by Ukirk International | Dec 12, 2023 | Daily Prayer
Read Luke 1:5-17. What is it about those angels of the Lord that they strike fear in the hearts of all who see them? The angel Gabriel is often depicted with shining white robes, curly yellow hair, and a comforting smile. But just as Americans have white-washed Jesus,...
by Ukirk International | Dec 11, 2023 | Daily Prayer
Read Acts 11:1-18 I am a storyteller by nature, and a rambling one at that. My stories get interrupted by other stories. In this passage, when interrogated about his inclusion of those deemed unclean, Peter chooses to tell a story. Peter tells them the whole story,...
by Ukirk International | Dec 10, 2023 | Advent, Daily Prayer
Read Psalm 27:1-14. As I read the ancient words of the psalmist, “whom shall I fear and of whom shall I be afraid,” the news announced horrific terrorism in Israel on October 7, of daily bombings in Gaza, and a mass shooting in Maine. Honestly, the fear is very real....
by Ukirk International | Dec 9, 2023 | Daily Prayer
Read Isaiah 40:1-11. This Isaiah text is one that flows around me during Advent. Just seeing the citation brings the old hymn to mind, and I am sure the text really reads “Comfort, comfort ye my people!” When things are hard, as they’re bound to be, when staying awake...
by Ukirk International | Dec 8, 2023 | Daily Prayer
Read Mark 11:27-33. The problem, as I see it, is one of a very small imagination. I began volunteering at my children’s elementary school and somehow got myself in charge of the costumes for the school play. The dragon had to head butt the hero, thus stabbing her in...
by Ukirk International | Dec 7, 2023 | Daily Prayer
Read Jeremiah 1:4-10. It is both a terrifying and wonderful thing to be known. For someone to see the capital-A-All of us. For another to peer at our insides – the things we cannot change or control. It is through this knowing that we are able to be loved. To pull...
