He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich. Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and … Continue reading Crumbling Walls with the Sound of Saving Grace
“While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, … Continue reading The Breaking of Precious Things
In the book of Ruth in the bible, we have a story of love, but this is a love story of women who live out true sisterhood. It is a story of the relationship between two widowed women: Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi. The book of Ruth is special for many reasons. First, women are … Continue reading Call Me Mara: The Strength & Courage to Admit We are Not ‘Fine’
After her death, Jephthah’s daughter is remembered by the daughters of Israel, but does the biblical narrative of her death attempt to praise her for simply being an obedient daughter? If so, should one be satisfied with celebrating adherence to patriarchal values, especially when it had disastrous results? Is justice served to this daughter of … Continue reading Jephthah’s Daughter: The Dangers of Patriarchy
While we may not remember the heroic woman of Thebez, she was remembered in Israelite history, particularly by those engaged in battle. In the story of David and Bathsheba, David commanded Joab to send Uriah to the front of the battle so that he was sure to be killed. After the battle, Joab sends a … Continue reading The Woman of Thebez and a Stone of Remembrance
How many times a day are we on social media checking to see how much interaction there is on our posts and tweets? Are we becoming obsessed with trying to be an influence in the sphere of social media? In a world where we vie for likes and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and … Continue reading Blessed Are the Nameless
It was the annual festival at Shiloh and as was the custom, the ladies were getting ready to participate in celebratory dance. Little did they know that on this particular day their joyful dance would be interrupted by them being forcefully seized to provide men with child-bearing wombs. Dancing was most often, but not always, … Continue reading The Silencing of the Dancing Women of Shiloh
Defined by her work and her past, Lydia nevertheless overcomes societal biases and makes a huge impact of the establishment of Christian faith in the city of Philippi. While most commentators define Lydia as a wealthy merchant, this may not be the case.[1] Lydia is from Thyatira in the region of Lydia, for which she … Continue reading Lydia: A Dyer of Purple who Tints a City with her Faith
While walking down the aisle on one’s wedding day, most are envisioning a happy and joyful future. What happens when the wedding processional of the soothing cadence of “Canon in D” instead becomes a prelude to a funeral pyre? The Timnite woman did not experience wedded bliss, instead she was thrust into a situation where … Continue reading The Timnite Woman: A Wedding and a Funeral
Between the conspiring of the religious leaders to kill Jesus and the devastating betrayal of a close friend, we have the opportunity in the Gospel of Mark to pause and smell the sweet fragrance of faithfulness, the aroma of devotion to Jesus that permeates the air from an act of sacrificial love. Let us linger … Continue reading Remembering Her Fragrant Faithfulness
Michelle Mosier 