I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. – Isaiah 5:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 25, 2026): Isaiah 5

In the second episode of season four of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Captain Jean Luc Picard goes home to visit with his brother, Robert, and his family. The episode, appropriately titled "Family," tells the story of a broken Picard returning home to a strained relationship with his brother. And a vineyard plays front and center in the conflict. Robert is a vineyard owner, and the vineyard takes up a lot of Robert Picard's time. Robert carefully tends his grapes, ensuring they are healthy and free of disease; after all, that is what a vineyard owner does. Robert doesn't understand why Jean-Luc decided to give up the vineyard to journey through the stars.

Owning and caring for a vineyard is a time-consuming project. The vines have to be pruned, disease needs to be spotted quickly, and sick vines need to be cut off before the disease spreads to healthy vines. Maybe that is why vines make an excellent illustration of the relationship between God and his people. Jesus used vines as an illustration on the last night he spent with his disciples before his crucifixion.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples (John 15:1-8)

Here in Isaiah, the message is clear. God is the vineyard owner, and we are the vineyard. And God will take all of the time that is needed to care for and protect his vineyard. Reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) makes this observation:

No possession is dearer to a man than a vineyard, and there is none that demands more constant and persevering toil. Not only, therefore, does the Lord declare that we are his beloved inheritance, but at the same time points out his care and anxiety about us (John Calvin; Commentaries on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 1-32).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 6

It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain. – Isaiah 4:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 24, 2026): Isaiah 4

The American rock band "The Killers" released their hit song "Human" in 2008, though they admit it was written while they were recording their second album, "Sawdust." "Sawdust" was released in 2007, but it was recorded over a long period, starting in 2002, which gives us a rough estimate of when the song was written. The band admits they could have released the song on "Sawdust," but purposely held it back for their third studio album, "Day and Age." "Human" was the first single released from the album.

"Human" has received a bit of controversy over one key lyric in the chorus. In 2014, the song was voted as having the "weirdest lyric of all time." The problem is grammatical: the first and last lines of the chorus, which are identical, don't quite make sense.

            Are we human or are we dancer?

            My sign is vital, my hands are cold

            I'm on my knees, looking for the answer

            Are we human or are we dancer (B. Flowers, D. Keuning, M. Stoermer, R. Vannucci Jr.)?

Shouldn't the line be either "dancers" or maybe "denser," but not "dancer"? The band has been frustrated by the controversy. Brandon Flowers says the song was a response to a negative comment by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who argued that the United States was "raising a generation of dancers, afraid to take one step out of line."

I think Isaiah would have understood the lyric. He and many of the Prophets of Israel almost always found themselves on the outside when it came to the people's religious beliefs. His message is that if you are willing to follow God, you often won't please the nation's religious elite. Professing God's ideals will often set you against culture, even religious culture.

Moses was not always accepted by the people of Israel that he led, even though he followed God. Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh, rejecting God's path in favor of a cultural route. Elijah was called a troublemaker by the king because he followed God. Jesus was crucified, and most of his students were persecuted and killed, all because they were following a God who demanded something different from them. He didn't want them to dance to the beat of the cultural drums. But Isaiah knew that even in these times, God would give shelter from the storms and the rain to those who followed him and dared to step out of line.

Luckily, he still provides that shelter, and those who preach a radical love and acceptance of God often need it. As do those who teach about the church's responsibility to "the least of these" in our struggle against the mainline culture, which seems to desire to demonize the poor and persecute the outsider, neither of which is approved by the Jesus of the Christian Church.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 5

The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves. – Isaiah 3:9

Today's Scripture Reading (April 23, 2026): Isaiah 3

For the past few years, I have been convicted by the "Sin of Sodom." I also have been bothered by the church's flirtation with Sodom's sin. Here is the problem: I think we have misidentified the sin. We have made the sin of Sodom about homosexuality, and we have taken a stand against that sin. Part of the reason why we have misidentified the sin is that we do not have many LGBTQ people in our midst, and the ones who are attending are deeply closeted. As a result, there has been no pushback. So, for most of the Christian Church, we can identify homosexuality as Sodom's sin and, with the same breath, say that we don't have a problem. The problem is out there somewhere. Then we can point at the others who identify as either homosexual, bisexual, or pansexual, as the ones caught in this sin. Worldwide, about 10% of people self-identify this way.

We treat Sodom as if it were a city full of gay men. After all, the story seems to make that accusation.

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them" (Genesis 19:3-4 – italics mine).

The author of Genesis doesn't say "some," he says "all the men." It should be the first clue that something unusual is at work here. Add to this that the story is not just about Sodom, but Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain, do we really believe that all of these men had adopted a gay lifestyle? For me, that doesn't make sense.

So, if the sin of Sodom is not homosexuality, what is it? I think the answer to that question is hospitality. Sodom refused to welcome the strangers and make them feel welcome and safe. They didn't want visitors to the city. They refused to offer assistance to the stranger. They persecuted people whom Jesus called "the least of these." And they had decided that the best way to keep visitors away was to humiliate those who came to their cities and then let them go to tell the story of Sodom. They paraded their sin, were even proud of it, and they wanted people to know.

I think we still do. We parade our ideas about the people who are not welcome in our midst. And the LGBTQ community is only a portion of the people that we don't want in our fellowships. Visitors quickly understand that they are not welcome. I have had to discipline church leaders who went to people and declared, "We don't want your kind here." It is something that every church needs to guard against.

I belong to a congregation that enjoys handing out candy to children on Halloween. I get it, Halloween is not really our holiday, but kids are out and wandering the neighborhood. So, we hand out candy. Three to four hundred children, together with their parents, stop by for candy, a free hot dog, and hot chocolate during the evening. They can warm themselves by a fire and dance to the Halloween-appropriate music, assisted by a laser light show. Last year, we were picketed by people who believed we were welcoming people into the church who shouldn't be invited into the Christian community. I couldn't disagree more. I am proud to be part of a group of people who just want to use any excuse to roll out the welcome mat.

The sin of Sodom was alive and well in Jerusalem and Judah. And it is alive with us as well. The truth is that we need to find excuses to welcome people, because the sin of Sodom is insidious. Unless we are on guard against it, it will find its way into even the best-intentioned congregation of Christ's believers.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 4

You, LORD, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs. – Isaiah 2:6

Today's Scripture Reading (April 22, 2026): Isaiah 2

Leave no one behind. It is the oft-repeated motto of various military groups. We will not leave anyone behind, whether they are healthy, injured, or even dead; we will bring every soldier home. It is an encouraging thought, especially if you are fighting in foreign lands. I have watched with interest the dignified transfer of soldiers coming home from various conflicts over the years. These moments serve as a reminder that every person is important and worthy of being brought home.

However, sometimes military personnel are forced to leave someone behind. In 1940, Allied troops were forced to evacuate from Dunkirk (Dunkerque), France. Between May 26 and June 4, about 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgian troops were removed from the French Port to the United Kingdom. That is almost 340,000 soldiers, and it was an amazing operation. Military vessels were assisted by civilian boats in getting individuals off the French Coast and the European mainland. The Dunkirk evacuation was an exciting moment in military history and the story of World War II.

What we sometimes forget is that we didn't get everyone. As massive as the evacuation effort was, and even though 340,000 soldiers were removed from France, at least 40,000 British troops and another 40,000 French troops were left behind. Many of these soldiers who were abandoned at Dunkirk were summarily executed. Those who were lucky enough to be captured were abused and mistreated with actions that were a violation of the Geneva Convention guidelines that governed how sick and wounded prisoners should be treated. They were denied food and medical treatment and forced to drink ditch water and eat rotten food. Sean Longden writes this:

These dreadful days were never forgotten by those who endured them. They had fought the battles to ensure the successful evacuation of over 300,000 fellow soldiers. Their sacrifice had brought the salvation of the British nation. Yet they had been forgotten, while those who escaped and made their way back home were hailed as heroes (Sean Longden; Dunkirk: The Men They Left Behind).

Isaiah speaks about the coming judgment over Judah and Jerusalem and the approaching "Day of the Lord." And he makes this jarring statement: "You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob" (Isaiah 2:6a). Luckily, he also explains that the people have become entangled in the superstitious beliefs of eastern nations; they practiced divination like the Philistines and willingly embraced pagan customs. It is like God had sent the people of Jerusalem all the ships they needed, but they chose to stay behind rather than be rescued by their God. The people chose to be abandoned; it was not an action that God initiated. The people could have been saved, but they chose not to be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 3

"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." – Isaiah 1:18

Today's Scripture Reading (April 21, 2026): Isaiah 1

We need God; we can't be good enough on our own. God's promise to his people has always been that He will make us clean. If we rely on just what we can do, we will keep coming up short. What we need is God; Isaiah understood that dependence. He preached it to those around him. When the Assyrians attacked, he told the king to rely on God, and God would take care of the enemy.

We need God. The only way that we can be all that we are designed to be is with God's presence in our lives. Anything else is not enough. We need God's action to make us clean.

Holy Humor Sunday was a couple of weeks ago (April 12, 2026). It is usually the first Sunday after Easter, and it is always a day to tell good jokes. I know I am late, but let me leave you with a couple of humorous stories.

Attending a wedding for the very first time, a little girl watched the service, fascinated by everything happening around her. At one point in the service, she whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?"

Her mother smiled and replied, 'Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.'

The child thought about this for a moment, then turned her attention back to the events at the front of the church. But soon, a puzzled look came over her face, and she turned once more to her mother with a follow-up question. "So why is the groom wearing black?"

Or maybe this one;

A little girl, dressed in her Sunday best, was running as fast as she could, trying not to be late for Sunday School. As she ran, she prayed, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late! Dear Lord, please don't let me be late!'

She continued to run and pray, but in her haste, she tripped on a curb and fell, skinning her knee, tearing her dress, and getting her clothes streaked with mud. But the little girl got up, brushed herself off, and started running again toward the church and her looming class.

As she ran, she began to pray again, 'Dear Lord, please don't let me be late…But please don't shove me either!'

One more?

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-old students. She was trying to explain to the eager ears around her the intention of the fifth commandment; 'Honor thy father and thy mother.' After discussing the various ways we can honor our parents, this teacher asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?'

Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shalt not kill.'

Holy Humor Sunday arose out of the idea that Easter is God's joke on the devil. Just when Satan thought he had won, God raised Jesus from the dead. But the continuing practical joke on the devil is us. Regardless of the lies we have been fed, God resurrects his church by raising us from all that should have killed us. And every time that Satan feels that he has a leg up on the people of God, God raises us once again, making us into a Righteous People, through whom God's Justice reigns in all the places that he sends us. In the presence of Satan, he continues to make us white as snow.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2

He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree. – 2 Kings 16:4

Today's Scripture Reading (April 20, 2026): 2 Kings 16

Many years ago, I had contact with a young woman in the church. She had just left a church that she had previously called home, and, as I was talking with her, I seriously wondered if aliens had abducted her. My problem was with the reason she gave for leaving her church. She had attended this church for several years, and her church had a fairly relaxed dress code. People came to church wearing a wide range of clothes. You could see suits and nice dresses, but you could also see jeans and T-Shirts; the church openly accepted whatever dress the person felt comfortable in. It didn't matter what you wore. My friend was one who would show up at church wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which was totally acceptable. Incidentally, her old church had the same dress code as the church that I led. I couldn't care less what you are wearing, I am just glad that you are in church.

As she was telling me she had left her church, she also indicated where she had decided to go, adding that her new church had a strict dress code. Her new church required men to wear suits and ties and women to wear dresses. And when I asked her why she had changed churches, she told me she liked that her new church required a dress code, while her old church hadn't. I mentioned that she could have worn a dress to her old church, but she wanted a place that would demand it of her, not one that would let her come as she was. The whole thing seemed strange, almost alien, to me. It is usually the ones wearing the suits and dresses who want people to dress like them, not the t-shirt crew wishing someone would tell them how to dress.

Ahaz became king. His fathers had walked in the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But Ahaz looked out at the world and realized that there were other gods who might demand more of him. So, Ahaz started to sacrifice, not just to the God of his Father's, but to every other god he could conceive of. It wasn't that he made too few sacrifices; it was that he made too many. In his mind, he wanted to make sure that he covered all of the bases. And in covering all of the bases, he actually missed them completely.

God makes this statement throughout the Bible. I desire your obedience more than I desire your sacrifice. I desire your respect more than I desire to dress you in a particular way. And the reality is this: being obedient is much more demanding than making many sacrifices because it occupies all of who we are. It is much easier to follow many rules than to build a relationship with God. My friend wanted the rules more than she wanted the relationship. It is easier to dress in a certain way than it is to give God all of who we are. But God desires the latter more than the former. Giving God all that we are is the life path that honors him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 1

See also 2 Chronicles 28:4

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. – 2 Chronicles 28:1

Today's Scripture Reading (April 19, 2026): 2 Chronicles 28

The "Manifesto of Race" or "Charter of Race" was published on July 14, 1938, by Benito Mussolini's Fascist Party. The "Manifesto" was anti-Semitic in nature, stripping Jews of their Italian citizenship and, with it, any position in the government or the professional positions which many Jews had previously held. Depending on how you look at the events leading up to the release of "Manifesto," it could be considered both a surprise and a very predictable event. As for the surprise, Mussolini had never shown any interest in racial politics. But the "Manifesto" was predictable because it helped cement relationships between Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. Hitler had privately confessed to looking up to the Fascist Leader, but throughout most of his career, Mussolini had absolutely no interest in the German dictator. However, by the late 1930s, things were changing. Hitler's star was definitely on the rise, and Mussolini decided to try to hitch a ride. And so, the "Manifesto" was intended to show solidarity with Germany's cause. Historians have examined the document as evidence of the extent of Hitler's influence over Mussolini. But it was more likely evidence of Mussolini's thirst for power, a thirst so strong that he was willing to change even his own strongly held beliefs.

King Ahaz of Judah had no positive attributes. If Jotham was the perfect king, his son Ahaz was his negative image. While Jotham had pursued the things of God, Ahaz had become a student of the religions of the countries surrounding Judah. Ahaz not only became an expert on these foreign beliefs and gods, but also a follower of them. Ahaz became an imitator of the surrounding nations. He was a man without restraint; he believed every myth with which he came into contact.

Even in rough times, Ahaz refused to follow God. Until the last beat of his heart, Ahaz believed that the gods of other nations would come to his rescue. His heart was never attracted to the God his father had faithfully served. While other kings had returned to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in times of tragedy, even in trouble, Ahaz's heart increased in rebellion against God.

But maybe the saddest part of the story is that Ahaz found himself following the gods of a nation that no longer even existed. Ahaz followed the gods of Israel. But Israel had already been destroyed, and her gods had done nothing to save her. Still, Ahaz seemed willing to follow Judah's sister nation into obscurity.

Late in his life, Mussolini reportedly confessed that he wished his "Manifesto of Race" had never been written. For Ahaz, that was a level of awareness he had never mastered. While Hitler's star had been on the rise when the "Manifesto" was published, Mussolini also recognized Hitler's deep decline. By that time, it was too late to change his own path, but it was not too late to admit regret. But, to the very end, Ahab was convinced that the god who had failed Israel had the power to save him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 16