekiel 44

One leadership practice I have tried to live by is never asking anyone to do anything I am unwilling to do myself. As a business owner, it meant taking on menial tasks every once in a while. No one wanted to see me overhauling an engine, but I could at least do an oil change or vacuum a trunk. In pastoral ministry, that sometimes means getting involved in areas where I am out of my depth and outside my comfort zone. Often, it has meant doing something someone else could do better, but that was seldom the point; I just needed to be willing to do it.

The reality is that life presents us with things we simply need to do. They are placed in front of us, waiting for us to pick them up. As we chase after success, however you might define it, these often seem to be the make-or-break moments, tests that life gives us that will have significant effects on our lives.

God's complaint to Ezekiel was that his priests were leaving the tasks he had assigned them to others. People who didn't understand what they were doing were caring for the holy things because the priests felt those tasks weren't the job God had given them. The priests concluded that some tasks were beneath their status and importance. God seems to disagree.

We aren't supposed to do everything. However, wisdom begins with knowing what God has uniquely placed before us. It probably starts with the things only we can do because of the knowledge we have or the place God has put us. A good leadership trait is being willing to do anything, but we can't neglect the things God has purposely given us that no one else can do. Have you identified those things in your life? Are you willing to do them, or are you looking for someone else to take that responsibility? It is your decision, but God has a preference, and there are some things you need to do for his Gospel to move forward.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 45

The glory of the LORD entered the temple through the gate facing east. – Ezekiel 43:4

Today's Scripture Reading (October 13, 2026): Ezekiel 43

At the beginning of the nation of Israel, Moses was given a set of laws. The law was much more than a list of ten "Thou Shalt Nots." It was also more than just a long list of often culturally specific cultic rules. It contained the instructions for a place of worship: a tent called the tabernacle. The instructions for this tabernacle were very specific. It set out rules not only for the tent, but also for how it was to be laid out and the furniture that was to exist inside the tabernacle. When Israel finished building the tabernacle, the Bible says the "glory of the Lord" entered it. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35). For the rest of the time in the desert, whenever Israel stopped, God's cloud descended, and God's glory filled the tabernacle.

Fast forward to the building of the first temple. I am not convinced God ever wanted the temple built, but once it was finished, God accepted it as the sacrifice of his people. Once again, the glory of God fills the temple. "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple" (1 Kings 8:10-11).

However, Israel rebelled, and the nation eventually fell. The northern Kingdom was the first to go, taken into captivity by the Assyrians. But the southern Kingdom went next, and its people were carried into captivity by the Babylonians; the city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and the temple that the glory of God had once inhabited was totally leveled. Now, there was no glory, no temple, and no Jerusalem. Everything that made Israel special was gone.

As Ezekiel dreams of a new Temple, he also dreams of the glory of God entering the temple; that this temple too would be accepted by God. The glory of God would enter from the east, possibly with the rising of the morning sun. In Ezekiel's dream of this temple, a huge part of it was that God's glory would dwell there once again.

The next Temple to be built was not the one that Ezekiel dreamt of, but a second, lesser temple. But when it is completed, one thing is missing: there is no story of God's glory filling the temple, at least not for a while.

When the glory of God returns to the second temple, it returns as an eight-day-old baby. Jesus is born, and on the eighth day, according to the Law of Moses, the baby Jesus is taken to the temple for dedication. A priest named Simeon lifted the boy in his arms and declared in him the glory of God; the glory of the second temple. "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32). The glory had finally returned.

So, if we imagine the glory of the third temple, the one that Ezekiel dreamed of, it follows that the glory of that temple has to be the returning of Christ. Ezekiel speaks of the glory of God that comes through the eastern gate, and hundreds of years later Matthew would tell of witnesses to the glory of God that comes in the form of Magi from the east, and eventually of the glory of God in the second coming of Christ, once again in the east. "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:27). The glory of God will return, and this time His glory will return to stay.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 44

Then he said to me, "The north and south rooms facing the temple courtyard are the priests' rooms, where the priests who approach the Lord will eat the most holy offerings. There they will put the most holy offerings—the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings—for the place is holy. – Ezekiel 42:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 12, 2026): Ezekiel 42

It is one of my favorite quotes of all time. No, it is not from the Bible. It is from "Star Trek – The Original Series." I know, quite a letdown. The episode aired on December 15, 1966, during the first season of the series, and the episode was titled "Balance of Terror." Captain James T. Kirk's ship, "The Enterprise," was sent to investigate the destruction of some Federation outposts. They discovered a Romulan Bird-of-Prey with a cloaking device that was attacking Federation outposts. The Romulans, along with the Klingons, were the ever-present bad guys in that first Star Trek series.

The Enterprise is outgunned, and the Bird-of-Prey has a cloaking device that lets it vanish at will. The battle is fierce, but Kirk and his crew are on the wrong end of it. Near the end of the story, after a ferocious battle between the two ships, both ships hang in space. Kirk has the Enterprise systems shut down, pretending to be dead, in an attempt to lure the Romulan ship closer so it can take a shot. Tension is high, and Dr. McCoy visits his captain with an important message: the aforementioned quote.

In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, three million, million galaxies like this. And in all of that... and perhaps more, only one of each of us. [pause] Don't destroy the one named Kirk.

                                        Dr. Leonard McCoy

                                        Balance of Terror (Star Trek, The Original Series)

I believe Leonard McCoy is right. Think about it. There are almost eight billion people on the planet. I don't know what is out there, but even if there are three million Earth-like planets in our galaxy and three million, million galaxies like ours, there is still only one like you. We are a unique people. No one in this world is quite like you or quite like me. And that is a good thing. The fabric of this world is made up of us. Rather than feeling lost in this world, we need to recognize what we add to its tapestry.

As Ezekiel continues through his vision of the ideal temple, he comes to the rooms set aside for the priests. It was to these rooms that the offerings were brought. What has been placed before God is holy, and because it is holy, it must be treated differently. It is set apart for God.

We sometimes forget that God is still asking us for an offering, but the offering He wants is our lives. Does He want our tithe? Yes, but that is only the beginning of the offering He asks of us. He wants what is unique and special about us, left on His altar. He wants to make us holy. What was once only a description of items and offerings entrusted to the priests is now a description of our unique lives.

Ezekiel might have written about rooms that could be measured, but Jesus uses the illustration of the church as His body. Jesus speaks of lives that can be measured and set apart for Him. And that includes you and me. We are called to so much more than just belief; we are called to be offerings, holy and set apart for God, because in all of creation, there is only one of you and me.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 43

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Each cherub had two faces: the face of a human being toward the palm tree on one side and the face of a lion toward the palm tree on the other. They were carved all around the whole temple. – Ezekiel 41:18b-19

Today's Scripture Reading (October 11, 2026): Ezekiel 41

Rudyard Kipling wrote

If you can walk with the crowd and keep your virtue, or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch; If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run- Yours is the earth and everything that's in it, And-which is more-you'll be a man my son.

If: A Father's Advice to His Son

The phrase "walk with kings, nor lose the common touch" seems to have captured our imagination. It has become the standard by which we judge people we encounter. We seem to want to connect with people who have the power to change our world yet have never lost sight of what it is like to walk among ordinary people. We have no time for the elitist who has lost touch with the common person. However, we want to follow the person in power who identifies with most of humanity, wherever they dare to lead.

Ezekiel once again has a vision of cherubim. This time, they are carved on the temple walls. The cherubim have two faces. One is the face of a man, and the other is the face of a lion. These faces are not accidental. These angels of the temple minister to man's plight, but to do so they must understand the problem; they must intimately know what it is to be weak and in need. They are the bearers of the gospel message to man. However, identifying and understanding man is not enough; the angels must also go boldly and with courage. They need to identify with man, but not fear him.

So the angels come equipped with two faces and two natures. That these cherubim face the palm trees indicates that, while they identify with humankind and come with courage, they also come with sincere hearts and honest conversations, with their eyes fixed on God's final victory, which was yet to come.

For the exiles, this was a message of hope: the God of Israel and this Temple still had his people's concerns on his heart, and he would still bring victory to Israel. He understood what they were going through and was already on his way, with courage and the power to change what was.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 42

I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man's hand was six long cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high. – Ezekiel 40:5

Today's Scripture Reading (October 10, 2026): Ezekiel 40

I have a dream house. My dream house has two levels. The basement opens to a private, treed yard at the back of the property. At one end of the house is a massive library that spans both stories. The library, of course, would hold my current book collection (I know, I have to deal with my addiction), plus some significant additions: books and collections I don't own but would like to have. And in my dream, the whole house is covered with big windows that let in a lot of light.

It is fun to dream about my house, but I am under no illusions that it will ever be built. The house is and will remain a house that lives only in my imagination. It is simply a dream. And, to be honest, the house of my dreams is probably too large to be practical. But during those holiday times when the whole family gathers, a house a little larger than our present home would be an asset. However, I know it is all just a dream.

Ezekiel dedicates the last nine chapters of his prophecy to a dream. The dream is of a temple. When Ezekiel began to dream of this Temple, no temple existed in Jerusalem. Babylon had already destroyed the First Temple (Solomon's Temple), and the Second Temple (Zerubbabel's or Herod's Temple) had not yet been built. The only Temple that existed was the one inside Ezekiel's head. Like many buildings and houses we dream about, this Temple was much grander than the one Solomon built, which was itself significantly larger than the Second Temple that Zerubbabel would build. The description of the outer wall surrounding the Temple area indicates that this dream temple encompassed all of the Temple Mount, not just the portion of the Mount that Solomon's Temple had occupied.

This Temple was vast, yet it was never built. In fact, Ezekiel's Temple is sometimes called the Third Temple, the one some Jews and Christians are waiting for and expect to be built sometime in the future. But it doesn't seem possible that this Temple will ever be built unless it is the one built after Jesus's return. Too many conditions and buildings would have to be removed for the Temple to be constructed. However, it is fun to dream of Ezekiel's Temple, even if, for now, Ezekiel's vast Temple remains nothing more than a dream.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 41

King Nebuchadnezzar, To the nations and peoples of every language, who live in all the earth: May you prosper greatly! – Daniel 4:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 9, 2026): Daniel 4

I have to admit that until recently, I believed our politicians had less power than we sometimes think they possess. The reality is that the checks and balances built into the political structure of most democratic nations leave little room for leaders to act. I still believe that when everything in the nation is going well, political leadership likely has less to do with it than many will admit. During tough times, the blame belongs less to our political leaders than their critics are ever willing to admit. However, Donald Trump's presidency has changed my thinking a bit. Political leaders can do things that tank a nation, something I am not sure I really believed before Donald Trump. Of course, even Donald Trump requires the permission of key people and the public to bring the nation down. Writing this in the mid-2020s, I hope we are not watching the demise of the American Empire. That reality probably rests on the political reaction to Donald Trump after his term is through.

What sometimes amazes me is how divergent public opinion is about our political leaders' potential. One sector often considers our leaders saints, while another part of society sees them as demons. Sometimes the obvious has to be stated; usually, they are neither. Could you imagine a book on the Republican Party's (the Grand Old Party) influence on U.S. politics and its impact on world events? The book would include writings by and about the Great Republicans of the past. It would even mention Republicans who didn't shine the way the Grand Old Party wished they had. Overall, the book would be generally positive yet offer a balanced look at Republican politics. However, in the middle of this book about Republican politics is a chapter written by Barack Obama. That chapter would not seem to fit. After all, it was the Republicans who have done the most to demonize the former Democratic President. Maybe the flip side is easier to imagine: a book on Democratic politics with a chapter written by Donald Trump. How insane would either scenario be?

Yet, that is exactly what the fourth chapter of Daniel represents. This chapter is written by someone who is not a Jew and who is actually demonized in many places in the Hebrew Bible. The Babylonian invader, Nebuchadnezzar, wrote the chapter. The same Nebuchadnezzar who was responsible for destroying Jerusalem, demolishing the Temple, and taking the people of Judah away from their homeland into exile. The fourth chapter of the Book of Daniel is one of the most unexpected chapters in literary history.

But the chapter exists. It testifies to the Babylonian king's support for the God of Israel, proving that God can reach into every corner of the earth and that all the people of the earth truly belong to him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 40

At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. – Daniel 3:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 8, 2026): Daniel 3

Every once in a while, a blog post garners unwanted attention. I remember one post that mentioned the December 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In that case, a couple of readers questioned the validity of the Sandy Hook tragedy. They weren't convinced the tragedy ever really happened. Several videos and websites openly question the tragedy. They have noticed discrepancies in the media reports surrounding the shooting and have decided that the 2012 Sandy Hook events simply did not take place. Other websites refute conspiracy theorists' attempts to downplay the tragedy. The problem is that if conspiracy theorists' logic is solid, the arguments supporting the tragedy are just as solid. If there are holes in the reporting of the tragedy at Sandy Hook, there are also holes in the theories of those who do not believe that it happened. But neither side sees the other as a responsible witness to the events of that awful December day.

I need to make this clear; I am not trying to solve the mystery of the events at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Neither side is willing to listen to me anyway. But another tragedy is at play. For one thing, no matter what the real story is concerning Sandy Hook Elementary, the situation itself reveals a sick society. If it really happened, which is what I believe, what kind of society willingly kills its children? If it was faked, that takes a warped society willing to fake the heinous events that were supposed to happen on that day. And if it really happened, yet conspiracy theorists want to convince us that it was faked, what kind of society is willing to believe that a tragedy like this didn't happen when it really did? Given all of this, in the end, there is absolutely no upside to the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy: none. And it is time that we took steps to stop these kinds of events.

Even one of the conspiracy-theorist websites admits that children lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary School. According to these people, it just didn't happen the way we think it did. And that is the real tragedy. Potential assistance was cut off too soon. The tragedy happened for no reason. Whatever the reality might be, kids who could have changed our world were cut down before they even had a chance to reach their potential, and that just isn't fair to any of us.

Daniel notes that some wise men came forward and denounced the Jews. The idea is filled with tragedy. The comment shares the same root evil as was present in all of the Sandy Hook tragedy theories. A willingness to hate before we even know. And that is simply a tragedy our world cannot afford.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 4

From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. – Ezekiel 39:22

Today's Scripture Reading (October 7, 2026): Ezekiel 39

How well do you know what you do? Whatever it is that you spend your time doing, whatever consumes your time, whether it is your job or the activities you are involved in during your off time, my guess is that you know what it is you do fairly well. Each one of us has a skill set. I am sure you do some things better than others, and conversely, there are some things you don't do quite as well. That's how it is supposed to be. There are things that I do quite well; I hope that writing and teaching are in that group. However, I know there are things I am not good at: carpentry and mechanics are part of that rather large group of "some things."

Sometimes what we do is passed down through family lines. We learn the secrets of the occupation or business from our parents. Part of knowing what we do is understanding the purpose of what occupies our time. I remember attending a lecture many years ago by evolutionary creationist Denis Lamoureux. It was a great evening, partly because Dr. Lamoureux knows what he's talking about. You don't have to agree with his stand, but you quickly become convinced he knows what he's talking about and passionately believes what he teaches.

The repeated phrase in Ezekiel is that they "will know that I am the Lord their God." As Ezekiel concludes this controversial prophecy, he speaks directly to Israel. Israel will know that the one they call Lord is their God. I think there is reason for that. Israel's purpose was to bless the world; that was their job. They stood, as the children of God, at the center of God's blessing so they could bless the people with whom they came into contact. They couldn't do it unless they realized who God was. They needed continual reminders of that reality. So, the Bible continually contains this important idea, a reminder of who God is.

We need the same continual reminder. Church, you are here to bless the world. You can only do that if you recognize that God is at work in you. There are no other options. And you (we) need to be reminded of that continually: the reason why we are here and who God really is.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 3

After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. – Ezekiel 38:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 6, 2026): Ezekiel 38

Do you ever wish that you knew what was going to happen in the future? Maybe you would like to pick the winning lottery numbers, or know who will win the big game. Or even just to know what the weather will be like today so you can dress properly. (I don't know about where you live, but around here it seems the weather changes faster than I can keep up with, and sometimes the forecasting leaves a little to be desired.) Sometimes it might be fun to know the future, although knowing the winner of the big football game would take all the fun out of it for me.

Ezekiel 38 starts as a very controversial prophecy. Part of the controversy is that the prophecy doesn't seem to have been fulfilled. In fact, the description contained in Ezekiel's words fits more with today than maybe any time in Israel's history. In the past century, we have watched Israel be gathered back from many nations. Despite the violence, it seems they live in relative safety. At least, Israel's defense is in her hands in a way it hasn't been for over two millennia. So some people have openly wondered if, just maybe, there is a war on the horizon. Okay, it really doesn't take that much imagination.

Prophecy can lead us into the future. But the real problem with it is that until the events actually happen, it is hard to read meaning into them. I don't know what will happen tomorrow. I don't know whether the words of a prophet, now over 2500 years old, are unfulfilled or ready to be fulfilled. I don't know whether the world will end in 2026, as suggested by Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi's book "The Religion of God," or in 2060, as suggested in an unpublished manuscript by Isaac Newton, or sometime in the next century, as predicted by a few prognosticators. I am comfortable that God is in control. Ezekiel 38 ends with the words "they will know that I am the Lord." And that is really the point. Above everything else, we need to know that God is the Lord and that he is really in control.

So, have a great week, no matter what the future may hold!

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 39

I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD. – Ezekiel 37:6

Today's Scripture Reading (October 5, 2026): Ezekiel 37

I love sitting down with friends and just talking. Admittedly, I like the conversation to be consequential. I enjoy sitting with friends and talking politics, something I try to do at least occasionally. And I have been like this for quite a while. In 2026, as the Canadian province of Alberta prepares to vote on separating from Canada, I remembered moments from childhood, when Quebec considered the same question. I remember sitting in front of a black-and-white television, watching for news of what Quebec had decided, hoping the people of Quebec would choose to stay with Canada, even though I lived thousands of miles away in eastern Canada. My sense, then and now, was that these questions often resolve around a feeling of hopelessness. Alberta and Quebec share that they sometimes feel like the national government is not on their side. Hopelessness about their future within Confederation is compared to a dream of what it might be like if the province seceding from the nation could make its own rules. I am not convinced that, in the long run, the sense of hopelessness would be any better if Alberta or Quebec did decide to go it alone. Hopelessness would still reign in our lives, though who we blame for it might change.

Hopelessness has almost become epidemic in our lives. It is robbing us of the sparkle in our lives and the smile in our worship. We are running too hard.  Work is good for us, but too often it doesn't get us where we need to be. The situation seems so hopeless. As a society, the hopeless desires of our hearts are killing us. We are dying.

I love this passage. There is no valley of dry bones. This passage does not tell of a true story of an actual valley; it is a vision or dream God gave Ezekiel as he tried to instill hope in the prophet, who now lived in exile, far from the places of his youth. I remember an old song that my grandfather used to sing. It was an old spiritual that declared the message of the bones: "Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones. Now hear the word of the Word of the Lord." I think we might need the song sung over us in our Valley of Dry Bones. We need the life God brought to the dead, dry bones, instilled into our lives. We need life back in our desires. We need God's breath in us. We need a reason to hope.

That hope is what God promised Ezekiel and the exiled nation of Israel, and what he still offers us. To look at our dry lives and bring life where there was none before. To renew us and put the flesh back on our dry bones.

I have no idea what today might hold for you. But remember: when everything seems hopeless, that is the time to turn to God and ask for his hope. Be willing to tell the Creator of this world that the dry bones need life. Remember that the battle is His, not ours. Now, hear the word of the Lord.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 38

I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. – Ezekiel 36:23

Today's Scripture Reading (October 4, 2026): Ezekiel 36

Christianity started as a small provincial belief system. Our best guess is that, at the time of the death of Jesus Christ, the one whom the faith is named and patterned after, there were at most 500 true believers in Christianity. No distinct people groups were the target audience for the belief system. For the Jews, the target audience for the faith is evident. Judaism is aimed at the children of Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob. Jacob was renamed Israel and became the father of the nation the Bible calls the Children of God. For Islam, the other sister faith of Christianity, the primary audience is the children of Abraham through Ishmael. But for Christianity, the audience, at least according to the Apostle Paul, is the children of Abraham through faith (Galatians 3). In other words, Christianity's primary audience is the world, or at least the portion of the world that wishes to claim to be the descendants of Abraham in Spirit, whether or not they are physically linked to the patriarch.

Paul finds an echo of the Old Testament belief in Abraham in the gospel presented in the Christian Testament. Paul writes, "Understand, then, that those who have faith [in Jesus Christ] are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you" (Galatians 3:7-8).

So, starting with Paul, this small provincial faith with no real target audience has seen itself as the realization of God's promise to Abraham and to Israel. It is a promise that somehow, through them, they would bless the world. Admittedly, the church has often failed at the task. Somehow, at the same time, the world has often been blessed by God through the church.

This same idea echoes in Ezekiel's words. God says he will show Israel the holiness of his name, and then the world will know that holiness "through them." The idea was that because Israel knew the holiness of God, then they would be able to share that God with the world. The holiness of his name was summed up in the love that sent God to a cross to die for the sins, not of the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob nor of the descendants of Abraham through Ishmael, but of the children of Abraham by faith. In other words, those who are the children of Abraham because they have chosen to be just that: the children of Abraham. They were not born into that position, but have voluntarily chosen to wear that identification badge and share God's love with the people.

With Jesus Christ lifted on the cross, we have seen God's holiness. Now it is time to share that holiness with the world. Those willing to see that sacrifice made on their behalf will also know that the holiness of God has truly been proved before their eyes.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 37

Because you have said, "These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them," even though I the LORD was there. – Ezekiel 35:10

Today's Scripture Reading (October 3, 2026): Ezekiel 35

As the American Civil War dragged on, a story tells of Abraham Lincoln attending a scientific convention in Washington. At one point during the convention, a member called on the President with a question. "Mr. President, we trust during this time of trial in which the nation is engaged, God is on our side, and will give us victory." Lincoln looked at the inquisitive member and replied, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My great concern is to be on God's side. For God is always right!" No one knows for sure whether the incident ever happened; no firsthand references to the meeting appear, and the first mention of this conversation appears in the minutes of the Connecticut Temperance Union in 1881, a little more than fifteen years after Lincoln's assassination. As a result, some have rightfully questioned whether the conversation ever happened. However, the comment fits Lincoln and the moral battle he fought during the American Civil War. Lincoln's opposition to slavery was deeply ingrained. In his Peoria speech, given by Lincoln opposing the pro-slavery Kansas Act, Lincoln declared, "I cannot but hate it. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world ..." But it was more than just the hate the President had for slavery. He chose the hard road that led him into the Civil War, and almost to the dissolution of a nation, not because he believed that slavery was wrong, but because everything that he studied and that he knew about God convinced him that God thought that slavery was wrong. And if God thought it was wrong, how could he not oppose it? At least, that is the argument from what we know of the Civil War President.

The central element of God's charge against Mount Seir and Edom was not that they opposed Israel and Judah. While that would have been enough, God also says that they opposed the descendants of Jacob even though they knew that God was there. Their concern was themselves; they wanted what they wanted, and they would chase it, even if it meant opposing God's will. The only God Edom wanted was one that would blindly agree to the nation's aims; that would never be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I have to admit that the one thing that concerns me about the contemporary church, and often contemporary politics, is that we want God to be on our side, but we don't seem to want to figure out exactly where God is moving. It is easier to pray that God will be on our side; that he will rubber-stamp our goals, than it is to commit to be on God's side. After all, making sure we are on God's side might carry us into conflicts for which we are not ready.

If we want to change the world, we don't need God to be on our side. We need to make sure that we are on God's side. The last thing that we want to hear when we finally meet God face to face is God asking us why we opposed him or why we didn't even seem to want to try to be on his side. After all, deep down we know that Abraham Lincoln is correct; God is always right.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 36

You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. – Ezekiel 34:4

Today's Scripture Reading (October 2, 2026): Ezekiel 34

Sometimes it is so easy to be so busy living that we lose sight of what we are supposed to be doing. Sometimes we need to take a beat, re-evaluate our activity, and ask: Is the important stuff getting done, or are we just working on busy activities that fill our days but don't really get us anywhere? Being busy isn't enough. However, it also isn't about what we can do alone. Life's tasks are often too big for any of us, and we need a reminder that life is about the team we have built around us.

Ezekiel compares leading Israel to leading sheep. The Prophet outlines the shepherd's job, a task too big for any one person, yet it still needed to be accomplished. If it weren't, then a nation would be lost. In Ezekiel's reality, the shepherds had already failed, and the people were in trouble as a result.

According to Ezekiel, the shepherd's job was to encourage the people, help the hurting heal, and seek the lost. It wasn't optional; it was a task we were called to complete.  So, the question Ezekiel wanted the Shepherds to ask was, "How are we doing?" Even though he was stuck in Babylon among the exiles, the people still needed Jewish shepherds who were caring for the hurting Jewish population.

I have to admit that sometimes the hardest part of the job description is being encouraging. It is so easy to slip into the negative instead of encouraging those around us. Right now, the negative seems to rule our news; it is so easy to wish the weak were stronger rather than taking steps to help them become strong. One thing I want those around me to understand is that our task is to develop leaders, not to steal established leaders from other organizations.

The sheep need us to lead with everything that God has given to us. I hope that we are ready to do it. I dream of the day when we team up to make sure everyone in our communities reaches their potential. Maybe Ezekiel's question is what we need to ask. How are we doing?

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 35

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. – Ezekiel 33:31

Today's Scripture Reading (October 1, 2026): Ezekiel 33

The Christian Church has failed. God is not dead; rather, his church has steadily refused to die. Our pride drives us, and that pride has created the ideal setting for our failure. It is time to admit that our critics are right. The church really is filled with hypocrites. Of course, this is no surprise. The church's pews are filled with very fallible humans, and humans have a habit of falling short. The church has been left with a choice to make: we can either stay in our comfort zones, or we can let ourselves be stretched, knowing that stretching means that we will fail, and that failure is actually a good thing. By allowing ourselves to be stretched, we become more like Christ. That is also why we can't live up to what we say we believe. We try to live up to that standard; we want to be more like Jesus, but we fail. You fall off a bicycle many times before you finally learn to ride it. We realize that if you never fall, you never learn. The Christian life is similar; in our failures, we learn what it means to be like Jesus.  

However, that isn't really the problem. The actual problem in the Christian Church is more that we often just don't seem to care. We preach a gospel and then refuse to follow it when it is not convenient. We keep looking for reasons why we don't have to follow our own rules. This refusal to even try to live the Christian life is the reason the church fails. Specifically, we don't seem to want to love. I can find no other reason for the behavior that the church seems to exhibit. Vast populations of people have never felt the overwhelming love of Christianity for only one reason: we have never been willing to offer it to them.

As Ezekiel looks at the exiles, this is precisely what he sees in his church. The people are willing to speak about right things, to say that they love, but they are not willing to walk that road. Love requires a selfless spirit, but Ezekiel says that the people's hearts are filled with greed, and greed focuses our hearts on ourselves, making true love impossible.

I believe that the church's obsession with orthodoxy is part of our greed. And as long as we strive to be orthodox, to believe what is right, we will find that we are unable to love because our orthodoxy forces us to concentrate on ourselves instead of on each other. Our orthodoxy stops us not only from seeing the other, but also from loving the other. In the end, love is never about right belief, but rather about right practice. Our problem is that while we want to make sure we are orthodox and believe rightly, God has called his church to love unconditionally. 

In the end, I am convinced that if we love, no one will care that we are hypocrites and that we frequently fall as we try to learn to walk with Christ. But if we refuse to love, then we will be judged harshly, and we will deserve every negative word. The church has failed. And unless we are willing to love, there is no road back to success for us.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 34

Their graves are in the depths of the pit and her army lies around her grave. All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword. – Ezekiel 32:23

Today's Scripture Reading (September 30, 2026): Ezekiel 32

In 246 B.C.E., Qin Shi Huang ascended the throne and became King of the State of Qin, an ancient Chinese state roughly occupying the western section of China. At the time of his accession, Qin Shi Huang was thirteen years old. For the next 25 years, Qin Shi Huang continued the conflict the State of Qin had with the other Chinese states. But in 221 B.C.E., Qin Shi Huang did what no other leader had been able to do; he united the warring Chinese States under one banner: his. To commemorate the unification of the Chinese States, Qin Shi Huang replaced the title King, used by every Shang and Zhou ruler before him, with the title "First Emperor." For the next two millennia, Chinese rulers followed Qin Shi Huang's example and continued to use the title "Emperor."

However, for all of the accomplishments and honor that the memory and record of Qin Shi Huang demand, today we remember him for a vastly different reason. In 1974, some local farmers in the "Lintong District" uncovered a surprise that no one seemed to know about Qin Shi Huang. Buried with the First Emperor was an army of statues. 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. Most of Qin Shi Huang's army is still buried, and it has become known as the Terracotta Army. Amazingly, each statue was created to be unique. The entire army was created to protect the emperor after he died as he prepared to enter the afterlife. Although we do not know for sure, the statues likely began being built on the day Qin Shi Huang became King of the State of Qin, when the would-be emperor was only 13 years old.

Ezekiel speaks of all of the warriors who had died, spreading terror throughout the land. Ezekiel knows the reality: the damage these warriors could cause was finished. Whether it is soldiers once alive but now buried in the grave, or the Terracotta Army buried with the First Emperor of China, the truth is that they cannot influence the land of the living. The only soldiers that we need to fear are the ones who remain alive and are still able to handle a weapon.

In the end, the living are responsible for the living. Who knows, maybe Qin Shi Huang got it right. Leave the living soldiers to fight the battle among the living and bury the statues, because whether the soldiers are dead or if they never lived in the first place, they have no authority over those of us who continue to inhabit the land of the living.                

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 33

I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled in the earth below. – Ezekiel 31:16

Today's Scripture Reading (September 29, 2026): Ezekiel 31

Ashurbanipal rose to power in the Assyrian Empire in 668 B.C.E. He inherited a growing empire, and early in his reign, he sustained that growth. Soon after Ashurbanipal took control, the Assyrian Empire became the largest empire ever to rule in the known world. The empire extended from the Caucasus region in the north to North Africa in the south, and from the eastern Mediterranean in the west to central Iran in the east. The empire's sheer size became a strain on the kingdom's health. The decline of the Assyrian Empire seems to have been entirely because the empire simply reached too far. Suddenly, the member provinces found they could rebel against their Assyrian overlords because the Assyrians could not police or secure their own territory. With that realization, the fall had begun.

Ezekiel compares the fall of Assyria to the felling of a great tree in the forest. Just as a great tree makes the forest tremble, Ezekiel asserts that the destruction of the Assyrian Empire made the nations tremble. Ezekiel is not prophesying about the future; Ezekiel is not speaking of things that had not yet happened. It is a prophecy of the past; Ezekiel was putting into perspective events that had already taken place. The reign of Ashurbanipal and the fall of the Assyrian Empire had happened probably fifty to sixty years before the exile. Ezekiel seemed to be trying to add understanding to recent history.

However, Ezekiel was right: the nations did tremble, although some possibly trembled with fear while others trembled with anticipation. Of direct concern to Ezekiel were the fates of two nations: Babylon and Egypt. Assyria's overextension opened a window for the Babylonians that might not have existed otherwise. The other major nation in Judah's sphere of influence, Egypt, tried valiantly to aid Assyria but could not stop Assyria's decline and Babylon's rise. Egypt would continue to struggle against Babylon, but could not overcome the new Empire builder, a ruler remembered as Nebuchadnezzar II.

And in the midst of all of this conflict was Judah. The tree that was Assyria had fallen, and Judah was in no position to do anything. Ezekiel wants to make this clear. Judah's disobedience to God had made it a pawn instead of a major player in the events that followed the fall of the Assyrians. God was not absent in all that was happening. In fact, he authored what was happening, including many of the miraculous circumstances that led to the rise of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. But at the center of world events in the Middle East was the moral failure of Judah, the children of God. While other nations had at least tried to follow their made-up gods, Judah had spurned the real one they had once followed.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 32

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Wail and say, ‘Alas for that day!’” – Ezekiel 30:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 28, 2026): Ezekiel 30

My grandfather was a great storyteller. I used to love sitting and listening to his stories. I'd heard most of the stories many times over, and sometimes I might have outwardly groaned at hearing them again, but inwardly, it was great to just sit and listen. Listening to Grandpa’s stories, you could almost see the adventure unfold; I could almost feel the excitement as if I were the one at the center of the tale. I got to know the streets and townships he remembered. It was great. I really miss Grandpa and his stories, and often wish I could sit with him again and just listen to his voice as he tells the familiar stories one more time, something that has been missing from my life for almost forty years.

One of the things that I think we are going to miss is the stories of our older friends. When they are gone, we will have lost a rich flavor from life forever. I still have older friends that I love to sit with and listen to their stories. However, the flipside is also important. Yesterday is not where we are supposed to live. God is all about leading us into the future. If all we have is yesterday, then we really have nothing.

This message of caution about yesterday was God’s message to Egypt. Everything that you have to look forward to is now in your past. And that is not a good thing; it is worthy of a song of lament.  It wasn’t necessary; Egypt could have looked forward to the future, but in this moment, the great stories of the past were all Egypt had left to celebrate. God tells Ezekiel that all Egypt can do is “Wail and say, ‘Alas for that day!’”

I want to remember that God is always about my future. The past isn’t unimportant or uninstructive, but it is a story already written and now can only be retold. Nothing can change what has gone before. But tomorrow has yet to be written. God always intends for our best days to lie ahead. He wants us to walk into that undiscovered country without lament, knowing the one who created us is already there waiting to welcome us into tomorrow.

So, walk into tomorrow with confidence, because God is already there, waiting to welcome us and shape what we need to do in that unknown area of life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 31

Speak to him and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your streams. You say, The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.'" – Ezekiel 29:3

Today's Scripture Reading (September 27, 2026): Ezekiel 29

In the Russell Crowe film Noah (2014), the creators present an interesting view of the battle between good and evil. In a world dominated by the evil descendants of Cain and the fallen angels known as the Watchers (a variant on the biblically based Nephilim), the earth is filled with darkness and death. The earth's riches are being used up, and Cain's descendants are forced to explore more and more of it, draining the world of its precious resources. But Noah, a descendant of Seth, refuses to let his family take anything from the earth they cannot use. Even the flowers in the field are sacred and must not be picked. When Noah meets his grandfather, Methuselah, he is given a seed. Noah plants his grandfather's seed, and the dark, lifeless environment quickly becomes a lush, green forest. Death is defeated in favor of life; evil is subdued in favor of what is good. This plot clearly nods to our generation's environmental concerns, rather than the beliefs and fears of biblical Noah. 

Noah's environmental concerns are meant to prompt the audience to reconsider their own environmental footprint. I am coming to the conviction that what seems to be the traditional Christian response to environmentalism might be wrong. It is like we miss the first chapter of the Bible. In the opening words of the Bible, God pronounces everything that he creates as good, and then the combined product of creation as very good. Have we somehow missed that? One prevalent argument among some Christians is that God has given us the resources of this planet to extract and use. The earth is essentially a holder for these gifts from God, and when we have used up the resources of the world that God has given us, then the earth, which we seem to believe has been made disposable or designed to be thrown away eventually. But more and more Christians are asking: if the world was created as a disposable cup to hold a finite number of resources, why did God pronounce that creation was very good? While we definitely do not believe we are disposable, other than the statement that we are created in the image of God, the Bible does not seem to differentiate between us and the rest of creation; we are all pronounced as good.

Beyond that, God seems to react differently to what he has made. As Ezekiel begins to prophesy against Egypt, part of the complaint is that the Pharaoh seems to believe that the rivers that flow through his territory belong to him, but God disagrees; the rivers, and really all the resources of the planet, God has made for himself. All of this is part of what God has considered good.

So maybe it is not surprising that the movie "Noah" features a strong environmental theme. Noah, the protector of the planet, like Adam before him, is an environmentalist. He is a protector of the resources of the earth, resources that have never belonged to him, but instead belong to the one who created both the resources and the protector of the resources in the first place. We need this reminder as we continue to use our planet's resources.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 30

By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud. – Ezekiel 28:5

Today's Scripture Reading (September 26, 2026): Ezekiel 28

I have to admit I am at odds with some beliefs in the contemporary church.  One of them is the belief that God wants you rich. It is not that I believe that God wants you poor, or that money is necessarily evil, but I don't think our Creator wants you to be rich. Some argue that God owns everything, so why wouldn't he want to give it to those of us who follow him? Why shouldn't Christians possess the world's wealth, especially if we decide to use it to help those in need?

On the surface, it might seem like a good argument, but the problem is that material wealth can make us believe in our own power. We become secure in our designs and our wisdom. God doesn't necessarily want us poor, but he does want us to remember that he is the source of everything. I firmly believe that the lack of power (and integrity) in the Western Church is because of our affluence and our lack of dependence on God. God wants us to trust him. That is his priority.

We stand in the modern place of Tyre. We have depended on our power and on our wisdom. Our hearts have grown proud, and our lives are experiencing a severe power failure. We have come to believe, like Tyre, that our wealth and material goods are the fruit of our great talent. We sincerely believe we deserve what we have. In fact, we often believe that we deserve more than what we have. What will eventually defeat us is not what we lack, and prosperity will not come from what we have. We have much. However, what will defeat us is who we believe gave it to us. Everything that we have comes from God. I don't deserve anything I possess in my life. I have what God has given to me. You have what God has given to you. Understanding that will return power to our lives, because that knowledge allows us to tap into God's power instead of our own. And that is power that I know I need.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 29