David C Cook Editorial

Download “In the World” for December 21, 2025, here.

LOST PURSE RETURNED

This Christmas, a Philadelphia woman is grateful for the kindness of strangers. Emma Fox-Lambert dropped her purse while out, but she didn’t even realize it until the next morning, when she found it inside her mailbox. She checked her doorbell camera footage and saw two strangers with the purse knocking on her door and, when no one answered, putting the purse into the mailbox. “Honestly,” she said, “living in the city sometimes I think the worst of people because I’ve experienced that firsthand. It’s just such a good feeling to know there are still good people out there.”

LOST SHEEP FOUND

This week’s readings include passages from Luke and Romans. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep, in which the shepherd of a hundred sheep loses one and leaves the others to go after just that one. In the same way, when a sinner repents and is “found,” all of heaven rejoices. In Romans 5, Paul reminds us that without God, humans are unable to overcome sin. However, Christ stepped in to give us salvation by His selfless sacrifice, even though we were like God’s enemies at the time. Jesus is able to finish the job of saving us, by granting us new life in Him.

1. What’s the kindest act you’ve ever witnessed around Christmastime?
2. When have you searched for something or someone lost?
3. How many ways can you think of that the Lord has given you gifts?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Devotional: “Riding on the Shoulders of the Good Shepherd” by Theology of Work
• Commentary: NetBible on Romans 5
• Article: “Luke: The Gospel of the Savior for Lost People Everywhere” by BibleProject

Download “In the World” for December 14, 2025, here.

TRUST THE PROCESS

Harmony in Horses is an equine therapy center in Sheridan, Indiana, that specializes in helping young women who have been in the foster care system, including some who have experienced abuse. At the farm, each girl is paired with a horse, ranging from miniature ponies to large mustangs. Executive director Lisa Condes walks the women and horses through a process of connecting to each other and to their own power and agency. “Controlling a 1,000-pound horse or a pony that weighs as much as you do,” she says, “is incredibly empowering.” She has seen great success with some of the girls as they begin to heal. “I have learned to really trust the process. And to trust the horses.”

TRUST THE LORD

As part of Jesus’ sermon about life in the kingdom of God, He addresses the topic of money. Instead of “serving” any other master, Jesus asks His followers to be fully devoted to God’s service. Since our very basic needs can be met by God, worry does nothing to help us. For example, the flowers are clothed by God, with more beauty than the richest person on earth. If God cares about temporary things like flowers, God cares even more about us. Jesus invites us to a daily practice of surrendering our needs to God, rather than worry about what will happen tomorrow

1. What type of animal brings you the most comfort?
2. When have you trusted God to provide for you?
3. What’s a need you can surrender to the Lord right now?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Commentary: Emerson Powery’s “Commentary on Matthew 6:24–34”
• Commentary: Richard Beaton’s “Commentary on Matthew 6:24–34”
• Article: BibleProject Article, “What Matthew 6:33 (Seek First the Kingdom of God) Means” 

Download “In the World” for December 7, 2025, here.

INSTRUCTIONS BUILT INTO BRAIN CELLS

Late last month, a team of researchers from several universities published their discovery that the human brain comes “pre-wired” with the ability to understand the world, even before the brain has come into contact with any sensory input. In other words, we may have been preinstalled with instructions that can interpret information long before that information arrives. This discovery helps to answer the question of whether our first thoughts form at birth—when an infant encounters the world—or much earlier in the womb. This discovery could also advance the diagnosis and treatment of several developmental brain disorders and show how toxins can harm fetal development.

INSTRUCTIONS COMING FROM GOD

Today’s reading includes passages from both Testaments. In Psalm 19, the psalmist praises God’s “law” as his instruction that is able to make us wise and help us to see in a clear way. Words from God leave a sweet taste in our mouth, and they also show that nothing can be hidden from God. He alone can cleanse us from sin. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul sees that the end is near, so he writes to encourage one of his closest friends to not depart from the legacy of faith he had received, a legacy including the close study of Scripture. Paul says that all Scripture grants wisdom and insight, leading us to faith in Jesus.

1. When have the right instructions made your life better?
2. How can Scripture leave a sweet taste in your mouth?
3. What’s an instruction from God’s Word that you treasure and enjoy keeping?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Commentary: Nancy deClaissé-Walford’s “Commentary on Psalm 19”
• Commentary: W. H. Bellinger, Jr.’s “Commentary on Psalm 19”
• BibleProject Guide: “2 Timothy 2:14–4:5—Paul Encourages Timothy to Confront Corruption”

Download “In the World” for November 30, 2025, here.

HOPEFUL PEOPE ADAPT TO THE UNEXPECTED

New research highlights the power of hope to transform life. As Andy Corbley of GoodNewsNetwork  reports, “Individuals in an Australian cohort of 25,000 randomly-sampled people that were more hopeful had on average improved wellbeing, education, economic, and employment outcomes measures years later, both better perceived health and objective measures of health, and were less likely to be lonely.” The study also shows that hope shapes how people experience trials or suffering. Corbley writes, “Hope in the researchers’ paper was also associated with higher resilience, the ability to adapt, and a robust internal locus of control. Hopeful individuals were also less likely to be influenced by negative life events and adapted more quickly and completely after these events.” This study indicates that real hope, not mere naïve optimism, is a posture that shapes a person’s life.

GOD PROMISES A HOPEFUL FUTURE

Many years after the fall of Jerusalem, the exiles to Babylon have settled into a lifestyle without the temple and its role in the worship of God. Ezekiel sees a vision where he is transported to Judah, and he witnesses a restored city of God on top of Mount Zion. In his vision, the water that flows from God’s presence is life-giving, making creation look like a restored garden of Eden. Ezekiel understands from this vision that God’s plan to dwell with his people is firm and unchanged, despite all the tragedies of the past.

1. How would you describe your level of hope?
2. What kinds of things do you find yourself hoping for?
3. How does God’s promised provision and restoration to his people in exile impact your life?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Study: Non-foolish Hope
• Article: Jerusalem Has Fallen: Despair and Hope
• Commentary: NetBible on Ezekiel 47

Download “In the World” for November 23, 2025, here.

WHO TO THANK

Last Tuesday was Veterans Day in America. At Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., events included a performance by the United States Army “Pershing’s Own” Concert Band and Chorus, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the national observance inside the Memorial Amphitheater. The demographics of the observance are changing, noted the columnist Bill Sniffin. “For the past 30 years on Veterans Day, we have joined with others in saying farewell to members of the Greatest Generation, an age group of veterans who fought in World War II and saved the free world. By now, most of them are gone.” It’s time, in his opinion, to increase efforts to honor “thousands of veterans of my generation—those now elderly men and women—who participated in the Vietnam War.” If you’re feeling grateful for American freedoms, look for a veteran to thank.

WHO TO BLAME

The prophet Ezekiel has a specific mission, to be the watchman who communicates a warning for the people of God living in exile. Ezekiel sees catastrophe ahead for those who continue in wicked ways. If Ezekiel does his job and shares this message with others, they will have no one to blame but themselves. For those who have been righteous in the past but who take up a new streak of wicked behavior, God will deal with them as a wicked person (punished with death). For those who have been wicked in the past and who turn to God with sincere repentance, God will deal with them as a righteous person (rewarded with more life). In all times and places, people can turn to God to receive mercy.

1. Who is a veteran you know?
2. When have you had the responsibility to watch for danger ahead?
3. How can you extend God’s offer of mercy and repentance to someone?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Commentary: Dale Coulter’s “Commentary on Ezekiel 33:7–11”
• Commentary: Margaret Odell’s “Commentary on Ezekiel 33:7–11”
• Devotion: Theology of Work Project’s “The Call to Warn Others (Ezekiel 33)”

Download “In the World” for November 16, 2025, here.

NO ONE THERE TO MOURN

One small town in southeastern Wales has recently decided to provide volunteer mourners for service funerals that no one is expected to attend. People in the area who served in the U.K. military but have no next of kin can now know that someone will be there, thanks to the idea of army officer Christian Griffin, from Blaenavon, Torfae, Wales. When Griffin learned that some funerals go unattended, he brought the idea of volunteer mourners to the Torfaen council, which voted unanimously to adopt the proposal. “In a society that is increasingly individualistic and quite lonely,” Griffin said, “it would be nice to just have a bunch of people who just go to [the] graveside, stand there, and commemorate that person in their very last moments.”

NOT ALLOWED TO MOURN

Today’s reading describes the death of the wife of the prophet Ezekiel—and the Lord’s command that he restrain his public mourning. Ezekiel interpreted the Lord’s message: in the same way that the prophet lost his precious wife, God was about to take away the object of the people’s affection—the temple and Jerusalem itself, which the Babylonians would soon destroy. And the former residents of Judah would not feel free to mourn in all the ways they might wish. Through it all, they would know that the Lord is sovereign.

1. What would you say if you were asked to speak at the funeral of someone you didn’t know?
2. When have you felt forced to hide your true emotional reaction to something?
3. How should the people have responded to this sign shown through Ezekiel?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Commentary: David Guzik on Ezekiel 24
• Devotion: “The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife” from Lindsey Jacobi
• Devotion: “Ezekiel’s Wife” from Jeffrey A. Stivason

Download “In the World” for November 9, 2025, here.

CAST IN

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is enjoying renewed attention, especially with a television adaptation set for release in 2027 and a new audio production launching this month. Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions is a multi-voice production featuring well-known actors such as Hugh Laurie (House) and Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who), as well as newcomers, including the young Frankie Treadaway, who voices Harry in the first three installments. Both long-time fans and new audiences are eagerly awaiting further casting announcements for both projects.

CAST OUT

During the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the southern kingdom of Judah still stood as a nation. Nebuchadnezzar deported Judah’s king, Jehoiachin, and appointed his 21-year-old uncle, Zedekiah, as ruler of Judah. Once Zedekiah took the throne in Jerusalem, he continued the evil practices of his predecessors. Additionally, he rebelled against Babylon. This act of defiance proved to be the point of no return for the kingdom of Judah, leading God to discipline the kingdom by casting them out of his presence through exile in Babylon.

1. What’s the best or worst casting decision you can think of?
2. How might things have gone differently for Judah if Zedekiah had served the Lord?
3. What does it mean that God cast Judah from his presence?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Comments: David Guzik on 2 Kings 25
• Comments: Bible Places on 2 Kings 25
• Video: BibleProject, “Exile”

Download “In the World” for November 2, 2025, here.

LIFTED BY HELICOPTER

Last month, it was helicopters that provided a rescue of last resort to residents of some Alaskan towns. When the remnant of Typhoon Halong swerved off its predicted course and slammed into the southwestern coast of Alaska—bringing windspeeds over a hundred miles an hour—homes toppled in the wind or floated off their foundations in the flood. The storm displaced over a thousand people. Some sheltered in schools, but many evacuated to Bethel, the nearest sizable town, with a population of 6,500. And shelters were quickly overwhelmed. The area is nowhere near a highway system, preventing rescue and evacuation efforts. Fixed-wing aircraft couldn’t land amid all the damage, and thus the US Coast Guard helicopters had to evacuate people, six at a time.

LIFTED BY ROPE

When Jeremiah predicted the imminent fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar’s forces, local officials gained King Zedekiah’s permission to silence the prophet. Rather than murder him in broad daylight, they threw Jeremiah into a cistern in the gatehouse courtyard. An assistant to the king, a foreigner named Ebed-Melek, exposed the plot that would soon kill Jeremiah. Fearing a public reaction, Zedekiah gave Ebed-Melek thirty men to rescue Jeremiah. They lifted the prophet from the pit using ropes, and he went on faithfully declaring the words of the Lord.

1. How close have you ever been to a hurricane or other natural disaster?
2. Why did King Zedekiah give conflicting orders about Jeremiah?
3. What helps you to continue serving God faithfully when facing opposition or persecution?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Comments: David Guzik on Jeremiah 38
• Devotion: Theology of Work Project “Taking a Stand at Work (Jeremiah 38)”
• Video: BibleProject Overview of Jeremiah

Download “In the World” for October 26, 2025, here.

BROKEN RECORDS?

This year, NBA superstar LeBron James (40) is set to break two all-time records once considered unbreakable. If he remains healthy and plays this season as he has played in the past, he is expected to become the all-time leader both in number of games played and number of baskets made. The former record is currently held by the former Boston Celtics center, Robert Parish, who played in 1,611 games and retired in 1997. The latter record is held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who made 15,837 field goals before retiring in 1989. James played 70 games last season but needs only 49 to break Parish’s record, and 349 baskets to reach Abdul-Jabbar’s mark. He might break both records as early as February.

BROKEN COVENANT

This week’s reading contains God’s promise of a new covenant. A new covenant was necessary after the original covenant was broken—not by God but by the ancestors of Israel and Judah. The new covenant would be different, not prone to the same human weaknesses as the original agreement. God would grant forgiveness and write his law on the very hearts of his people.

1. What record (in sports or another realm) has the appearance of being unsurpassable?
2. What was the weakness in the Sinai Covenant between God and Israel?
3. How might an original hearer have expected God to write instructions onto human hearts?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Commentary: Kristin J. Wendland’s “Commentary on Jeremiah 31:31–34”
• Article and Video: Whitney Woollard’s “The Five Key Covenants God Makes with Humans in the Bible: Partnerships Between God and People”

Download “In the World” for October 19, 2025, here.

TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS WITHOUT ALCOHOL

This month marks twenty-seven years of sobriety for actor Jason Isaacs (62), known for his portrayal of Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. After twenty years of substance abuse that began in his mid-teens, he managed his first twenty-four hours of sobriety, which he sustained until now. His message to others struggling with alcohol and drug addiction is, “It’s possible, if you ask for help. However far gone you think you are, however irreversible you think your situation is, there’s always a way back. A way forward. A way back to the surface. Always. Just take the first baby step and surrender.”

GENERATIONS WITHOUT ALCOHOL

In Jeremiah’s day, there was a clan that had sworn off alcohol because of their ancestor’s command. Jonadab the son of Rechab (or Rekab) had instructed all his descendants to not drink, build houses, or plant vineyards or crops. The family honored Jonadab’s requests, living as nomads in tents and raising their children not to drink alcohol. When the Lord sent Jeremiah to test this family, they proved to be more faithful to a human tradition than the people of Judah were to God.

1. When have you fought to overcome an addiction or another kind of enormous obstacle?
2. What’s a tradition you honor based upon someone from your past?
3. What makes God’s instructions different than human instructions?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Devotion: Katherine Rohrs, “Be Like the Rekabites”
• Podcast: Pitts Evans, “Jeremiah 35: The Example of the Rekabites”

Download “In the World” for October 12, 2025, here.

IT COULD HAPPEN HERE

This summer, the city of Plainfield, NJ, was hit by back-to-back severe storms that took three lives. Now, the city has received a grant to install a $500,000 early warning system that will blast sirens and emergency messages from speakers on poles placed strategically throughout the town. The alert will be employed when the city is facing the prospect of serious snowstorms, floods, or tornados. “Having two [deadly storms] in such short succession,” said Jazz Clayton-Hunt, Plainfield’s chief of staff and director of communications and technology, “meant that we couldn’t sit back and assume it was never going to happen here again.”

IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE

Despite their many violations of God’s commands, the people of Judah did not think God would send them into exile. They listened to false prophets, who led them to believe that the Lord would never allow enemy nations to prevail or his temple to be ransacked and destroyed. Jeremiah implored them to repent and walk in obedience to God so that disaster might be averted.

1. When, if ever, has an early warning system kept you safe?
2. What warning signs are easy to ignore (at home, work, or anywhere else)?
3. What link is there between obedience to God’s command and things going well for us?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Playlist: Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Playlist: Echoes Worship Weekly (featuring African-American music artists)
• Playlist: Traditional Worship Weekly
• Article: Tim Mackie and Whitney Woollard’s post, “Jeremiah’s Famous Temple Sermon: Idolatry, Injustice, and the Coming Judgment”
• Devotion: Theology of Work Daily Reflection, “Our Den of Thieves?”
• Video: BibleProject on “Temple”

Download “In the World” for October 5, 2025, here.

NOT TOO YOUNG TO BE IN COLLEGE

Aiden Wilkins is nine, but he’s already attending college—college neuroscience classes, to be exact. Technically, he’s “only” a sophomore at Reach Cyber Charter High School this fall, but he’s already taking a neuroscience class at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. That’s because he wants to be a pediatric neurosurgeon when he grows up. At the age of two, when most toddlers are just learning to speak, Aiden had taught himself to read traffic signs. College officials marvel that Aiden can discuss Shakespeare, brain anatomy, and glial cells—in addition to soccer and his favorite video games. “We’re delighted to be a part of Aiden’s journey,” says Kelly Sorensen, associate provost at Ursinus. “The challenge is to keep his hungry mind well-fed.”

NOT TOO YOUNG TO BE A PROPHET

We don’t know precisely how old Jeremiah was when God called him to be a prophet as a “young” person (Jer. 1:6), but the Lord says that Jeremiah had been set apart for his service even before he was born. Jeremiah tells God that he is too young to know how to speak properly. Perhaps he wondered how others much older would respond to his telling them what God was declaring, even giving harsh corrections. Nevertheless, he obeyed and spoke whatever the Lord commanded him to say.

1. Who is a child prodigy you know of?
2. When have you felt unready or unqualified to do something?
3. How has God enabled you to do things you felt were impossible or out of reach?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: BibleProject’s Summary of Jeremiah
• Helen Chukka’s “Commentary on Jeremiah 1:4–10”
• Michael L. Ruffin’s “Commentary on Jeremiah 1:4–10”

Download “In the World” for September 28, 2025, here.

SUFFERING IN SILENCE

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in the United States. Depression and anxiety are among the conditions associated with suicide. The kinds of people likely to be depressed are in all walks of life: an elderly person grieving the loss of a spouse, a young adult who struggles to find a job, preteens with anxiety disorders, a postpartum mother, or anyone experiencing a sudden life transition. “I just want [people] to understand,” says wellness professional Alyssa Kwasny, “that if they are going through something personally, that they’re not alone, and that hope is out there, and that they know that they matter, and that this is something that a lot of people experience, and that it can be common, and that there’s help out there when they need it.” The national suicide and crisis hotline is available by calling or texting 988.

THE SUFFERING SERVANT

Today’s reading from Isaiah 53 is the prophet’s divine revelation that God would send someone to be his instrument for taking away the sin of us all. This servant would be rejected, hated, and treated unjustly, yet he would suffer in silence, never opening his mouth against his oppressors. He would be the Lord’s faithful ambassador, and yet he would be despised by all.

1. Who do you know who might be suffering from depression right now? How can you check in with them today?
2. Why do you think the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 does not cry out or protest his treatment?
3. In what ways do you think this suffering servant sounds like (or unlike) a coming king?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Tim Mackie’s “Isaiah and the Suffering Servant King”
• Beth L. Tanner’s “Commentary on Isaiah 53:4–12”
• Theology of Work and The High Calling, “The Righteous One Who Makes Others Right”

Download “In the World” for September 21, 2025, here.

REDISCOVERING A LOST MUSICAL

This month, the world learned that the late David Bowie, pioneering rock musician, had been writing a musical for the stage right up until his death in 2016. The unfinished play, The Spectator, was set in eighteenth-century London against a backdrop of political unrest and crime. Most of Bowie’s plot ideas came from detailed articles about social life from a daily periodical, also called The Spectator, which ran in the early 1700s. “Right at the very beginning,” Bowie said in 2002, “I really wanted to write for theatre.” Bowie’s notes about the musical had been locked in his study and discovered only after his death. Those artifacts join nearly ninety thousand other items from his archive, which have become the property of the Victoria & Albert East Museum in London. Their David Bowie exhibit opened on September 13.

REDISCOVERING THE BOOK OF THE LAW

Josiah became king of Judah (the southern kingdom) at the age of eight. His heart was inclined toward the Lord, and he worked to cleanse the kingdom from the idolatry established by his father. His efforts were greatly amplified by the discovery (or, actually, a rediscovery) of the book of the Law in the temple of Jerusalem. It had been lost and forgotten, and the people were not living according to God’s instructions. Josiah tore his clothes and cried out in repentance to the Lord, who was pleased with the young king’s responsive heart and held back any exile until after Josiah’s death.

1. We might not have expected David Bowie to write a historical musical. What’s the most surprising thing someone you know of has produced?
2. When have you encountered people who didn’t know the right way to live?
3. What was it about Josiah’s reaction to the book of the Law that pleased God so much?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Vanessa Lovelace’s “Commentary on 2 Kings 22:1–10; 23:1–3”
• Theology of Work Project, “Huldah: A Prophet and Teacher (2 Kings 22)”
• Video: BibleProject Overview of 1–2 Chronicles

Download “In the World” for September 14, 2025, here.

HOLIDAY FOR THE FORGOTTEN

Last month in Paris, forty thousand children and young people were treated to a party in their honor. The celebration culminated in a picnic at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, where a precision jet squadron flew overhead, painting the sky with smoke in the colors of the French flag. The annual event, which began in 1979, is called the Forgotten Children of Vacation Day. It aims to provide disadvantaged children, who may not have the opportunity to take a summer vacation trip, with a special memory they can share with their classmates when school starts in the fall. The day began with visits to famous museums and iconic Olympic venues, culminating in a celebration at the Eiffel Tower, where concerts, athletic displays, and appearances by celebrities—including Mickey and Minnie from Disneyland Paris—were featured. “It’s important for a child to have something to say to their classmates,” said holiday official Thierry Robert, “so they don’t feel different.”

THE FORGOTTEN HOLIDAY

Seven years after the disastrous fall of the northern kingdom (Israel) to the Assyrian Empire, King Hezekiah of the southern kingdom (Judah) called all people of both kingdoms to come to Jerusalem and observe the Passover. Its celebration had fallen out of practice under the kings who came after Solomon. However, two centuries after the division of the kingdoms, Hezekiah urged the people to return to God with all their hearts. Hezekiah proclaimed that if they did, perhaps even the Israelites removed from the northern kingdom would be released from their captors and allowed to return home.

1. What’s your favorite “forgotten” holiday?
2. When, what, and where was the most spectacular celebration you’ve ever attended?
3. What steps can you take to renew a worship tradition that has fallen out of regular practice?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• David Guzik, Enduring Word Commentary
• Carol Kaminski, “Beyond Tribalism: Six Principles from 2 Chronicles 30”
• Joseph Exell, “Commentary on 2 Chronicles 30”

Download “In the World” for September 7, 2025, here.

HEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME

Researchers in Sweden and China have teamed up to treat a form of congenital deafness caused by mutations in a gene called OTOF. These mutations result in a deficiency of a protein that transmits signals from the ear to the brain. The experimental treatment involves injecting each person with a synthetic virus that carries a functioning version of the gene. All ten subjects reported significant hearing recovery in as short as one month, with results still in effect a year later. “This is a huge step forward in the genetic treatment of deafness,” said Dr. Maoli Duan, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who led the study, “one that can be life-changing for children and adults. We are expanding our work.”

HEARING A CALL FROM GOD

This week’s reading is one of the most striking biblical accounts of encountering God. The prophet Isaiah comes face to face with the pure holiness of God, and he sees himself accurately in that light. He feels his sinfulness keenly and knows that if the Lord does not grant mercy, he will be undone. God is gracious and atones for Isaiah’s guilt—then suddenly Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord calling for someone to be his servant.

1. What’s the most incredible modern story of someone regaining hearing or sight that you know of?
2. When have you been overwhelmed by the holiness of God?
3. How has spending time with the Lord changed you?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: BibleProject Overview of Isaiah 1–39
• Helen Chukka’s “Commentary on Isaiah 6:1–8”
• Sermon Notes, The High Calling, “What’s Your Purpose?”

Download “In the World” for August 31, 2025, here.

NOURISHMENT FOR INFANTS

Scientists at the University of British Columbia this month announced a newly discovered link between maternal milk and infant allergies. Maternal milk is high in an antibody called immunoglobulin A (IgA). IgA derived from milk is well known to promote “good bacteria” in the digestive system, but the new study found that it also fights against bacteria that would otherwise cause infants to develop certain allergies. Microbiologist Katherine Donald, who led the study, was surprised by this outcome. “I was looking for good bacteria that IgA helped, but I ended up finding this [bad] one . . . that is actually limited by milk IgA.” More research is needed to understand the interaction, possibly to develop even better infant formulas than already on the market.

NOURISHMENT FROM THE LORD

Peter urges readers to imitate the craving of infants who want to be nourished from their mothers, only Peter means the nourishment from God and his Word. Believers have already “tasted” that the Lord is good and gracious, but now they need to continue growing. This comes by actively pursuing the things of God. The result is increased strength and spiritual health, living into the role of living stones in the spiritual temple of God: the church.

1. What is a source of food that you find particularly nourishing?
2. What are some ways that Christians are similar to babes?
3. When have you grown most in your faith? What caused the growth?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Jeannine K. Brown’s “Commentary on 1 Peter 2:2–10”
• Joel B. Green’s “Commentary on 1 Peter 2:2–10”
• Video: BibleProject Overview of 1 Peter

Download “In the World” for August 24, 2025, here.

A SACRIFICE TO CHEER

The lead-up to a new NFL is in full swing this month, and it’s not only players and fans who are getting ready for football. Most teams have a cheerleading squad, though their pay has historically been very low, with most professional cheerleaders working for below minimum wage. Though they are ambassadors for their teams and elite dancers and gymnasts, their compensation is notoriously bad. But the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders this year pushed for fairer pay and have succeeded in obtaining a 400% pay raise. “Dancers are athletes,” says Cowboys’ cheerleader Megan McElaney. “They have so much value.” Other cheerleading squads are watching the development closely, with many hoping it will set a new precedent for cheerleader compensation throughout the league.

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

The writer of Hebrews urges readers to offer to the Lord a kind of sacrifice with which he is always pleased: praise, proclamation of his name, the doing of good, and sharing with others. Instead of bringing animal sacrifices to the temple, the author wanted his readers to focus their worship on offerings of thanks, love, and kindness.

1. What’s a job you might take even if the pay were poor? Why would you do so?
2. Which NFL team (if any) will you cheer for this season?
3. How can we offer “the fruit of our lips” to God as a pleasing sacrifice?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• The Bible Project on Sacrifices
• NetBible Notes on Hebrews 13
• Theology of Work on Hebrews 13

Download “In the World” for August 17, 2025, here.

UNITING TWO MARCHING BANDS

Beginning in 1977, many colleges began a tradition of playing a few regular-season football games outside the US. Dublin, Ireland, has been a frequent venue, hosting three games since 2022. The 2025 season will see Kansas State University square off against Iowa State University in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Both schools maintain enormous marching bands, with several hundred members. However, “only” 111 musicians from each school are making the trip to the Emerald Isle. They will unite to play as one during halftime, performing three rock songs by American band, Journey. “We didn’t want to go to Ireland and do Irish music,” said Frank Tracz, Kansas State’s Director of the band. “They want to see American stuff, with American bands. So these are two great bands coming together to show them that.”

UNITING TWO ETHNIC GROUPS

Before Christ’s death on the cross, humanity was divided into two groups based on ethnicity: Jews and Gentiles. At Calvary, Jesus brought all people together, uniting them in his body and making peace. No longer are Gentiles without God or without hope. Jews and Gentiles are now on equal footing, able to receive reconciliation with God by faith. All of humanity can have salvation through the one Savior, Jesus Christ.

1. If you could attend a sporting event in any location (even a non-traditional one), where would that be?
2. What’s one way that you see people divided in our world today, and how you would like to see them reconciled?
3. How can Jesus create one new humanity out of two, and why does he bring peace?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: “Why Unity is the Church’s Greatest Calling” from N.T. Wright
• Theology of Work Project blog, “God’s Grand Plan: A Theological Vision (Ephesians 1:1–3:21)”
• Audio: Tim Mackie, “A New Family”

Download “In the World” for August 10, 2025, here.

NOT WHAT THE FUNDS WERE FOR

This summer, Mike Hallum of Salt Lake City, Utah, retired from his job after working as an engineer for twenty-three years at the same firm. The next day, he received an email from a friend breaking the news that his entire retirement savings was gone. Hallum, his friend, and hundreds of others, had been deceived by a sophisticated scam involving several shell companies, all operated by the same person who paid existing investors with new investors’ money (a pyramid scheme). The Utah Division of Securities is investigating, but in the meantime, Hallum is back working part-time jobs and doesn’t know what the future holds.

NOT WHAT THE BODY IS FOR

Today’s reading has Paul confronting a faulty theological argument that led the believers in Corinth into error and sin. While food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, the body is not for seeking enjoyment without restraint. For the Christian, the body is for the Lord. Indeed, Paul says, believers’ bodies have become “members of Christ” in a mysterious way, and those baptized into Christ must treat their bodies accordingly.

1. What’s the worst case of fraud you’ve ever heard of?
2. How would you put the Corinthians’ false argument into your own words? What were they trying to say or do?
3. What are examples of things we should do if our bodies are members of Christ’s body?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Edward Pillar’s “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6:12–20”
• Valérie Nicolet’s “Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6:12–20”
• Theology of Work on “Give Your Bodies to God”

Download “In the World” for August 3, 2025, here.

REVEALED AS FIRE

Last month, the city of Portland, Oregon, revealed the name and logo for their new professional women’s basketball team: Portland Fire. The team logo is a rose with petals made of flame, representing the Rose City, Portland’s nickname. Portland Fire was also the name of a professional women’s basketball team from 2000–2002. “We are thrilled to complete the journey of bringing professional women’s basketball back to the Rose City,” said Clare Hamill, Interim President of Portland Fire, “while honoring the legacy of the original franchise to blaze a new, bold path forward.”

REVEALED BY FIRE

Paul instructs Christians in Corinth that their leaders are building on the foundation he had laid. If they do so in a way that is wise and that pleases the Lord, they will receive a reward from him. But if they build in a shoddy or unwise way, they will suffer loss. A day of fiery testing is coming that will display the quality and character of what has been built in God’s new “temple,” composed of God’s people.

1. What’s your favorite professional sport? What’s your favorite team?
2. If you could name a team for your hometown, what would you call it?
3. How can someone build the church with gold, silver, or precious stones? How can someone build in a shoddy way?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work Project, “Do Good Work (1 Corinthians 3:10–17)
• Bruce Henning’s “Is Temple-Building in Your Mission Statement?”
• Jared C. Wilson’s “Pastoral Ministry Is about Souls, Not Stats”

Download “In the World” for July 27, 2025, here.

SIGNS BEFORE AN ERUPTION

This month, seismologists detected a swarm of earthquakes in Mount Rainier, an active volcano in Washington state. Mild earthquakes are surprisingly common beneath the summit. During a swarm, there can be hundreds of minor quakes over the course of a few days. The last swarm was in 2009, even though the most recent eruption was a hundred and fifty years ago. Regarding the current activity, the US Geological Survey says there is nothing to be concerned about. If an eruption was coming, the volcano would be giving off different readings: larger and lower-frequency earthquakes, a deformation of the mountain itself, or infrasound indicators. In the end, the smaller quakes diminished, and the alert level remained “normal.”

SIGNS BEFORE THE END

Jesus’ disciples draw his attention to the beautiful stonework of Herod’s temple, perhaps impressed by the permanence of these mighty stone structures. But the Lord tells them that this grand construction would be utterly thrown down. It leads to a lesson about interpreting signs of the end. Jesus lists several false indicators but says that the end of the age shall be marked by increasing persecution and wickedness, even as the good news of God’s kingdom is preached to all nations.

1. What’s another impressive human structure that fell into disrepair or was suddenly destroyed?
2. How have volcanos or other natural disasters affected you or the region where you live?
3. What hope can we have when wickedness increases?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: BibleProject’s “Temple”
• Slideshow: Models of Herod’s Temple from FreeBibleImages
• Brandon D. Smith’s, “Don’t Rapture the Resurrection”

Download “In the World” for July 20, 2025, here.

UNEXPECTED LABOR IN THE AIRPLANE

Ashley Smith Lett boarded a plane in Miami last month for a flight to North Carolina. She was five months pregnant and returning home from a trip. Lett settled in her seat, the plane due to depart, when her water broke. Fellow passengers comforted her in her distress and alerted a flight attendant, who escorted her back into the terminal. Before an ambulance arrived, Lett went into active labor and delivered the baby at the airport. Though baby Amilah is doing fine, nothing about her birth came quite as Ashley or her family expected!

UNEXPECTED TUMULT IN THE TEMPLE

Having traveled to Jerusalem for Passover, Jesus entered the temple courts. When he saw the merchants’ tables, zeal for his Father’s house consumed him. His actions created an uproar as he overturned tables and scattered coins and livestock. Jesus’ disciples connected his response with the words of Psalm 69:9. Other Gospel accounts mention also Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. Jesus’ actions upset the status quo. They brought conflict with the Jewish religious leaders to a head. The actions and reactions witnessed that day were unexpected. Jesus’ heart for his Father’s house moved him to a staggering response.

1. How do expectations color your response(s) in stressful situations?
2. In what ways can you look to Jesus for help in choosing the correct response to a person or situation?
3. How does following Jesus impact your actions and reactions?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Audio: Rolf Jacobson, Craig R. Koester, Kathryn M. Schifferdecker for “I Love to Tell the Story”
• Robert P. Hoch-Yidokodiltona’s “Commentary on John 2:13–25”
• Steve Thomason’s “Visual Guide to John 2:13–25—Jesus Cleanses the Temple”

Download “In the World” for July 13, 2025, here.

LEARNING WHAT IT COSTS

The small town of Plympton, Massachusetts, learned that people would recycle much more readily if it cost them more to simply throw things away. According to an article published last month, the old system had let homeowners dispose of as much trash as they wanted for a flat $240 “dump sticker” fee per year. But rising landfill fees and the sheer amount of garbage being dumped was costing the city much more than they were taking in with sticker fees. Rather than raising the annual fee, they decided to try charging people $1.25–2.50 per bag of garbage dumped at the landfill. When people were faced with the per-bag cost of dumping the trash, they began recycling at a higher rate, a shift that is beneficial to the individual, the city, and the environment.

LEARNING WHAT IT MEANS

Our reading today recounts the Pharisees’ complaint that Jesus’ disciples were “harvesting” grain as they passed through a field on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were enforcing an interpretation of rabbis who said that what the disciples were doing constituted work. In this view the disciples were sinning by working, and their hunger was not reason enough to violate the law. The Pharisees seem more concerned with fidelity to a system, than understanding the heart of the law. Jesus says that they need to go back and learn what it means to value what the Lord values: mercy over sacrifice.

1. If you could design a better garbage disposal and recycling system for your area, what would it be?
2. When have you seen someone miss the intent and concentrate on the letter of the law?
3. What does it mean that God desires mercy rather than sacrifice?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work Project: “Working On the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1–8)”
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on Matthew 12
• Missy Takano’s Article “What Is the Sabbath in the Bible and Should Christians Observe It?”

Download “In the World” for July 6, 2025, here.

CHILD PRODIGY IN THE ART GALLERY

When she was four years old, Illinois native Akiane Kramarik began receiving visions from God encouraging her to begin expressing herself through visual media such as sketching and painting. This certainly surprised her parents, both atheists. When Akiane was eight she confounded the art world by producing a large oil painting of Jesus looking right at the viewer. The painting, Prince of Peace, displays a mastery of composition, light, and oil painting technique that few adults—much less second graders—ever achieve. By age twelve, Akiane’s portfolio included more than sixty works, selling many for thousands of dollars, including one hanging in the US Embassy in Singapore. Now in her thirties, she continues to paint, and she has also published books of her poetry. Akiane’s works are filled with “colorful dreams and visions about heaven, Jesus, and God’s amazing love.”

CHILD PRODIGY IN THE TEMPLE COURTS

When Jesus was twelve, he was separated from his parents during a trip to Jerusalem for Passover. Mary and Joseph thought that Jesus was somewhere in their large caravan heading back toward Nazareth, after the festival. But when they realized that they have somehow “lost” the Son of God, they raced back to Jerusalem to search for him. They finally found Jesus in the temple courts, amazing the learned teachers of the Law with his understanding of the things of God.

1. Who is a child prodigy you know of?
2. When have you or someone else been surprised to the point of shock, fear, or awe?
3. How would you have felt if you had been Mary of Joseph in this story?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: BibleProject Overview of Luke 1–9
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on Luke 2
• Ronald J. Allen’s Commentary on Luke 2:41–52

Download “In the World” for June 29, 2025, here.

KOTZO’S LADDER

Earlier this month, a firefighter with the FDNY (New York City Fire Department) received the department’s top medal for a double rescue last year. When firefighters Michael Kotzo and Jason Lopez arrived at a six-story building engulfed in flames, the crew of Ladder Company 28 extended an aerial ladder for a high-risk rescue. At the sixth floor, they located a trapped civilian, and Kotzo lowered Lopez and the civilian to the ground via rope. Then Kotzo observed a second person in immediate danger. With no time to obtain another rope, he lowered the civilian and himself to safety, himself bearing the weight of two people. Citing Kotzo’s “incredibly dangerous and highly technical operation,” Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Jr. awarded him the Fire Chiefs Association Medal, their highest award.

JACOB’S LADDER

Today’s reading is from Genesis 28, when Jacob is heading north to Haran—for safety from his brother Esau and to find a wife among his extended family. One night, he camps near the town of Luz, sleeping in a certain spot where he is forced to use a stone as a pillow. While he sleeps, he dreams of a ladder that stretches from heaven to earth. He sees angels traveling back and forth, carrying out the will of God. Jacob awakes with a newfound appreciation that God is actively engaged with his situation and able to rescue him.

1. What’s the most amazing rescue you’ve heard of?
2. When has a certain location become special to you because of what God did there?
3. Read John 1:51. What could it mean that angels ascend and descend on the Son of Man, like they were doing on Jacob’s ladder?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: BibleProject’s “Heaven and Earth”
• Valerie Bridgeman’s “Commentary on Genesis 28:10–19a”
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on Genesis 28

Download “In the World” for June 22, 2025, here.

FORMER FRIENDS, NOW ENEMIES

This month saw the spectacular disagreement between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. The two leaders had teamed up in Trump’s election campaign and in the early months of Trump’s second term in the Oval Office. Musk headed up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), assigned to eliminating overspending in various federal agencies. Trump awarded Musk with sizable contracts for SpaceX, Musk’s space program that, among other things, supplies the International Space Station. For months, the partnership seemed to be strong, with both Trump and Musk expressing appreciation and affection for one another. But then this month, things unraveled quickly and with many angry barbs traded in full view of the world. Now the two men are no longer friends, with President Trump even saying the relationship is over.

FORMER ENEMIES, NOW ALLIES

The reading today is from the portion of Genesis that follows Isaac and his wife, Rebecca, into the land of Gerar of the Philistines. Like his father before him, Isaac lies about his wife, saying she is his sister. But King Abimelech sees through the ruse and is angry with Isaac. When the Lord blesses Isaac with great wealth, Abimelech demands that Isaac leave his land. Not long after this, however, Abimelech travels to Isaac’s new settlement and asks to enter into a covenant with him. The king has seen God’s hand at work with Isaac, and he wants assurances that Isaac will not harm his people.

1. What are some other famous feuds you’re aware of?
2. Who have you been at odds with whom you now are more friendly toward?
3. Why does God still bless Isaac despite his lie to the Philistines?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• This Netbible treatment of this passage has some helpful commentary options
• How do we relate to God and others in conflict?
• How does Isaac’s story of conflict fit into the rest of Genesis?

Download “In the World” for June 15, 2025, here.

A GRANDFATHER IN PLACE OF HIS GRANDDAUGHTERS

Late last month, 77-year-old Manuel Pinzon was walking in his forest property with his twin granddaughters, Isa and Gabi (both 8). The girls had spotted a fawn, and they’d brought their grandfather out to see it. As they approached the site, they heard a loud crack from the trees overhead. A 75 lb. branch had broken off and was hurtling down toward the girls. Pinzon shoved his granddaughters out of the way but took the full impact of the branch. His granddaughters called 911 and tried to staunch the blood with a rag, but Pinzon died shortly after reaching the hospital. “You died for me,” one of the girls said afterward. “You are the only person that saved me.”

A RAM IN PLACE OF HIS SON

Today’s reading is the story of how God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. With his son bound and placed on the altar, Abraham raised the knife to take the life of his boy. An angel of the Lord intervened, indicating a ram caught in the bushes that would be the sacrifice in place of Isaac. Abraham passed the test, and God spared his son.

1. What is your reaction to the heroism of Manuel Pinzon?
2. The account of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac can be difficult to understand. What is your hardest question about this reading?
3. Read Hebrews 11:19. How does this affect your interpretation of Abraham’s actions?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Mark S. Smith’s “Commentary on Genesis 22:1–14”
• Kathryn M. Schifferdecker’s “Commentary on Genesis 22:1–14”
• Andy Patton’s “Why Did God Ask Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac?”

Download “In the World” for June 8, 2025, here.

THE FIRST THING TIFFANY DID

Twenty-seven-year-old archery coach Tiffany Slaton was hiking alone in the Shaver Lake wilderness area of Fresno County, California, in April when she fell off a cliff in an avalanche. After regaining consciousness, she realized that both of her legs were injured. Calls to 911 did not go through. She had some food and cold-weather gear, but after three weeks in the desolate region, Slaton—like the search parties—was near to giving up hope. Her parents, back in Georgia, bought cold-weather gear and were ready to head to California to join the search, but a phone call changed their plans. “It’s me, Dad,” Slaton said. “I’m not dead.” Slaton had somehow made her way to a camping resort and crawled into a dry bed in an unoccupied cabin. Hours later, the resort owner found her, and the first thing Slaton did was call her parents.

THE FIRST THING NOAH DID

After surviving the flood, Noah obeyed God’s command to lead his family and the animals out of the ark and onto dry ground. The first thing Noah did was build an altar to the Lord. When God smelled the pleasing aroma of the offerings Noah burned on the altar, the Lord promised to never again curse the ground because of humanity.

1. What’s the most incredible story of survival you’ve ever heard?
2. What was the first thing you did after some trying event or dangerous encounter?
3. How would you have responded if you’d been on that ark and had survived the flood?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Bible Project Article—Why Did God Flood the World?
• Theology of Work commentary
• Podcast conversation about The Flood

Download “In the World” for June 1, 2025, here.

WHY ARE YOU ANGRY, BOBBY?

When Bobby Gumpright was an 18-year-old bartender in New Orleans, he was addicted to cocaine. His parents confronted him about why he was broke on payday, and rather than admit that he’d used his paycheck for drugs, Gumpright invented a story about being robbed at gunpoint. From a police lineup, he pointed out 20-year-old husband and father Jermaine Hudson as the culprit. Hudson was sentenced to 99 years in jail. As the years passed, Gumpright was wracked by guilt. Finally, more than two decades later, he cried out to God, and he felt convicted, as if the Lord had said, “Son, why are you so angry?” This was a turning point for him, and he came clean, which resulted in Hudson’s release from prison. Hudson forgave Gumpright. “I have a forgiving heart,” he said. “And in order for me to really move on, I forgave him, because I understood what he was going through.”

WHY ARE YOU ANGRY, CAIN?

Today’s reading involves the first murder in the Bible. Both Cain and his brother, Abel, brought offerings to the Lord, but God rejected Cain’s offering. In Cain’s rage and confusion, the Lord asked why he was so angry and urged him to do what was right. Instead, Cain rose up against Abel and killed him.

1. What’s the most liberating truth someone has ever told you?
2. What do you learn about God from his response to Cain?
3. How might the story have played out if Cain had heeded God’s warning?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work’s “The First Murder (Genesis 4:1–25)
• Bible Project Podcast: “Rivalry Among Brothers”
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on Genesis 4

Download “In the World” for May 25, 2025, here.

BOUND BY A PROMISE

“I promised my dad before he passed away that I would continue doing this as long as I possibly could.” Jason Barber is an eighth-generation farmer on his family’s 100-acre farm in Unionville, Tennessee. What makes Barber’s promise notable is that he suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable condition that causes vision loss. His central vision is mostly gone, so he relies on his peripheral vision and artificial intelligence to help him. Jason uses AI apps and his smartphone camera to more clearly identify the world around him. His phone can “read” the ear tags on his cattle, “tell” him whether his gates are open or closed, and assist him with various tasks necessary for running a farm. “I’m not going to fall back on a promise that I’ve kept,” Barber says. “I’m a man of my word just like my dad was always. We do what we say we’re going to do.”

BOUND BY AN OATH

After the walls of Jerusalem were repaired under Nehemiah’s leadership, the people made a covenant to uphold the law of the Lord. They vowed to fulfill their obligations in their relationships with others, their practices of worship, and their support of the restored temple. To affirm their commitment, they bound themselves with a curse and an oath, promising to obey God’s ordinances.

1. When have you seen technology help someone complete an important task or overcome an obstacle?
2. What’s a promise you kept even though doing so was difficult?
3. What do you think motivated the people in Jerusalem to bind themselves with an oath and a curse?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Steven J. Cole, “Putting God’s Truth into Practice (Nehemiah 10:1–39)”
• Video: Sermon from David Guzik—“Israel’s Covenant with God”
• BlbleProject Guide, “The Book of Ezra-Nehemiah”

Download “In the World” for May 18, 2025, here.

JOY AND SORROW AS A NEW COACH STEPS UP

After three decades at the helm of one of the NBA’s most successful franchise teams, Gregg Popovich is stepping down as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. Three times he was chosen as the NBA Coach of the Year after he led the team’s rebuilding, following a disastrous 1996 season. Among many innovations and pioneering changes, Popovich is known for his move to hire the first female full-time assistant NBA coach, the shattering of a gender barrier. The Spurs’ managing partner, Peter J. Holt, commented that “Coach Pop’s extraordinary impact . . . is profound. His accolades and awards don’t do justice to the impact he has had on so many people.” At the same time that players are seeing the departure of their coach, many are eager to see what the new head coach, Mitch Johnson, will be able to accomplish.

JOY AND SORROW AT THE DEDICATION OF A NEW TEMPLE

When the Israelites who had returned from Babylonian exile laid the foundation of a new temple in Jerusalem, some of them shouted for joy. But those who had experienced the former temple wept bitterly. Those born in captivity rejoiced to have a new place that would be dedicated to the worship of the Lord. But those who knew what had come before felt sorrow. Weeping and joy intermixed.

1. When have you ever felt joy and sorrow together?
2. At the end of your career, what would you want to be known for accomplishing?
3. Why do you think the older Israelites wept at the foundation for the new temple?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Gregory L. Cuéllar’s “Commentary on Ezra 1:1–4; 3:1–4, 10–13”
• Rachel Wrenn’s “Commentary on Ezra 1:1–4; 3:1–4, 10–13”
• Tim Mackie’s “Overlooked: Ezra-Nehemiah—Not the Leadership Lessons You Expect”

Download “In the World” for May 11, 2025, here.

WHEN THE GARAGE ISN’T BIG ENOUGH

What do you do when you want to keep twenty-one of your favorite vintage Porche 911s near you, but you don’t have enough garage space to house them? If you’re millionaire architect Steven Harris, you purchase the one-acre lot across from your Rancho Mirage, CA, home and build a new house with a massive underground garage. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal last month, the house he had been living in has historical value and couldn’t be renovated, but the lot across the way didn’t have those restrictions. “We really didn’t need this house,” Harris says, but now that he has both, he can accommodate more friends and relatives and be close to his collection of sports cars.

WHEN THE ALTAR ISN’T BIG ENOUGH

When King Solomon was ready to dedicate the temple in Jerusalem to God, he commanded that an enormous number of animals be sacrificed: 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. Thousands of Levite priests performed the sacrifices during the celebration. While the bronze altar for the temple was huge—roughly thirty by thirty by fifteen feet—it wasn’t nearly big enough for so many animals. For this event only, he commanded that the entire courtyard in front of the temple be used for the offerings.

1. If you could collect twenty-one of any object, what would it be?
2. What’s a creative solution you came up with when you needed room for something?
3. Why did Solomon order that so many animals be sacrificed? What was he “saying”?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• David Guzik’s Notes on 2 Chronicles 7
• Thomas L. Constable’s Expository Notes on 2 Chronicles 7
• Amber Dillon’s “The Sense of an Ending: What Is the Real Last Book of the Old Testament?”

Download “In the World” for May 4, 2025, here.

THEY INSISTED SHE PAY

A pregnant woman carrying twins died in India last month after a charity hospital denied her admission when she couldn’t pay ₹10 lakh in advance (approximately $11,623). “As per the scheme for charitable hospitals under the Bombay Public Trust Act,” said an official government report on the death, “in an emergency, the patient must be admitted immediately and provided life-saving treatment until stabilized.” The woman and her family begged the hospital to admit the woman, who was bleeding heavily, to begin treatment while they arranged funds. The hospital refused and insisted upon payment first. After five hours, the family transported her to another hospital, but after giving birth to twins, the woman died. The government report referred the matter to the police to take appropriate action against the hospital.

HE INSISTED TO PAY

King David witnesses the angel of the Lord bringing plague upon Israel because of David’s census. He begs the Lord to show mercy, and the angel stops over the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The Lord commands David to build an altar on the site, and he approaches the owner to purchase the land. Even though Araunah offers the site to David for free, David insists upon paying full price.

1. When has a hospital or its staff been especially kind to you or someone you know?
2. As far as we know, this was the only time David ever witnessed an angel from God. How do you think it impacted him?
3. What’s an offering you can bring to God that costs something of you (not just financially)?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work Project, “David’s Disobedience to God Causes a National Pestilence (1 Chronicles 21:1–17)”
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on 1 Chronicles 21
• BibleProject Team, “Chronicles: Not Just a Repeat—How Did God View Israel’s History?”

Download “In the World” for April 27, 2025, here.

TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO DALLAS

This month, NBA superstar Luka Dončić returned for a basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, for whom he had played for over five years until his surprise trade in February. This time, Dončić was wearing the purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers, but Dallas fans extended an adoring welcome to him, nonetheless. A two-minute-long tribute video played before he was introduced to the crowd, and all the seats in the arena bore the message, “Hvala za vse,” or “Thank you for everything” in Slovenian, Dončić’s native language. The tribute moved him to tears. “After that video,” he later said, “I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m playing this game.’” But he honored his fans and his new team by giving his best, tying his season high scoring with 45 points in a 112-97 victory to clinch a playoff spot for the Lakers.

TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO HEAVEN

John’s vision gives us a glimpse of the throne room of heaven, after Jesus has accomplished his mission on earth. As the scene begins, John learns that no one can open the sealed scroll in God’s hand—or even take it from his hand. John bursts into tears because of this, but an angel tells him not to weep but to witness the triumph of the Lion of Judah, the Lamb who was slain. By his sacrifice, he has proven himself worthy of every honor. When Jesus takes up the scroll, heaven erupts in worship.

1. Who is your most beloved sports hero, and why?
2. Why do you think that no one in heaven or earth could open the scroll in God’s hand?
3. What about Jesus causes you to erupt in praise and worship?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Audio Podcast: “Five Strategies for Reading Revelation” from Tim Mackie and Jon Collins
• “Are You Ready for an Apocalypse” from BibleProject
• “The Throne Room of God (Revelation 4–5)” from Theology of Work Project

Download “In the World” for April 20, 2025, here.

LIFE BEYOND DEATH

This month in St. Paul, Minnesota, a play called The Tin Woman debuted at Historic Mounds Theatre. The play, which is about a woman who receives a heart transplant, is directed by Joy Donley, whose teenage son died eight years ago. Because the young man was an organ donor, his tissue and organs have gone on to help others—at least sixty at last count. Donley wanted to bring the play to the stage to give hope and to raise awareness about organ donation. “Just knowing that a part of Lewis is still living on this earth is so comforting,” she said. “He always wanted to be a superhero. And as an organ donor, and an eye and tissue donor, he is that superhero.”

VICTORY OVER DEATH

Upon Jesus’ death, the temple curtain rips in two, the earth shakes, and the dead are raised. But Jesus’ power doesn’t stop there. Today’s reading from Matthew records the moment when two women are the first people to see the risen Lord. They fall to the ground and cling to His feet in worship. But Jesus assures them to not be afraid and sends them on with the greatest news of all.

1. What is your opinion of organ donation, and why do you feel that way?
2. How do you think you would’ve reacted if you’d been among those who first saw Jesus risen from the dead?
3. Who do you know who needs a resurrection to eternal life?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Stanley Saunders’s “Commentary on Matthew 27:27–61”
• Mark L. Strauss’s “Matthew: Jesus Is the Promised Messiah”
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on Matthew 27

Download “In the World” for April 13, 2025, here.

HOW TO TELL IF BREAD IS STALE

In bygone years, you could tell if a loaf of bread on your grocery store shelf was fresh or stale by looking at the color of the plastic tag used to seal the package. If it was blue, for example, that loaf would be fresh until Monday. After that, it would be pulled from shelves. But today, most bread makers don’t use the color system; they employ a “Best By” date printed on the packaging. However, if you don’t see the date or just don’t trust it, experts say you can use your senses to test for freshness. If you can see into the bag, look for excessive loose crumbs. Second, squeeze the loaf gently to see if it springs back (if so, it’s fresh). Third, inhale deeply over the package—if there is a yeasty aroma, take that loaf home with you.

HOW TO TELL IF YOU LOVE GOD

Our reading today from 1 John lists several signs for whether or not a person is truly loving God. People can say they love the Lord, but if they don’t live by his commands, their claim isn’t true, at least in that moment. People can profess to follow him, but if they don’t love others, John says that God is not actively living in and through them. When we truly love God, people can tell.

1. What’s your best tip for shopping at the grocery store?
2. Why can it be difficult to perceive someone else’s spiritual health?
3. When do you find that you walk most closely with the Lord?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work Project on 1 John
• Steven J. Cole on “How to Know that You Know Him (1 John 2:3–6)”
• Video: BibleProject Summary of 1–3 John

Download “In the World” for April 6, 2025, here.

END ROBO-CALLS ONCE AND FOR ALL

Consumer investigative reporter Susan Hogan of News4 Washington reported late last month on how to end—or at least drastically reduce—spam, scam, and “robo-calls” on your cell phone. The primary line of defense, Hogan says, is the National Do Not Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov). Register your phone number (for free), and law-abiding telemarketers must strike the number from their call lists. To block those not-so-law-abiding callers, you can install a trusted spam-blocking app or, as a more extreme approach, set your phone to receive phone calls from only those people already in your contacts list.

END SACRIFICES ONCE AND FOR ALL

The text today from Hebrews shows a stark contrast from the repetitive, annual nature of the Jewish high priest’s duties: every year, atoning for the sins of the people. Instead, the final, once-for-all atonement comes by Jesus’s death on the cross. No sacrifice by a flawed high priest could ever make subsequent sacrifices unnecessary, but that is exactly what the Son of God can do. As the atoning sacrifice and eternal high priest, Jesus has cleansed worshipers once for all and is sitting beside the Father in heaven, waiting for all his enemies to be made footstools for his feet.

1. How do you deal with spam calls?
2. What is something you wish you could do one last time and then be done with?
3. How could Jesus be both the sacrifice and the high priest offering a sacrifice?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Christopher T. Holmes’ “Commentary on Hebrews 9:24–28”
• Madison N. Pierce’s “Commentary on Hebrews 9:24–28”
• Video: BibleProject’s “Jesus the Royal Priest”

Download “In the World” for March 30, 2025, here.

DEALING WITH THE IMPACT OF DISEASE

This month marks the five-year anniversary of when COVID-19 was declared a national emergency. Medical staff worked to bring comfort and healing to patients, while trying to remain healthy themselves. Surgical masks, gloves, plastic shields, hand sanitizers, disinfectant sprays, and all manner of remote, touchless, and telehealth tools were brought to bear in the crisis. In addition to the risk of getting sick, healthcare workers carried a psychological burden during the pandemic. Five years on, this still shows up in persistently elevated rates of burnout, anxiety, and more. Treating the physical symptoms of disease is one thing, but addressing the strain on the system is more difficult.

DEALING WITH THE IMPACT OF SIN

Today’s reading records God’s instructions for Aaron on the Day of Atonement. In addition to the sacrifices he needed to make for himself, his family, and the people; he also had to cleanse the tabernacle and holy place themselves. The sin and disorder of the Israelites’ lives could not be allowed to intrude into the sacred places, where God’s visible presence was carefully managed and kept apart.

1. How do you show your appreciation to healthcare workers you know or encounter?
2. What was your experience in the earliest days of COVID-19?
3. If the holy places in the tabernacle were so separate, why do you think Aaron needed to make sacrifices to cleanse them?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Robert L. Deffinbaugh on “The Day of Atonement”
• David Guzik on Leviticus 16
• Theology of Work Project on “The Foundational Concept of Holiness in Leviticus”

Download “In the World” for March 23, 2025, here.

SWEET AROMA TO THE NOSE

Perfumers have a finite number of scent molecules (called “captives”) to combine in order to create fragrances. Developing a captive is a science-heavy sequence that takes up to a decade. But a new startup company, a “fragrance house,” called Generation, uses artificial intelligence—or in this case, olfactory intelligence (so, not AI but OI)—to expedite the process. Captives can now be developed four times faster and with multiple molecules developed simultaneously. The company debuted this month with three “exclusive fragrance ingredients: Glossine, Fractaline, and Quasarine,” which can be licensed by perfumers to create never-before-smelled fragrances. “This isn’t just about making the process faster,” said Generation CEO Alex Wiltschko, “but also smarter and more expressive to help brands create extraordinary products that resonate with consumers.”

SWEET AROMA TO THE LORD

In today’s passage, Moses lays out the Lord’s instructions for burnt offerings. The priests are given specific guidance for preparing sacrifices of herd animals (like oxen), flock animals (like sheep), and birds (like doves). When an animal was prepared correctly and completely burned in the fire, the burnt offering carried a sweet and pleasing aroma to the Lord.

1. What’s your favorite fragrance—whether perfume, food, or something else?
2. How do you feel about AI creating aromas? What potential pros and cons can you see?
3. What does it mean that a pleasing aroma arose to the Lord? How could we seek to do that today?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• BibleProject Article, “Why Leviticus Is Worth Your Time”
• Video: BibleProject’s “Sacrifice and Atonement”
• Robert W. Deffinbaugh, “The Law of Burnt Offerings (Leviticus 1:1–17)”

Download “In the World” for March 16, 2025, here.

A COMPLETE PREPARATION

The 2025 Academy Award-nominated film A Complete Unknown tells the story of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The actor who portrayed Dylan, Timothée Chalamet, spent five years preparing for the role. He worked with dialect and performance coaches to capture Dylan’s signature sound and stage presence. Music teachers—including a harmonica coach!—helped him perform Dylan’s songs for the film. His preparation even included a road trip across the Midwest, visiting significant locations in Dylan’s life. In an interview with the Associated Press, Chalamet reflected on the process: “I feel changed by the experience. . . . The process of it, the yearslong endeavor into it, the dignity in playing something that actually happened. Those were new facets to my experience as an artist.”

A COMPLETE CONSECRATION

This week’s study focuses on God’s instructions to Moses regarding how to consecrate, or make holy, Aaron and his sons as priests. Their consecration required significant preparation: offering sacrifices, undergoing purification, putting on special garments, and being anointed with oil. This extensive process prepared them for their unique role to the Israelites: intermediaries between the people and God.

1. Have you ever had to undergo extensive training and preparation for a role? What did you learn about yourself in the process?
2. What is your reaction to God’s detailed instructions for the priestly consecration? Why were these instructions important?
3. What role(s) might God be calling you to prepare for?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: BibleProject’s “Moses and Aaron”
• Theology of Work Daily Reflection, “Ordination for Ministry”
• Audio/Video Sermon from David Guzik, “I AM Setting You Apart”

Download “In the World” for March 9, 2025, here.

DWELLING WITH THEIR LITTER MATES

The veterinarians of McAlester, Oklahoma (130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City) are being overwhelmed by stray cats and kittens. For example, one home began with one cat on the property that quickly became a colony (or clowder) of cats, numbering over seventy. The county mounted a trap and release program that captured the cats, brought them to vets to be spayed or neutered, and then returned them to their clowders or found homes for them. Last year, the effort treated nearly five hundred cats in this way, and this year the challenge continues. One litter of outdoor cats that were closely bonded were given a great home and are “living their fairy tale life” in a heated barn owned by a family out in the country.

DWELLING WITH THEIR GOD

Today’s reading concerns God’s instruction for Moses and the people to construct a special tent in the wilderness so that the Lord could dwell with his people. This tabernacle was to be a sanctuary that would be the meeting place between the holy presence of God and the people he had brought out of Egypt.

1. Have you ever adopted a pet from a shelter or animal control service? What was it like to welcome this pet to dwell in your home?
2. Why do you think God wanted the people to build the tabernacle?
3. What is your reaction to the detailed instructions God gave for the tabernacle? Why were they important?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Podcast Series from BibleProject: “What’s So Special about the Tabernacle”
• Video: BibleProject’s Summary of Exodus 19–40
• Bob Deffinbaugh on “The Hope of Heaven: The Tabernacle, A Taste of Heaven”

Download “In the World” for March 2, 2025, here.

A TREASURED PLAYER

Super Bowl LIX is now history, and the Philadelphia Eagles are triumphant. With the win, the Eagles’ wide receiver DeVonta Smith joins an elite group with only four other players: those who 1) won the Heisman Trophy in college; 2) played on the team that won a National Championship (Smith actually won two of these); and 3) played on the team that won the Super Bowl. Only Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen, Reggie Bush, and Charles Woodson have achieved as much. In an interview, Smith said he was “still setting an example for the kids back at home. [Still showing them] the way to go about things, the way to do things, just giving them a vision. Just giving them a dream to chase.”

A TREASURED PEOPLE

In today’s reading, the children of Israel have been delivered from Egypt and guided through the desert for three months. The Lord gives Moses a message for the people: if they obey fully and keep God’s covenant, God shall make them his treasure: a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation” before the whole earth (Exodus 19:5–6). Their immediate response is to promise to do whatever God shall ask!

1. Who is the most accomplished athlete you’ve ever met?
2. When you look at the whole record of the Jewish people in the Bible, what do you make of examples of great faithfulness?
3. How can you make sure you are walking in obedience to God?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Kristin J. Wendland’s “Commentary on Exodus 19:2–8a”
• Callie Plunket-Brewton’s “Commentary on Exodus 19:2–8a”
• Tim Mackie’s, “Israel’s Rebellion in the Wilderness”

Download “In the World” for February 23, 2025, here.

IT WAS REALLY THE QUEEN

Some ten years before her death, Queen Elizabeth II had an amusing encounter with two American tourists. The Americans were hiking in a forested area near the queen’s country estate in Scotland, when they came upon an elderly woman and a number of male companions. They all started to chat, and one of the hikers asked if the woman had ever met the queen, since they were so close to one of her residences. The older woman said she had not, but one of her escorts met with the queen regularly. So the American asked with excitement whether the woman would be kind enough to take his picture with the man who knew the queen, which she did. Perhaps just to be nice, he also had his picture taken with the sweet lady. Only later, when friends back home were looking at his travel photos, did he realize that he’d been talking with the queen of England.

IT WAS REALLY THE KING

Today’s reading is Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats. Both groups are judged on how well they have treated “Jesus” when they met him. But neither group remembered ever meeting him, and they certainly didn’t remember visiting him (or refusing to visit) when he was sick, or in prison. Only at the end does the king reveal that whatever kindness—or lack thereof—that they extended to any person in need is a kindness unto him. Every person in need is connected to the king of all creation.

1. What’s the best story you’ve ever heard about someone who met a celebrity, perhaps without realizing who it was?
2. Do you know anyone who might be in pain or need right now? Who?
3. How can we directly minister to the King of Kings?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use.

If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Carla Works’s “Commentary on Matthew 25:31–46”
• Theology of Work on “Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31–46)”
• Audio: Bob Deffinbaugh’s sermon, “Separating the Sheep from the Goats (Matthew 25:31–46)”

Download “In the World” for February 16, 2025 here.

TREASURED AWARD

On February 2, Beyoncé received the Album of the Year Grammy for her first-ever country album, “Cowboy Carter.” Despite the album’s win being determined by the 13,000 voting members of The Recording Academy, this year’s Grammys have received online backlash. After Beyoncé’s win was announced, cameras panned to Album of the Year nominee Billie Eilish, who could be seen with tears in her eyes. Many online believe that Eilish was snubbed by the Academy and deserved the win instead.

TREASURES IN HEAVEN

In today’s reading, a rich young man asks Jesus what good thing he could do to gain eternal life. Jesus points him back to God, who is the source of all that is good. But the man is unsatisfied and asks Jesus to name some commands, so Jesus lists the commands of Exodus 20—specifically those that deal with how we should behave toward other people. The rich young man claims that he has kept the commandments and presses Jesus further. Jesus tells the man to sell all he has and to give the money to the poor and follow Jesus. The man departs, mourning. Jesus turns to the disciples and teaches that it is difficult for the rich to enter God’s kingdom, yet with God all things are possible.

1. What is the worth of awards, such as the Grammys?
2. Have you ever seen an award go to someone who may not have deserved it as much as someone else? How did you respond?
3. How do heavenly treasures compare to earthly treasures that signify excellence?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work Project on “The Rich Young Man (Matthew 19:16–30)”
• Allen Ross’s “Wealth and the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:16–30)”
• Shane Morris’s “Why Moses Chose Exile”

Download “In the World” for February 9, 2025 here.

CONFIRMING CANDIDATES TO THEIR POSTS

During the last several weeks, members of the US Senate have been at work after the new administration took office. The president’s picks for cabinet and important roles require a majority vote of confirmation, and some of the votes have been extremely close. No matter what side of the aisle is voting, the basic question is, “Is this the right pick for the job?” According to the Constitution, the Senate gives “advice and consent,” which means this legislative body must approve or disapprove of each candidate after they have been nominated and examined.

CONFIRMING THAT JESUS IS GOD’S PICK

In the reading from Matthew 11, John the Baptist is seeking confirmation about whether Jesus can do the job of Messiah. John sends messengers to inquire what Jesus has to say, and Jesus ends up being the one making confirmation—confirmation that John was a prophet sent by God, preparing the way for one who was greater.

1. How do you determine whether someone is the right candidate to do a job? What do you look for on a resume?
2. When have you recently struggled to explain yourself to someone else?
3. What makes Jesus uniquely qualified to be God’s pick, the Messiah and the one to follow?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Dale Allison Jr.’s “Commentary on Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30”
• Nicholas J. Schaser’s “Commentary on Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30”
• Video: BibleProject’s “Character Insight: John the Baptizer”

Download “In the World” for February 2, 2025 here.

ROOM FOR REFUGE

In 1975, a room was discovered below a trapdoor in a storage closet of the Medici Chapel. In this building where the great sculptor and painter Michelangelo once worked, a tiny room had been long forgotten. But when the layers of plaster were carefully removed, the walls revealed intricate sketches of artistic masterpieces. Historians now think that this creative master of the Renaissance took private refuge in the narrow, windowless room to escape the danger and attention of political upheavals in Florence. There, in the candlelit darkness, he practiced his craft with charcoal sketches. This year is the first time the room is open to the public.

ROOM FOR PRAYER

In this lesson from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus discusses the role of prayer in preparing ourselves for work in God’s kingdom. Christ’s followers are not to seek attention through their prayer, but they are to find the privacy for a conversation with the heavenly Father, “who sees what is done in secret” (Matt. 6:15).

1. How do you find balance between activity and solitude in your work or ministry?
2. Where do you go to “retreat” for prayer?
3. What differences do you notice between your private prayers and prayers you might hear in public?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Richard W. Swanson’s “Commentary on Matthew 6:7–21”
• April Hoelke Simpson’s “Commentary on Matthew 6:7–21”
• Theology of Work Project on “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread (Matthew 6:11)”

Download “In the World” for January 26, 2025 here.

GENERATIONS CONNECT AT COLLEGE

College students get to meet people who are different from themselves, but most students don’t form friendships with someone in their seventies, eighties, or nineties. That is exactly what Michigan State University is promoting through their “Generations Connect” program. Each incoming student is paired with an adult from the community, and the students are encouraged to learn from the wisdom and experience around the room. The program has proved to be very popular, with both students and seniors surprised at the depth of connections. As the founder, John Waller, explains, “It takes . . . being kind to thrive in a program like this. . . . It seems to me to be one of the most important things you can learn.”

GENERATIONS EXTOL GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

Psalm 145—the final psalm attributed to David—describes a testimony that God’s people can share of his faithfulness. To praise God “forever and ever” requires that we give a consistent witness, that we praise God for all the ways that he is worthy to be enthroned as king. That’s how the psalmist can know that praise won’t stop with us; God’s kingdom will continue “for all generations.”

1. When have you connected with someone far older or younger than yourself?
2. What do you think younger generations can teach us through their praise of God?
3. What can older generations teach us through their praise of God?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Jerome Creach’s “Commentary of Psalm 145:10–18”
• Bruce K. Waltke’s Commentary on Psalm 145
• Theology of Work Project on Psalm 145

Download “In the World” for January 19, 2025 here.

AS FAR AS VOYAGER 1 IS FROM VOYAGER 2

In 1977, NASA launched twin spacecraft to explore the outer planets of our solar system. The aptly named Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 completed their initial missions in 1989. Since then, they have been speeding away from the earth in different directions. Miraculously, both spacecraft continue to transmit data back to earth. They are the two manmade objects farthest from earth and also the two active manmade objects farthest from one another. In January 2025, Voyager 1 is 15.4 billion miles from earth and Voyager 2 is 12.3 billion miles from earth. But because they’re traveling on different trajectories, their distance from one another is roughly 16.6 billion miles. They started out as twins, but now they are as far apart as the east is from the west.

AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST

Today’s text is a glorious psalm that soars to great heights to express the love of God for those who fear him. God’s love prompts him to distance our transgressions from us. If the span between east and west could be measured, then the distance would be how far our sins have been removed. Reverence of the Lord is wise indeed!

1. What’s the farthest from home you have ever traveled?
2. Which space mission is most memorable to you, and why?
3. Why would God place distance between us and our transgressions?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Nancy deClaissé-Walford’s “Commentary on Psalm 103”
• Bruce K. Waltke’s Commentary on Psalm 103
• JFB Commentary on Psalm 103

Download “In the World” for January 12, 2025 here.

THE WAVES LIFTED UP

A tragedy unfolded last month on the coast of Thailand. Kamilla Belyatskaya (24), an aspiring actress from Russia, was killed while on vacation in Surat Thani Province. She had taken her yoga mat out onto a scenic rock outcropping just above the choppy and unpredictable surf at the Lad Koh viewing point. Tourist video happened to catch her in the distance meditating on the rock just as a rogue wave appears and engulfs her. Belyatskaya was swept into the water as onlookers tried to assist. She was seen struggling in the surf. Rescuers arrived quickly, but they were hampered by dangerous sea conditions Her body was found the following evening on a beach less than a mile away.

THE SEAS LIFTED UP

Our text this week is a psalm of praise to God as Lord over the mighty seas and raging waves. He is clothed in majesty and robed in strength. He is mightier than the breakers of the sea and the thunder of deep waters, and so His statutes stand firm.

1. When have you experienced danger on or near the water?
2. What’s the mightiest “force of nature” you’ve ever witnessed?
3. To what could you compare the might and stability of God?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Beth L. Tanner’s “Commentary on Psalm 93”
• Bruce K. Waltke’s Commentary on Psalm 93
• Hans Wiersma’s “Commentary on Psalm 93”

Download “In the World” for January 5, 2025 here.

AFFLICTED BY FIRE

After five years of restoration, the Notre Dame Cathedral has reopened. In 2019, a fire broke out in Paris’s iconic cathedral. It destroyed the spire and roof and damaged the building’s interior. Support flooded in from around the globe, with financial giving totaling over $890 million. But the full care shown in protecting and restoring this historical building can be seen in the methods and materials used. While updates have been made—including a sprinkler system to prevent future fires—the restoration project has largely kept to historical practices and materials. The wood and stone for this restoration are the very same types used when Notre Dame was first constructed.

AFFLICTED BY INJUSTICE

The psalmist cries out to God, lamenting the actions of the wicked. But the psalmist is not alone in his troubles, for God sees everything the afflicted endure. The oppressed are not alone in their suffering. God will act and provide help to those who hurt. He has not abandoned them, and never will. The psalmist asks the Lord to enact justice against the wicked. Their actions will not go unchecked; God will respond to their victim’s cries.

1. What fires or natural disasters stand out in your mind because of the damage they caused?
2. When has God shown you that he cares for you in your affliction?
3. How can you show your care for someone who is suffering?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Bob Utley on Psalm 10
• David Guzik’s “Study Guide for Psalm 10”
• Bruce K. Waltke’s Commentary on Psalm 10

Download “In the World” for December 29, 2024 here.

A SON OF MORAVIA

A new mother—Molly Bryant—was interviewed after her social media posts went viral. According to Bryant, she and her husband had prepared for months to name their child but had not settled on a boy’s name. Molly unexpectedly delivered a few weeks early, and it was a boy! The couple still did not have a name. With only five minutes remaining before hospital discharge, Bryant’s husband made an unconventional choice. He wrote “Moravian” as their son’s middle name (to honor their Moravian Church heritage). But after bringing their son home, the couple eventually decided to pay to change his name to something more common, which generated a mixed reaction on social media.

A SON OF DAVID

Following last week’s lesson on Jesus’ birth, this lesson from Luke 18 describes an occasion when Jesus is called “Son of David.” This kingly title means that Jesus is the long-awaited heir to David’s throne. It signals the fulfillment of God’s promise that a descendant of David will rule forever. On this occasion, the person using a messianic title for Jesus is a man born blind—a person anticipating Jesus’ show of mercy. Jesus demonstrates a different kind of kingship when he heals the man, a kingship characterized by mercy, justice, and love.

1. What makes a good name?
2. When have you struggled with a name (pronouncing, remembering, etc.)?
3. How does healing demonstrate the kingship of Jesus?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Steven J. Cole’s “When Jesus Passes By (Luke 18:35–43)”
• Video: BibleProject’s “David the Priestly King”
• Karl Jacobson’s “Commentary on Luke 18:31–19:10”

Download “In the World” for December 22, 2024 here.

CHILDREN WANTED

Starting in 2025, government workers in Japan will implement a four-day workweek. While shorter workweeks have been shown to reduce stress, encourage the retention of employees, and improve their mental health; the shortened workweek for Japanese workers is intended to improve the country’s record-low birthrate of just 1.2 births per person. In contrast, it takes a fertility rate of 2.1 births per person to maintain a population, which has a large impact on a country’s economic and cultural stability. Without enough children being born, Japan has struggled to maintain its social safety net and standard of living for a rapidly aging population. The impact of a reduced workweek is being watched by researchers and policymakers in other countries, most eager to find ways to prop up their own declining birthrates.

A SAVIOR GIVEN

Luke’s Gospel records the birth of Jesus amidst a census and the counting of people. Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem in obedience to this decree, which is why Jesus is born in the city of David—born a king in the humblest of circumstances. Then, God sends word of this blessed child’s birth to the poor and lowly shepherds in nearby fields—far from what we might expect as the welcome party for a heavenly king. But through the birth of this promised Savior, God shows favor to the socially marginalized and those ready to receive the Messiah’s birth with joy.

1. Why do you think many wealthy countries of the world are seeing declining birthrates?
2. What makes the birth of any child a sign of hope?
3. What makes Christ’s birth a sign of even greater hope?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Gilberto A. Ruiz’s “Commentary on Luke 2:8–20”
• Video: BibleProject’s “The Birth of Jesus: Luke 1–2”
• Video: BibleProject’s “Shalom/Peace”

Download “In the World” for December 8, 2024 here.

DELIGHTED WITH A PRIZE

The stakes were high last month when the judges announced the winner of the coveted Scottish Fish & Chips Award. At a black-tie gala in Glasgow in mid-November, East Coast Fish & Chips of Musselburgh (east of Edinburgh) took home the prize. Owners Gabriella and Riccardo Pia said they were “just delighted” with the win. “There were a lot of well-deserving chip shops up for the award, and it is a big competition,” they said. “We try and keep our customers happy and always listen to feedback from them.” The awards are organized by Paramount Creative. “A win or even a highly recommended nod from us is a seal of approval you can trust,” said Warren Paul, Paramount’s CEO. “Our winners’ success speaks for itself year after year.”

DELIGHTED WITH DAVID

King David expresses his intention to build a permanent house (a temple) for the ark of the Lord. And while Nathan the prophet initially tells David to do what he has in mind, God instead tells him that David shall not be the one to build this temple. However, we can detect in the Lord’s words some delight in the intent of David’s heart. He announces many blessings upon David and his family, including making his name stand among the names of the greatest men on earth, a promise which has been fulfilled.

1. What makes for great fish and chips?
2. When has someone’s loving act moved you with delight?
3. In what ways was David a man after God’s own heart?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Jacqueline E. Lapsley’s “Commentary on 2 Samuel 7:1–17”
• Klaus-Peter Adam’s “Commentary on 2 Samuel 7:1–14a”
• Brandon D. Crowe’s “Covenant and Law”

Download “In the World” for December 1, 2024 here.

BETTER THAN SEVEN DOCTORS

Computer scientists at Washington State University (WSU) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify signs of disease better than humans. Using a process called “deep learning,” the researchers trained an AI program on real animal and human biopsy images. “This AI-based deep learning program was very, very accurate at looking at these tissues,” said Michael Skinner, a WSU biologist involved with the study. The system did in minutes what human experts take hours or days to do, and it also did a better job, spotting signs of disease that human teams had missed. The system holds special potential for quickly and accurately diagnosing cancer and other gene-related diseases.

BETTER THAN SEVEN SONS

When Ruth bore a son to Boaz, the boy (named Obed) was considered Naomi’s son for the purposes of family lineage and inheritance. The women of Bethlehem celebrated the resurrection of Naomi’s prospects and heritage, saying that her daughter-in-law Ruth had become to her better than seven sons.

1. What excites or worries you about the rapid development of artificial intelligence?
2. In what ways do you think Naomi considered Obed her own son?
3. When have you found God’s blessings to be even better than what you had hoped to receive?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• “Ruth: BIG Message in a SHORT Story” from BibleProject Team
• “Commentary on Ruth 1:1–4:22” from Kathryn M. Schifferdecker
• Audio Podcast: “Preaching Series on Ruth” from Rolf Jacobson, Craig R. Koester, and Kathryn M. Schifferdecker

Download “In the World” for November 24, 2024 here.

RESTING PLACE IN THE DEPTHS

Last month, after more than one hundred years on the ocean floor, a famous sunken ship became “accessible” to explorers. Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sank in 1915 in the icy waters of the Weddell Sea near Antarctica. The ship was stuck in pack ice and sank, though all hands survived. The wreck was discovered in 2022, and over twenty-five thousand high-resolution photos were taken. Those images have been used to create a detailed 3D model of the wreck, just as it rests on the ocean floor. The model was made to accompany the National Geographic documentary Endurance, which can be seen on the Disney+ streaming service.

BED IN THE DEPTHS

In Psalm 139, David asked where he could go from God’s Spirit. He rejoiced that the Lord hemmed him in, knew his sitting and standing, witnessed his coming and going, and was always there—in whatever place he might go. Whether he flew to the highest heavens or made his bed in the lowest depths of the sea, the Lord’s hand would hold fast.

1. What shipwreck do you find most fascinating?
2. Where have you been where you became grateful God could be there with you?
3. How does the knowledge of God’s consistent presence affect your prayer life?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Article: Ken Mbugua, “How to Give Thanks When You’re Far from Home”
• Bruce K. Waltke, Commentary on Psalm 139
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “The Work of Marriage, Raising Children, and Caring for Parents (Psalm 127; 128; 139)”

Download “In the World” for November 17, 2024 here.

PRAISE IN THE COURT

Last month in Auckland, the New Zealand Bar Association held its annual Sentencing Advocacy Competition for university students studying law. Twenty students are selected to make submissions to the contest based on a fictitious court case. They appear before actual high court judges in real courtrooms to make their submissions either for the Crown or the defense. Winners advance to the semifinals and finals, until two top students are named. This year, Blake Storrier was named the winner and Charlie Harmer runner-up. Both students were from the University of Auckland. Justice David Johnstone presided over the final round and was deeply impressed with the litigating and advocacy skills of the finalists. “Their performances,” he said, “were truly excellent.”

PRAISE IN HIS COURTS

Today’s text is a glorious psalm of praise and thanksgiving. The psalmist calls the whole earth to shout praise to the Lord. Though it is a short psalm, it gives a wide array of images and aspects of praise for God. We thank him, shout for joy to him, rejoice in his shepherding—and our role as his sheep, rejoice over his faithfulness, and enter his courts with praise.

1. Do you have Thanksgiving plans this year? What are they? If you’re not from the US, what makes you curious about the celebration of Thanksgiving?
2. What do you think it would be like to stand in the highest court in the land in order to argue an important case?
3. What is your favorite way to praise and thank God?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Bruce K. Waltke, Commentary on Psalm 100
• Article: Courtney Reissig, “Use the Psalms to Teach Kids about Feelings”
• Joel LeMon, “Commentary on Psalm 100”

Download “In the World” for November 10, 2024 here.

GREATEST MEMORY OF HIS LIFE

A young Texas boy recently had his horizons expanded by a train engine. Tommy, age ten, of Navasota, joined hundreds of others to witness the glorious arrival of “Big Boy,” the largest steam locomotive in the world. The massive black locomotive pulled into the Navasota station as part of Union Pacific’s nationwide “Heartland of America Tour.” Video of the event shows Tommy’s exuberance: “It’s six hundred and four tons of pure metal! It’s just absolutely mind-blowing that I was able to have the experience to see this. Unforgettable. This will be an unforgettable experience for the rest of my life.”

PRAISING GOD ALL HIS LIFE

Our texts today are two psalms of great praise for the Lord. We can almost hear the psalmist’s exuberance as he declares his vow to worship him all his life and sing his praises, along with everything in the world that has breath.

1. What’s your earliest positive memory?
2. How might trains have been part of your life?
3. When have you been so full of praise for God that you could’ve written a psalm like one of these?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Bruce K. Waltke, Commentary on Psalm 146
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “Psalm 146”
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “Psalm 150”

Download “In the World” for November 3, 202 here.

BY HIS SIDE ON THE ROAD

John Darwen and James Baker are brothers-in-law living in England who together hold a Guinness World Record for farthest distance pulling a vehicle in twenty-four hours. Each of the pair has pulled a different van with a harness. They first jointly achieved their record in 2021—reaching just over twenty-two miles—and they later topped their own distance by each pulling to thirty-two miles. They began their task because John had been diagnosed with leukemia, and James (married to John’s sister) wanted to encourage John in his fight. John is now a cancer survivor, and they pull to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Two miles from their goal, John felt he couldn’t go on. James reached their target distance then unhooked and went back to encourage John, and they did reach their record distance side by side. “Crossing the line together, that will never leave me,” John said. “I think that’s one of the greatest achievements for me.”

BY HIS SIDE IN THE VALLEY

Psalm 23 is among the best-known texts in the Bible. David or the psalmist describes how the Lord is always by his side, both in lows and highs. Knowing that God will never leave him—even (or especially) in the depths of darkness or the presence of enemies—gives the psalmist hope for a blessed future.

1. When have you done something to encourage someone else who is struggling?
2. What’s a record or achievement that you share with pride?
3. How has Psalm 23 been meaningful to you?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “God’s Presence in Our Struggles at Work (Psalm 23)”
• Bob Deffinbaugh, “Psalm 23: A Psalm that Calms the Soul”
• Stephen J. Cole “Psalm 23: Contentment”

Download “In the World” for October 27, 2024 here.

A BEACON OF HOPE ON CHIMNEY ROCK

Hurricane Helene caused extreme damage and loss of life when it made landfall this month. Some of the hardest-hit areas were nowhere near the beach. The village of Chimney Rock, NC—over three hundred miles from the coast—was essentially wiped off the map by the storm. Western North Carolina had been soaked with days of “predecessor rains” ahead of the hurricane, and then the storm itself dropped much more moisture onto the already-saturated ground. The namesake for the town is a stone outcropping, called Chimney Rock, which always flies an American flag on top. The flag was taken out in the storm, but a team from the State Parks carved their way to the top as soon as they were able and raised the flag. Town officials hailed it as a beacon of hope. “I know we’ll get through this,” said resident Nick Sottile. “I know we’ll rebuild.”

HOPE BUILT UPON THE ROCK

In Psalm 62, David expresses his concern about enemies who threaten—while concealing their intentions behind words of blessing. Twice in the psalm, David calls God his rock and his salvation, an unshakeable fortress. While these enemies may have had some measure of strength, he knows that true power belongs to the Lord alone, and this brings him hope.

1. How have you been affected by severe weather this year?
2. When have you been part of an effort to rebuild something damaged or destroyed?
3. What is it about God that makes him a rock, a fortress, and an unshakeable foundation?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Wendell Frerichs, “Commentary on Psalm 62:5–12”
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “Anxiety when Unscrupulous People Succeed (Psalms 49; 50; 52; 62)
• Bruce K. Waltke, Commentary on Psalm 62

Download “In the World” for October 20, 2024 here.

NO MORE DIABETES?

This month, Cell, a peer-reviewed medical journal, published the results of a breakthrough study in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. The subject was a twenty-five-year-old woman in China whose diabetes had caused her to receive two liver transplants and a pancreas transplant. Fat cells from her body were removed and chemically induced to become stem cells, which could then be formed into “islet” cells that typically exist in the pancreas for the purpose of producing insulin. The islet cells were injected into her abdomen, and within three months her body was creating insulin at healthy, non-diabetic levels. The results persisted one year after treatment, and the study has been expanded to more patients. Research teams around the world are using this approach and having similar success.

NO MORE DEATH

In today’s text, Isaiah praises God’s deliverance of his people. In addition to celebrating the Lord’s faithfulness in the past, Isaiah looks ahead to what God will do in the future for those who trust in him. The prophet says God will destroy the shroud and veil that is currently covering all people and nations. The Lord will swallow up death and wipe away every tear.

1. Who do you know who struggles with diabetes?
2. When you hear of a shroud or veil that covers people, what does it make you think of?
3. What is one sorrow you would gladly lay aside or leave behind if you could?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Stephen B. Reid, “Commentary on Isaiah 25:1–9”
• Dave Coulter, “Commentary on Isaiah 25:1–9”
• Bob Utley, “Isaiah 25”

Download “In the World” for October 13, 2024 here.

FEELING ABANDONED ON A BUS

Last month in Warsaw, IL, four-year-old Amelia Tibbits was accidentally left on a school bus after everyone else went inside the school. The school did not call home to check about the absence, so no one knew she was missing. Her grandfather, who put Amelia and her brother on the bus in the morning, met the bus when it returned a couple of hours later; but the little girl didn’t get off. He called the school and immediately filed a report with the sheriff’s office. Meanwhile, Amelia called attention to her plight by repeatedly honking the bus horn until a passing teacher came to investigate. She was reunited with her family after the scare, but an investigation is now underway regarding how this happened.

FEELING FORSAKEN BY GOD

Today’s text shares David’s famous lament, which expresses feelings of abandonment by God. Jesus echoes the same words on the cross. One of many events in David’s life could have prompted these anxious sentiments, including King Saul’s relentless pursuit of him into the wilderness. Despite his fear, David praises the Lord, hoping for rescue and trusting himself to God’s provision.

1. When have you felt abandoned or forsaken?
2. Is it easy or difficult for you to trust God in desperate circumstances?
3. Why do you think the words of this psalm were on Jesus’ mind as He hung on the cross?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Rebecca Poe Hays, “Commentary on Psalm 22”
• Steven J. Cole, “Psalm 22: The Sufferings and Glory of Christ”
• Bruce K. Waltke, Commentary on Psalm 22

Download “In the World” for October 6, 2024 here.

PURIFIED WATER

Researchers in China published an article last month in the journal Nature Communications about their development of a highly effective method of purifying saltwater. One strategy for desalinating water is to use a special membrane to block all salt and other impurities. Such a membrane would have to block contaminants, even liquid water, while allowing pure water vapor to pass through and form condensation on the other side. The scientists developed a membrane inspired by the surface structures of a bug called a springtail. Their surfaces feature unique structures that capture air pockets, which completely block water. This allows springtails to submerge themselves in water for days without getting wet. By replicating this surface in the lab and applying it to a membrane, the researchers created a way to reject 99.9% of salt in saltwater, leaving pure water on the other side.

PURIFIED HEART

Our text today shows David’s intense desire for God to purify his heart so that he might return to the joy of his salvation. He longs for the Lord to cleanse him from his sin and wash away his iniquities. By submitting himself to God’s mercy and ability to cleanse him from sin, David asks that his transgressions might be blotted out.

1. Why is water purification such an important issue today?
2. When have you felt an intense desire for God to purify your heart?
3. What is the Lord’s attitude toward us when we come to Him in repentance?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Ericka Shawndricka Dunbar, “Commentary on 2 Samuel 11:1–5, 26–27; 12:1–9; Psalm 51:1–9”
• Elizabeth Webb, “Commentary on Psalm 51:1–12”
• Bob Utley, “Psalm 51”

Download “In the World” for September 29, 2024 here.

GOD BECAME HIS SALVATION

Last year, former Disney star Joshua Bassett (who played a leading role in High School Musical: The Musical; The Series) had a radical encounter with Jesus and has given his life to the Lord. “I grew up Christian,” he has said. “And I ran the other way as far as I could go, in pursuit of ‘truth,’ and that only ended in addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorder, etc.” Since his salvation, for which he has faced intense scrutiny, he has attempted to live out his faith. “When you find peace and happiness and you find what you truly believe is the answer to so much, it is hard to keep that to yourself and not want to share that with people. And so, I’m trying to find the balance of sharing my faith in a way that people don’t feel like I’m attacking them.”

GOD BECAME THEIR SALVATION

After God had delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptian army at the Red Sea, Moses and Miriam led the people in an exuberant song of praise. The Lord was their strength and defense, they sang, and now he had become their salvation. They proclaimed their faith that he would lead them into whatever the future held.

1. How can we pray for a young Christian like Joshua, who is in such a bright media spotlight?
2. How did Jesus become your salvation?
3. What can sustain our faith when hardships come?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Video: Carmen Imes on “Prophetic Song”
• Shane Morris’s Article “Why Moses Chose Exile”
• Video: Sermon from David Guzik, “I AM Your Song”

Download “In the World” for September 22, 2024 here.

REVIVING THE OLYMPICS

Earlier this month, the Paralympics concluded in Paris, where the Olympics took place the previous month. The ancient Olympics ran for nearly twelve hundred years, from 776 BC to AD 393, before Emperor Theodosius I ended them. But after several centuries, in 1894 Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin organized the first Olympic Congress to revive the Olympic Games. The first of the modern Olympics was held in 1896, in Athens, Greece. After a more than fifteen-hundred-year hiatus, the games were back. And except for major world events like world wars and global pandemics, they have returned at regular intervals ever since.

REVIVING THE PASSOVER

After the death of the prophet Samuel and the conclusion of the golden age of Israel’s united kingdom under David and Solomon, God’s people descended into idolatry. Over the next four hundred years, the temple fell into disrepair and the Book of the Law was neglected. When King Josiah had been on the throne eighteen years, he began a renovation of the temple, where the Book of the Law was rediscovered. This led Josiah to lead the nation in a great revival, so that the temple might be restored and the Passover might be observed once more.

1. What’s something you resumed after taking a long break?
2. What tradition would you like to see revived?
3. If you were to revive something in your spiritual life, what would it be?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• BibleProject’s Guide: 2 Chronicles 1–36—Judah’s Kings and an Unfinished Story
• Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary on 2 Chronicles 35
• David Guzik’s Commentary on 2 Chronicles 35

Download “In the World” for September 15, 2024 here.

SHOWING AN EXPERT

When seven-year-old Liam Fisher and his dad were hiking with family in North Dakota and spotted a fossilized bone, they thought it was just a common “chunk-osaurus”—a true dinosaur bone but from something too small to be identifiable. However, they snapped a photo and sent it to family friend Tyler Lyson, the associate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Lyson was intrigued and organized an excavation, which eventually unearthed several bones, teeth, and most of the skull of a tyrannosaurus rex. That cinched it for Lyson: “It doesn’t get any more diagnostic than that, seeing these giant tyrannosaurus teeth staring back at you.” The story was made public at a press conference last month, which announced the forthcoming exhibit at the Denver museum and an accompanying documentary film about the find.

SHOWING THE LORD

Today’s text focuses on King Hezekiah’s reaction to a threatening letter from King Sennacherib of Assyria. Sennacherib wrote to Hezekiah, threatening to destroy Judah no matter what god they called upon to save them. Hezekiah read it and immediately went to the temple to spread out the letter before the Lord, whom he called upon to deliver Judah from the might of Assyria. God graciously answered the king with a promise: God would rescue a remnant which would bear fruit.

1. What’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever found or discovered?
2. Have you ever discovered something that needed an expert opinion? When?
3. How might we approach God in prayer, when we are faced with something frightening?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Thomas L. Constable notes on 2 Kings 19
• The BibleProject summary of 1–2 Kings
• Audio: David Guzik’s Enduring Word devotional, “Praying to the God You Know”

Download “In the World” for September 8, 2024 here.

SERVICES RESTORED AFTER DISPUTE

The two largest railways in Canada—Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City—briefly shut down operations late last month following a dispute with workers. The Canada Industrial Relations Board shut the railways down amidst negotiations between the companies and the Teamsters union. The stoppage furloughed more than nine thousand workers; disrupted freight traffic nationwide; and affected commuter lines in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Then, less than a week later, the board ordered the lines opened again ahead of binding arbitration.

BLESSINGS RESTORED AFTER REPENTANCE

In today’s text, Solomon is praying to the Lord at the dedication of the temple. He wisely foresees that Israel will one day stand in violation of the covenant with God. But Solomon invokes God’s faithfulness and requests that he forgive and restore the covenant blessings, if the people shall later turn back to him with all their heart.

1. What is your favorite memory associated with trains and railroads?
2. How do you feel about the idea that God extends or withholds blessings based on our behavior and choices?
3. What is similar and what is different about the restoration that God offers to Christians who wander?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Kyle Brooks’s “Commentary on 1 Kings 8:[1, 6, 10–11] 22–30, 41–43”
• Garrett Galvin’s “Commentary on 1 Kings 8:[1, 6, 10–11] 22–30, 41–43”
• Bob Deffinbaugh’s “The Reign of Solomon (1 Kings 1–11)

Download “In the World” for September 1, 2024 here.

DEDICATING THE REBUILDING EFFORT

In July of this year, a fire burned down a portion of the 134-year-old sanctuary at the heart of enormous campus of First Baptist Dallas, which occupies six blocks of the city. But last month, some three thousand members gathered around the destroyed area for a photo, vowing not only to rebuild but also to show the community that the church isn’t a building but a people, and their ministry never stopped. Extensive investigation and “selective demolition” work must be done before reconstruction can begin, but the church leadership urged its people to come, to serve, to give, and most of all, to pray.

DEDICATING THE NEW HOME

When Abram and Lot decided to settle in different parts of Canaan, as covered in today’s text, Lot chose the well-watered plain of the Jordan River. Then God showed Abram the four corners of the land and told him to tour it all, because the Lord was giving it to him and his descendants. When Abram decided to put down roots near the oaks of Mamre in Hebron, the first thing he did was build an altar for the worship of God.

1. If you were building a new church, what would your first steps be?
2. Why do some churches collapse as a result of a crisis (like a fire or COVID-19) while other churches seem to find new life?
3. What does it suggest to you that Abram pitched his tents and immediately built an altar to the Lord?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on Genesis 13
• Diane Miller on Genesis 13
• Video: BibleProject on Genesis 12–50

Download “In the World” for August 25, 2024 here.

REPURPOSED FROM NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The Hanford site in Washington state produced nearly two-thirds of the plutonium used in the Manhattan project in World War 2. It was decommissioned in 1960, and clean-up efforts began in the 1980s. And now the Department of Energy is including the site in its Cleanup to Clean Energy initiative. Late last month, plans were announced to build a gigawatt-scale solar farm on the site, converting a facility that once made radioactive plutonium for nuclear bombs to one that creates carbon-free, sustainable energy for local communities.

REGENERATED FROM UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

Our text this week is a passage from Paul’s letter to Titus. The apostle draws a stark contrast between the behaviors anyone demonstrates before and after they are introduced to the love and kindness of the Savior. When Jesus pours the Holy Spirit out on us in salvation, we are washed, renewed, and reborn and given the hope of eternal life.

1. What’s the biggest industrial clean-up project you know of?
2. In what ways were you washed and renewed when you came to Christ?
3. How should we think about unsaved people who behave in toxic or ungodly ways?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Audio (5 minutes): David Guzik’s “Remember What You Used to Be”
• Thomas L. Constable’s expository notes on Titus 3
• Whitney Wollard’s “Titus: A Counter-Cultural Gospel for Cretans”

Download “In the World” for August 18, 2024 here.

A BEACH OPEN TO ALL

Frank Picozzi, mayor of Warwick, Rhode Island, was speaking with an elderly resident who was confined to a wheelchair and really missing the ability to enjoy the local beaches. “It just kind of struck a chord with me,” Picozzi says, and he set about researching how to make Oakland Beach more accessible for the elderly and people with disabilities. He learned about beach-friendly wheelchairs that can go on sand and into the water. But these chairs are expensive and often require a lifeguard or attendant to operate safely. The city partnered with the Joey Andrade Foundation, which purchased and donated two of the chairs. Those wheelchairs became available for public use last month, and now the beach is accessible to more people.

SALVATION OPEN TO ALL

Today’s text from Paul’s letter to Titus discusses the hope of eternal life that God planned before time began and that was finally revealed through grace in Jesus. God’s design from the beginning was to make salvation open to all, and this teaches us to deny temptation as we wait for the glory of Jesus to be revealed for the world to see.

1. What’s an accommodation you’d like to see made for people with disabilities?
2. How could it affect our evangelism to consider that salvation has always been intended for all?
3. In what ways does God’s grace teach us to deny ungodliness?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Whitney Wollard’s “Titus: A Counter-Cultural Gospel for Cretans”
• Edward Pillar’s “Commentary on Titus 2:11–14”
• Amy L.B. Peeler’s “Commentary on Titus 2:11–14”

Download “In the World” for August 11, 2024 here.

WHAT WILL BECOME OF THEM?

On July 28, the Park Fire had burned through 360,000 acres in northern California and was only twelve percent contained. In the frantic effort to evacuate, one resident put his six dogs—a mother-and-father pair of Rottweilers and their four puppies—into his truck and tried to flee the fire. But the truck broke down. The man escaped on foot and reached the fire line, where he told police where his truck was and pleaded for them to rescue the dogs. Trevor Skaggs, a member of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office’s Search and Rescue Team, volunteered to go in after them. He was flown by helicopter as close as possible, and then he alone ran the remaining 1.5 miles to the truck. He found five of the six dogs alive (the father had died), “tired and very thirsty.” Skaggs gave them water and a quick snack then led them back to the helicopter, which flew them to a recovery area.

WHAT WILL WE BECOME?

In today’s passage of Scripture, John explores the idea of what we will be like when Christ appears at the end of the age. We know we will be like him, but it’s not clear yet what that will mean. All we know for sure is that we are the children of God, and we will see him as he truly is.

1. What’s the most heroic act you know of that someone did to save an animal?
2. What did John mean that we don’t know yet what we will become?
3. How do you think you will react when you see the Lord in person for the first time?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• David Guzik’s Commentary on 1 John 3
• BibleProject’s Summary on 1–3 John
• Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 1 John 3

Download “In the World” for August 4, 2024 here.

DAM IN DANGER OF FAILING

On July 16, as much as nine inches of rain fell in the morning hours in the area around Nashville, IL. This caused the Nashville City Reservoir to overflow. Emergency officials sent out a notice that the dam had failed or was on the verge of failing. This caused a panic among residents as two hundred homes were hurriedly evacuated. However, it turned out to be a poor choice of words, because the dam was holding strong. “There was not a catastrophic failure,” said Washington County spokesperson Alex Haglund. Flooding did occur and those homes did have to be evacuated, but all that had “failed” was a sandbar that had been built for just this situation. If the water hits a certain level, this sandbar is designed to collapse to relieve pressure on the dam itself. Everything worked as it should to prevent a disaster. “It was a terminology issue,” Haglund said, noting that during the crisis, “We realized that ‘failure’ was not the correct term for it.”

FAITH IN DANGER OF FAILING

When Paul was in Athens, word reached him that the church at Thessalonica had come under intense persecution from the local populace. He was quite concerned that their faith might collapse under the pressure. It finally reached the point where Paul couldn’t stand it any longer, so he dispatched Timothy to travel to the Thessalonians to see how he could strengthen their faith.

1. When in your life did something seem to go wrong, but everything was actually perfectly fine?
2. What’s the most amazing engineering feat you have seen?
3. How might we strengthen our own faith in the Lord? How might we strengthen the faith of others?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Jane Lancaster Patterson’s “Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 2:9–13”
• BibleProject’s Summary and Guide to 1 Thessalonians
• Matt Smethurst, “Don’t Underestimate 1–2 Thessalonians”

Download “In the World” for July 28, 2024 here.

FULL REFUND

SeaTac, WA, city officials hired Great Lakes Drones Company to put on a Fourth of July light show consisting of small flying drones over Angle Lake. The idea was to reduce the noise pollution—and the trauma to dogs and humans—of a traditional fireworks display. Unfortunately, there was a disruption to the GPS signal that the drones used to find their location in the formation. So, midway through the show, instead of forming an American flag in the sky, fifty of the drones—glowing blue or red or white—lazily dropped out of formation and fell like glowing snowflakes into the lake. The company’s president was devastated by the failure and has promised a full refund to the city and to lead a recovery effort to pull the drones from the bottom of the lake.

FULL REDEMPTION

With the Lord is full, plenteous, and abundant redemption. Today’s text is Psalm 130, a beautiful hymn to the forgiveness and love found in God. Because of this redemption, we are enabled to serve the Lord, and it is this that makes us watch and yearn for God, as the watchman waits for the morning.

1. What are your best (or worst) memories of fireworks or other public shows?
2. When have you watched with great yearning for the arrival of something or someone?
3. How does God’s forgiveness enable us to live out the Christian life?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Elizabeth Webb’s “Commentary on Psalm 130”
• Nancy deClaissé-Walford’s “Commentary on Psalm 130”
• Video: BibleProject’s “Yakhal/Hope”

Download “In the World” for July 21, 2024 here.

GAME RECOGNIZES GAME

When the NFL season begins this fall, two athletes with similar playing styles will take the field for the Denver Broncos. A few years ago, when defensive end Zach Allen was fairly new in the league and playing for the Arizona Cardinals, he became aware of a fellow defensive end with the New York Jets, one who played with a style much like his own. He reached out to John Franklin-Myers online, and the two became quick friends. “Basically, game recognize game,” Allen said, speaking of their similarities of play style and ethos. Over the years of communication, they talked about how amazing it would be to play for the same team—and this year, they’re getting their chance with the Broncos, who are looking to strengthen their defensive line.

FAITH RECOGNIZES FAITH

Today’s text from the longest chapter in the Bible says that those who fear the Lord will rejoice when they see how the psalmist has put his hope in God’s Word. People who walk in the fear of the Lord can sometimes recognize each other when they speak or spend time with one another. How good it is to walk beside those who love the Lord in the same way!

1. When have you met someone and discovered that you felt the same way about something?
2. What are your thoughts, if any, about the upcoming NFL season?
3. How can you tell if you and another person are on the same page, spiritually?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Contemporary Worship Weekly
• Echoes Worship Weekly
• Traditional Worship Weekly
• Joel LeMon’s “Commentary on Psalm 119:1–8”
• Video: BibleProject “How to Read the Book of Psalms”
• Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Psalm 119

Download “In the World” for July 14, 2024 here.

COOKING WITH THE NEXT GENERATION

Since the mid-twentieth century, lifestyles in the United States have changed. Geographical separation is a reality for many families. Loneliness is said to be at epidemic levels for young and old. Last year the Surgeon General of the US published an advisory on loneliness and isolation, citing its effects on mental and physical health. A particular organization has been in the news for its creative response. ONEGeneration is an intergenerational daycare in Van Nuys, California—care for the elderly and the young together. “For the seniors,” says one of its leaders, “even those living with dementia, it improves social skills, combats ageism, and gives them a sense of purpose, while the kids are able to learn empathy and patience.” Continuity of generations is just one by-product of collective activities: music, painting, cooking, and gardening. This narrows the gap created when multigenerational families stopped living under one roof.

PROCLAIMING TO THE NEXT GENERATION

In Psalm 71, the writer declares the wonders and marvelous deeds of God’s righteousness. He makes a commitment to declare God’s promises, even when he’s “old and gray,” and he will teach the next generation all that God has shown him.

1. When have you had opportunity to praise God before others?
2. What are some ways you can encourage other generations?
3. What are some reasons that people don’t spend as much time with grandparents and great-grandparents as in the past?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• David Guzik’s “Study Guide for Psalm 71”
• Video: BibleProject Psalms Overview
• Charles Spurgeon’s Comments on Psalm 71

Download “In the World” for July 7, 2024 here.

RECOVERING HOPE TO GRADUATE

When Lansing, MI, high school senior Aniyah Malone crossed the stage this month to receive her diploma, it was a come-from-behind victory. By her sophomore year, she’d fallen behind in her classes, and the chances of graduating with her peers were fading fast. “I’d lost all hope,” Malone said. But her mother didn’t waver: “I never doubted she would graduate,” she said. “It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get there but I knew she would.” Malone caught up through a credit recovery program that she could work on during off hours and weekends. “I even told my friends, if they did this, they could get to where I was,” she said. “They just needed to put in the work. . . . I feel like if I could do it, anyone could do it.”

RECOVERING HOPE IN GOD

In today’s text, we see the prophet Jeremiah go from an extreme low, in which his hope in God has been all but extinguished, to a place of recovered faith that gives us one of our most enduring expressions of hope in God’s faithfulness. To call to mind God’s compassions, even in the midst of heartbreaking sorrow, is an act of great spiritual maturity.

1. When have you regained hope when it had been almost gone?
2. What’s the lowest despair you’ve been in, and how might God have met you there?
3. How have you seen God’s compassions renewed?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Fred Gaiser’s “Commentary on Lamentations 3:22–33”
• Video: BibleProject Lamentations Overview
• Theology of Work Project, Introduction to Jeremiah and Lamentations

Download “In the World” for June 30, 2024 here.

THE HOPE OF A FAMILY

In October of last year, a young woman in India lost the race to save her life. This month’s issue of the scientific journal Nature recounts the story of Uditi Saraf of New Delhi, who suffered from a rare genetic mutation that caused the neurons in her brain to die. The disorder began to assert itself in her teens, producing seizures and dementia-like cognitive symptoms. She was diagnosed with FENIB, and the race began to find something that could halt or reverse the disease. The most promising approach involved gene editing with CRISPR technology, and her family had the resources to fund a team to study how to use it for Uditi. Meanwhile, her condition continued to decline, and she ultimately fell into a coma and died. The family, and even the researchers, were crushed by the news, but Uditi’s team made discoveries that will help other patients with rare genetic disorders.

THE HOPE OF THE FATHERS

Today’s text recounts Paul’s trial before King Agrippa on various accusations made by the religious leaders of Jerusalem. Paul argues that he’s guilty only of believing in the very thing his accusers claim they long to find: the hope of Israel and the fulfillment of the promises made to their ancestors. Agrippa would not be persuaded to accept Paul’s message, but Paul’s courageous witness carried the gospel message far and wide.

1. What are your thoughts about medical techniques that seek to make revisions at the genetic level?
2. When has hope sustained you in difficulty or crisis?
3. How does hope in your future resurrection give you courage?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use.  If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• The Bible Project (video), “Bound for Rome: Acts 21–28”
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “Leadership as Witness (Acts 20–28)”
• David Guzik’s sermon (audio and video), “Acts 26:1–18—Standing Before Kings”

Download “In the World” for June 23, 2024 here.

ANCHOR FOR THE SHOW

After more than forty years as the host of television game show Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak retired this month. Sajak (77), who began his career as a DJ and served in the army during Vietnam, went on to anchor Wheel of Fortune, taking over from original host Chuck Woolery in 1981. “I’ve always felt that the privilege [of hosting] came with a responsibility to keep this daily half hour a safe place for family fun,” Sajak said during his final episode. “No social issues, no politics, nothing embarrassing, I hope. Just a game. But gradually it became more than that: a place where kids learn their letters, where people from other countries hone their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors and entire generations” Sajak will be replaced by Ryan Seacrest—and those letters will still be turned by long-time co-host Vanna White, for at least one more season.

ANCHOR FOR THE SOUL

In today’s text, the writer of Hebrews urges his readers to cling to God as the anchor for their souls. He stresses the unchangeable nature of God, the solid rock of their salvation. It is impossible for the Lord to shift or lie, and so the Christian’s hope is secure when it is affixed to these eternal truths.

1. What’s your favorite game show?
2. Is there a job that you think you could enjoy for four decades? Why or why not?
3. Why is it important for us to have assurance that God will not change or lie?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Hebrews 6:9–20
• David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary on Hebrews 6
• Video: The Bible Project Summary of Hebrews

Download “In the World” for June 16, 2024 here.

ACCEPTED BY ALL PARTIES

Earlier this month, Mexico elected its first woman president in its nearly 203-year history. Claudia Sheinbaum, who was also the first female mayor of Mexico City, received 59% of the total vote in a landslide victory. Her nearest rival candidate, also female, received 27% of the vote. This means that Ms. Sheinbaum received widespread support from across party lines. “This is something really historic,” said outgoing Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. “We are living through exceptional, extraordinary, glorious times.”

ACCEPTING BOTH GROUPS

Today’s text from Romans focuses on Paul’s appeal to the two groups within the church in Rome: Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. These are not groups that had a history of getting along well together, but Paul urges them to accept one another just as freely as Christ accepted each of them. Jesus is the hope of the Gentiles, as prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures. Jesus is also the fulfillment of the law and prophets, the fulfillment of what was promised to the children of Abraham.

1. Where have you seen opposing groups come together and make a common cause in recent years?
2. What are examples of groups that should be held together by their mutual faith in Jesus?
3. How can you personally accept a believer who is different from you?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• John Gills (eighteenth-century Baptist preacher) on Romans 15:1–13
• Jennifer Vija Pietz’s “Commentary on Romans 15:4–13”
• Charles Spurgeon (nineteenth-century Baptist preacher) on Romans 15:1–16

Download “In the World” for June 9, 2024 here.

GLORY NOT SURPASSED

The 2024 Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin next month in Paris. In attendance will be track-and-field great Usain Bolt—but only as an observer. Bolt set two world records in 2009, for the 100-meter and the 200-meter dash, and those records still stand. Five sprinters have run under ten seconds in the 100-meter race, this year alone. But Bolt’s record is 9.58 seconds. “I don’t think the world record will be under threat,” he says. “I think I still have a few more years to go.” So far, his athletic glory remains intact. “I do miss competition, especially when I watch it,” he says.

GLORY FAR SURPASSED

In today’s text, Paul contrasts the glory of the “ministry of condemnation” (the old covenant) with the ministry of righteousness (the new covenant). The glory of the new greatly surpasses the old, so much that it overwhelms their comparison. When the old covenant was given by God, Moses’ face shone so brightly that he wore a veil. How much more glorious is the eternal covenant of the Spirit that brings freedom? It will never fade.

1. What’s an achievement that you have proudly attained? Or what is an achievement of someone you know?
2. When have you seen something that made something else obsolete?
3. How is the new covenant superior to the old?

Additional Resource

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Carla Works’s “Commentary on 2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2”
• Tim Mackie and Witney Woollard on “Second Corinthians: Paradox of the Cross”
• BibleProject Guide “Book of 2 Corinthians”

Download “In the World” for June 2, 2024 here.

EXTRACTING THE RICHES OF HELIUM

For decades the US has been a world leader in exporting helium, supplying the growing demand for the gas. Helium is not only used to fill party balloons but also as a cooling component in MRI machines, nuclear reactors, and rockets. But US supplies—primarily near Amarillo, Texas, and Kansas—have been dwindling. Other exporters like Russia and Qatar have begun to outpace the US. But a discovery of a new deposit of helium in Minnesota may change all that. The size and concentration of the deposit have scientists calling it “a dream” find that is “perfect.” However, further research is required to determine if the helium can be extracted. That determination should come by the end of this year.

EXPLORING THE RICHES OF CHRIST

Today’s text shows Paul’s excitement to share with the Colossian believers the full extent of the glorious riches they have received through Christ. He describes the “mystery” of salvation, a mystery that was hidden for millennia but is now revealed to all who believe. Paul wants them to be encouraged and to grow in maturity in their faith.

1. How might your life be affected if helium were no longer available?
2. When have you discovered a powerful ability or resource?
3. From your experience, what’s an example of the glorious spiritual riches of Christ?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Ryan Schellenberg’s “Commentary on Colossians 1:15–28”
• Josh Hayes’s “Colossians: A Christology Worth Singing”
• The Bible Project Guide “Book of Colossians: Key Information and Helpful Resources”

Download “In the World” for May 26, 2024 here.

UNITED BY STUDENT HOUSING

Students at the University of Buffalo are being entertained these days by two roommates from the school. The students, strangers until both responded to an ad about a room for rent, quickly became best friends. One is from China and the other is from Algeria. Jorge Zhang, known as “the Chinese roommate” in their videos, and Mohamed Ali Larbi Daho Bachi, known as “the Algerian roommate,” post Snapchat updates about their lives and travels together. “I personally eat it up,” says psychology major Laiba Qader. “You see all this stuff happening [in Israel and Ukraine] and here’s someone from China with their Algerian roommate, taking them to Wendy’s.” Economics major Yugendran T Kannu Sivakumaran agrees. “They make my day. With all the arguments online, they are a pair of friends that show the world ain’t so” messed up.

UNITED BY SALVATION

As Paul continues developing his argument in Romans, he says that the ethnic divide between Jew and Gentile no longer matters, in light of the new covenant. The word of salvation is near to anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus, regardless of race, ethnicity, or any other difference. For everyone in Christ, the word of God is near and available—not remote and unobtainable.

1. What restores your hope that humans can build bridges across their many self-imposed divides?
2. How do you reconcile Paul’s assertion that the word of salvation is near to everyone, even though no one can call upon the name of the Lord without hearing it?
3. What ways do we share this message of Christ’s lordship? Are there ways without words?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Richard Ascough’s “Commentary on Romans 10:5–15”
• Michael Kruger’s “The Two Paths of Righteousness—Romans 10:1–13”
• Theology of Work Commentary, “God’s Character is to Have Mercy on Everyone (Romans 9–11)”

Download “In the World” for May 19, 2024 here.

NOT ONLY FUSION, CLEAN ENERGY

Thanks to a successful experiment last month in a lab in South Korea, science has moved closer to the dream of a stable fusion reaction. “Fusion technology,” explains an article on TheCoolDown.com, “mimics the process that powers stars. It holds the key to unlimited, zero-carbon electricity, making it a vital part of our transition to clean energy.” In the experiment at the KSTAR facility in Daejeon, plasma was heated inside a special chamber to nearly seven times hotter than the surface of the sun, and it maintained that temperature in a stable state for 48 seconds. That doesn’t sound like very long, but it’s an improvement of 160% over the previous record. Their hope is to maintain plasma containment for 300 seconds by 2026. Nearly unlimited “free” energy with no pollution is the ultimate goal for the technology.

NOT ONLY RECONCILED, SAVED

In today’s text from Romans, Paul continues his argument. In the previous chapter, he explained that salvation comes through faith, not works of the law, like circumcision. Here, Paul goes on to encourage readers that the reconciliation they have with God—through faith in Christ—not only justifies us in the present, but also in the future. Because of the life of Christ, we will be saved from God’s wrath. Those with faith in Jesus have nothing to fear from God.

1. What sources of energy do you think humanity should retain, eliminate, or develop?
2. This Sunday is Pentecost. What is your favorite aspect of this day?
3. How does it impact your life to know that you have nothing to fear?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• John Frederick “Commentary on Romans 5:1–8”
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary, “Grace Transforms Suffering in Our Life in Christ (Romans 5:1–11)” 
• The Bible Project, “Romans 5–8: The Gospel Creates a New Humanity”

Download “In the World” for May 12, 2024 here.

UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO TAIWAN

In a visit to Taipei last month, American politicians pledged to continue their firm support of Taiwan against aggression from China. “The United States will not waver in our commitment to defend freedom and uphold the principles of democracy,” U.S. Representative Lisa McClain said at a news conference. The American government demonstrated this commitment tangibly the next day by passing a $95 billion aid package to support Ukraine and Israel, with $8.1 billion earmarked for Taiwan and key allies in the region. “Let no one doubt our support,” U.S. Representative Mark Alford told the press conference, “for your people and our bright future together.”

UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO GOD

In today’s passage, Paul praises Abraham’s unwavering commitment to God’s promise. Though the promise that Abraham and Sarah received was a challenge for them to accept (both were thought to be well beyond child-rearing age), Abraham did not waver. He strengthened his belief, and God credited this to him as righteousness. In this way, Abraham was the father of all who believe in the Lord.

1. What do you think should be the Christian’s role in mediating international conflicts?
2. When have you shown unwavering support in someone, even amidst uncertainty?
3. What’s a crisis of faith that reaffirmed your belief in the Lord?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Holly Hearon’s “Commentary on Romans 4:13–25”
• Audio: David Guzik’s Sermon, “God Gives His Righteousness to Those Who Believe”
• Video: The Bible Project on Themes of Romans 1–4

Download “In the World” for May 5, 2024 here.

GENDER INCLUSIVITY IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS

A major study published last month in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that the majority (58%) of female athletes support the idea that participants should be categorized by biological sex, rather than gender identity. The study is the largest of its kind, and it reports the opinions of 175 national, elite, and world-class female athletes from a range of sports and countries, including 22 Olympians. Respondents were largely (81%) in favor of more inclusivity for transgender athletes in general. However, women athletes in contact or strength-based sports tended to believe (77%) that participants should be segregated by gender assigned at birth. Opinions differed when less was at stake or when the athletes were past their peak competitiveness (those athletes tended to be more tolerant of inclusion). This was a large, peer-reviewed, statistical survey of opinions. Governing bodies are expected to refer to it when establishing rules and procedures.

EQUAL BEFORE GOD

In today’s passage, Paul says that, when it comes to our standing before God, all humans are in the same position of having fallen short of God’s standard. Being Jewish or Gentile makes no difference in this calculation. All people have sinned and need God’s forgiveness, but everyone has also been offered the opportunity to be justified through faith in Christ Jesus.

1. How can or should Christ’s command to love our neighbor be applied to the issue of gender identity?
2. What are some sports or other activities where a gross mismatch of strength or ability is a problem?
3. How can we remember that our salvation depends on God’s mercy, not our position or personal qualifications?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Richard Ascough’s “Commentary on Romans 3:19–28”
• Video: The Bible Project Summary of Romans 1–4
• Patrick Schreiner’s “Romans: Paul’s Magnum Opus; The Great Enemy of Unity”

Download “In the World” for April 28, 202 here.

UNWILLING TO SUBMIT A REPORT

Of the nearly eight million cyberattacks committed against UK firms and charities in 2023, less than half were reported to government authorities, according to one study this month. Nicholas Ryder, professor of law at Cardiff University, said that organizations tend to hesitate to report such incidents because there are government fines for having poor cyber security. Such a report also risks the reputation of the business or charity, which might be seen as unsecure. Experts say that failure to report these attacks—or worse yet, not working to adequately shore up their computer defenses after one—makes these organizations vulnerable to more serious attacks in the future.

WILLING TO SUBMIT TO THE LORD

Today’s discussion is about a Canaanite mother who came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, who was demon-possessed. This episode can be puzzling: Jesus seems to initially refuse a request from someone in need. That is not what we expect him to do. But Jesus prompts the woman to express profound faith in him. She showed a willingness to endure insults to save her daughter, and her submission to God’s will displayed “great faith” (v. 28), the kind of response Jesus was hoping to find.

1. What’s something you struggle to admit because it is too embarrassing?
2. When have you been so desperate for something that you would pay any price to bring it to pass?
3. How has God worked in your life to increase your faith?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Carla Works’s Commentary on Matthew 15:21–28
• David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary on Matthew 15
• BibleProject Guide to Matthew 14–20

Download “In the World” for April 21, 2024 here.

DESPERATE TO PROVE A DEATH

Unfortunately, insurance fraud is common to many parts of the world. For instance, the country of South Africa is battling an epidemic of fake life insurance claims. When a person reports a non-existent death, that person might be able to collect lucrative benefits from an insurance company. Extended family members might try to claim a relative’s death ahead of time, hoping to maintain their family’s standard of living. Other times, criminals use sophisticated trickery, acquiring unidentified remains from mortuaries and passing these bodies off as “proof of death” to collect a payout. Insurance companies have to fight these crimes, with so much money on the line.

DESPERATE TO SHOW HER DEVOTION

In first-century Israel, meals were usually taken with diners reclining on pillows with their feet extending away from the table. In today’s passage, a woman with a checkered past approaches Jesus’ feet and begins to weep, either in sorrow over her sin or gratitude for the Lord’s forgiveness. Her tears drop onto his feet, and she wipes them with her hair and pours perfume on them. Her desperation to show her devotion is as extreme as the men who tore through the roof to lower a paralyzed friend to Jesus (see Luke 5:18–27).

1. When have you been desperate to prove something? How did it turn out?
2. In Jesus’ Jewish culture, how scandalous do you think it was it for this woman to do what she did?
3. What can we do when our hearts are overflowing with love for Jesus?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Lucy Lind Hogan’s Commentary on Luke 7:36–8:3
• Audio: Sermon from R. Kent Hughes, “Forgive Much—Luke 7:36–50”
• Peter G. Bolt’s Commentary, “The Good News Proclaimed (Luke 4:14–9:50)”

Download “In the World” for April 14, 2024 here.

GREAT HONOR TO A PLAYER

The Philadelphia 76ers honored Allen Iverson this week by unveiling a statue of the basketball great outside the team’s arena. Iverson led the Sixers to the NBA finals in 2001 and had a long, stellar career. The Legends Walk features a series of sculptures honoring former Philadelphia players such as Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, and Moses Malone. “Allen Iverson is one of the greatest 76ers to ever live and one of the most iconic players in the history of the NBA,” said Sixers co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer in a statement. “We’re thrilled to honor his accomplishments with a well-deserved sculpture on Legends Walk.”

GREAT HONOR TO THE LORD

The centurion mentioned in today’s passage must have been remarkable, for when he sent word asking for Jesus to heal his servant, the Jewish leaders of Capernaum vouched for the Roman soldier. They even said that he deserved to have Jesus go help him. But the centurion didn’t hold such a high view of himself. He instead sent a message, telling Jesus that he didn’t deserve to have him enter his home. His faith was so great that he knew Jesus could heal his servant from anywhere, with just a spoken command.

1. Whom do you know who deserves to have a statue put up in his or her honor?
2. What might be a modern equivalent of the Jewish leaders praising this Roman centurion?
3. How was the centurion’s faith greater than any person Jesus had encountered in all of Israel?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Karl Jacobson on Luke 7:1–17
• Mark G. Vitalis Hoffman on Luke 7:1–17
• David Guzik’s Study Guide to Luke 7

Download “In the World” for April 7, 2024 here.

POLICE CAMERAS INTRODUCED TO SCHOOL BUSES

Last month the Greece Central School District in New York became the latest in the region to install cameras on their buses’ “stop arms.” These cameras record the license plates of any cars that pass a stopped school bus. Fines begin at $250 for first offenses and increase for second and third violations. In other districts in the same county, cameras have recorded well over a thousand violations just since October. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think in just a few months, we’d see more than a thousand times someone’s child was in danger getting on and off the school bus,” said county executive Adam Bello. “I think we can all agree that’s unacceptable.” 

A PARALYZED FRIEND INTRODUCED TO JESUS

Today’s passage tells of the men who lowered their paralyzed friend through the roof of a house to get him to Jesus. Their faith was great, and so was their urgency. In an act of reckless determination, they found a way to bring their friend to the only one who could heal him. We have no record of there being any faith exhibited by the man on the pallet, but Jesus saw the faith of his friends, and rewarded their belief. 

1. What do you think is the most effective way to increase the safety of children who ride school buses?
2. When have you been desperate and determined to make something happen for someone else?
3. Who do you know who needs to be introduced to Jesus?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• David Guzik’s Study Guide for Luke 5
• Mark L. Strauss on “Luke: The Gospel of the Savior for Lost People Everywhere”
• Podcast—Jon Colllins and Tim Mackie on Luke 1–6 and “Good News for the Poor”

Download “In the World” for March 31, 2024 here.

MARS SAMPLE RETURN HINGES ON BUDGET

Since 2021, the Mars rover called Perseverance has been exploring an ancient river delta on the red planet’s surface. At scientifically strategic spots, the rover has been extracting and preserving samples from the rocks it encounters. From the mission’s outset, the plan has been to return those samples to earth, where full-size labs of today and powerful tools not yet invented can examine their composition; and possibly conclude that Mars once had microbial or other forms of life. But the missions to bring the samples back are in jeopardy due to budget cuts to NASA this month. Everything pivots on there being the money—and the international will—to make the sample return missions happen.

THE CHRISTIAN FAITH HINGES ON THE RESURRECTION

All of Christianity pivots on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:16–17, if Christ has not been raised, then every believer’s faith is worthless, and we all remain in our sins. Today’s passage from Mark gives a reliable eyewitness account of the event that our faith hinges upon and that we celebrate this Easter Sunday.

1. What’s the most exciting space-related event you’ve heard of?
2. When has something important in your life hinged upon one thing happening?
3. What is your favorite way to celebrate Easter?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Commentary Erin Vroom on “The ‘Missing’ End of Mark’s Gospel”
• Commentary Amanda Brobst-Renaud on Mark 16:1–8
• Commentary C. Clifton Black on Mark 16:1–8

Download “In the World” for March 24, 2024 here.

RECEIVE LEARNING FROM THE HIVE

Scientists studying bumblebees have discovered that individual bees can solve complex puzzles through social interaction with their peers. In a recent issue of Nature, lead researcher Dr. Alice Bridges reported that a complicated two-step puzzle task, in which the bee had to perform two actions to gain access to a sugar solution, could be taught by “demonstrator” bees who knew how to do it. But bees without training could not figure out how to break the code. “This is an extremely difficult task for bees,” said Bridges, that “opens exciting possibilities” for further study. Lars Chittka, another scientist who reviewed the findings, said that it “challenges the traditional view that only humans can socially learn complex behavior” from peers.

RECEIVE WISDOM FROM THE SPIRIT

In today’s passage, Stephen, a deacon in the newborn church in Jerusalem, found himself debating with learned Jewish scholars who revered the temple. None of his opponents could refute—or even stand up against—the wisdom given to Stephen by the Holy Spirit. This infuriated them, much as it had done when they had debated Jesus. So they hatched a similar plan to get rid of him.

1. What’s an example of insects or animals learning something that was not instinctual (for instance, kittens learning to use the litter box or crows crafting twigs as tools)?
2. When have you been given instruction or guidance from the Holy Spirit?
3. Why do you think the Jewish religious leaders didn’t take Stephen to Pilate with their false accusations?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Margaret Aymer on Acts 6:1–7:2a, 44–60
• Audio Podcast—Rolf Jacobson, Craig R. Koester, and Kathryn M. Schifferdecker on “Stephen’s Witness”
• Video Introduction—“Pentecost: Acts 1–7” from Tim Mackie and Jon Collins

Download “In the World” for March 17, 2024 here.

REFUSE TO BE UNFORGIVING

Last month, a wrestling student at Campbellsville University in Kentucky allegedly strangled his teammate, Josiah Kilman. A week later, Kilman’s father spoke to the student body at an emotional chapel service. He urged the students to forgive the accused killer. “Forgiveness is a choice,” he said. “If Josiah was standing here right now, he would talk to you about forgiveness. It’s the center of what Jesus is. Unforgiveness? That’s a curse. It comes with things you don’t want, things you don’t need. From the life of Josiah, I challenge you to choose forgiveness because in that, we become the light of Jesus.”

REFUSE TO TAKE REVENGE

Today’s passage contains Peter’s plea to his readers not to take revenge or to repay evil with evil. He advocates living in ways that are above reproach, for that is likely to cause them to be on the receiving end of fewer acts of malice. Suffering may still come, Peter says, even if we’re doing good. But suffering will surely find us when we choose to take our own revenge.

1. When have you been moved by someone’s tragedy? What did you want to do in response?
2. How do you imagine that a grieving father might be able to call for forgiveness so soon after his son’s death?
3. If you have ever suffered for doing right, how did it feel?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Jeannine K. Brown’s “Commentary on 1 Peter 3:13–22”
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary on “Suffering under the World’s Authorities (1 Peter 2:13–4:19)”
• The Bible Project on “1 Peter 2:11–4:11: Suffering as a Way to Bear Witness to Jesus”

Download “In the World” for March 10, 2024 here.

ONBOARD LASER DIAGNOSTIC CHECK

Last month, for the first time, a privately owned company (as opposed to a government-funded agency) successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon. The unmanned lander, Odysseus, built and operated by Intuitive Machines, made a soft landing on the lunar surface, but it was almost a disaster. The flight operators who were working on a separate issue decided to check the craft’s distance from the moon the night before the scheduled landing. When they tried to fire the laser rangefinders on board, nothing happened. These lasers were critical to help the craft land safely. Normally, the team wouldn’t have discovered this internal failure until they were already committed to landing, but thanks to this unrelated problem, they had an early warning. They delayed the landing long enough for engineers to come up with a brilliant solution, which they programmed and uploaded to the lander. And it worked.

INTERNAL SPIRITUAL DIAGNOSTIC CHECK

In today’s passage, Paul is warning the Christians in Corinth that he is about to visit them for a third time, and he’s concerned that this will be their third strike. They have worked to correct their previous acceptance of someone’s egregious sin, but he wonders if they’ve really put aside sexual immorality (see 2 Cor. 12:20–21). He asks them to do an internal check to be sure they’re reflecting Christ in their actions.

1. What is your reaction to sending spacecraft—eventually, humans—back to the moon?
2. When was a time that you wondered whether a machine or your health was working as it should?
3. How can we examine ourselves to see if we are faithful in our behavior?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Tim Mackie and Whitney Woollard’s article, “Second Corinthians: Paradox of the Cross”
• David Guzik’s Study Guide for 2 Corinthians 13
• Theology of Work Commentary on “Assessing Performance (2 Corinthians 10–13)”

Download “In the World” for March 3, 2024 here.

RETAINING ALLIES BY STRENGTHENING SECURITY

In February, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced intentions to speed up new measures designed to remedy serious security breaches. The US discovered the cybersecurity breach in 2020, when it saw that information it had shared with Japan was being leaked to China. Japan was informed of the problem as a matter of highest urgency but has since moved slowly on it, doing—in the words of one US official—“too little, too late.” Making policy changes to communications protocols has wide-ranging legal impacts on Japanese law, creating resistance to change. But Japan risks losing the trust of its allies, as things stand. One Japanese official said that other nations “are not going to be comfortable sharing sensitive data with Japan if they think it is going to be compromised.”

REMAINING IN GOD’S LOVE AS OTHERS FALL AWAY

Jude wrote to warn Christians that scoffers would come who would divide the church and cause some to fall away from the faith. But he urged his readers to strengthen their faith, keeping themselves in the love of God and praying to the Holy Spirit to stay the course.

1. When have you recently come to someone with a matter of urgency? Did they react quickly?
2. How can scoffers bring division to a church body?
3. In what ways can we strengthen our faith, even as others may fall away?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• The Bible Project’s Guide to the Book of Jude
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary on Jude
• Garrett Kell’s Handout from a “Bootcamp” class on Jude

Download “In the World” for February 25, 2024 here.

HER FLIGHT WILL BE ON TIME

Super Bowl LVIII is ancient history now, but one fan made an epic ’round-the-world trek to get to the game in time for kickoff. Music superstar Taylor Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, and she wanted to be in her seat to watch her boyfriend play for the Lombardi Trophy. The problem was that she was doing four shows in Tokyo. After her final show, she rushed to the airport to begin the twelve-hour, fifty-seven-hundred-mile journey across nine time zones and the international date line. At some point over the Pacific, the pilots received word that all the private aircraft parking lots at the airport in the destination city (Las Vegas) were full. Swift’s plane landed in Los Angeles, and then she and her friends had to drive the final five-hour stretch to Allegiant Stadium in Vegas. She did make it to the game on time, and her boyfriend’s team did take home the trophy.

HIS PROMISE WILL BE ON TIME

Sometimes we notice the discrepancy between the things God has promised to do in the world and the actual condition of the world, and we can begin to wonder if the Lord has forgotten or is slow about keeping his promises. In today’s Scripture passage, the prophet Habakkuk received an assurance from God that, though the promised deliverance for his people seemed to be delayed, it would certainly come in its fullness and at the proper time.

1. What’s the longest or most difficult journey you’ve ever made?
2. When has God made a promise to you, one that seemed to take a long time to materialize?
3. How can we patiently wait upon the Lord’s timing?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• The Bible Project’s Video Summary of Habakkuk
• Garrett Galvin’s Commentary on Habakkuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4
• Richard W. Nysse’s Course on Habakkuk

Download “In the World” for February 18, 2024 here.

WORSHIPING GOD DESPITE CHINESE PERSECUTION

At the end of last month, about one hundred and fifty police officers descended upon the church service of a group of Protestant Christians in northeastern China. Some two hundred of the people were arrested and put on buses, and their fate is unknown as of this writing. The church is affiliated with the SOLA Network, which is working to spread the good news of Jesus Christ through both local churches and digital media platforms. The church’s beliefs were not sanctioned by the Chinese state, and it comes at a time of increased persecution, when the government under Xi Jinping has been cracking down on Christians. Locals became suspicious after noticing a strange car parked outside the gathering place the night before. But everyone was surprised at the number of officers who were sent. “Even when they arrest criminals, we have never seen so many police officers,” one witness said.

WORSHIPING GOD DESPITE BABYLONIAN PERSECUTION

The prophet Daniel, though a captive and a slave, was known for worshiping the God of the Jews. His enemies sought to use this fact to remove him from his favored position in the court of King Darius. They tricked Darius into passing a law whose aim was to make Daniel’s worship a criminal offense punishable by death. But even knowing this edict, Daniel threw open the windows and openly prayed toward Jerusalem. He didn’t know whether God would save him or not, but his love for God overruled his concern for his own life.

1. How do you think you would do in a country where expressing your faith was a crime?
2. When have you or someone you know been the target of a plot or persecution?
3. What were Darius’s options when he realized what was going to happen to Daniel?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play any media files in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Traditional Playlist on Spotify
• Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
• Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
• Roger Nam’s Commentary on Daniel 6:6–27
• Theology of Work Commentary on Daniel 6
• David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary on Daniel 6

Download “In the World” for February 11, 2024 here.

RESCUED FROM A FIERY CAR

Thirty years ago, two NYPD detectives in Harlem spotted a car billowing smoke. They flagged down the car, which had a young mother and two young children inside. Just then, the engine burst into flames, and they pulled the three out and got them to safety. Earlier this month, one of the two children in that car—Denise Gomez, who was two at the time—achieved her dream of emulating the heroes who had saved her life, and she became a NYPD officer herself. The two detectives who rescued her are now retired, but they attended the ceremony where Denise received her badge. They were surprised to learn that she would carry the exact badge as Eric Ocasio, one of the officers who had pulled her from the car. Ocasio said, “To know that, thirty years later, Police Officer Gomez became a police officer due to our actions that day is very special and near and dear to my heart.”

RESCUED FROM A FIERY FURNACE

After uttering one of the most profound expressions of faith in the Bible, three young men known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown alive into a blazing furnace, which was supposed to execute them. But the God in whom they had placed their unwavering faith, a faith they would hold to whether he rescued them or not, delivered them from the flames. The miracle was a powerful testimony to a pagan tyrant, who gave glory to God.

1. What’s the greatest thing you’ve ever seen a police officer or other service worker do?
2. Who is someone you admire so much that it has brought change to your life?
3. How can we know whether our faith is as courageous as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play media in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Try this Traditional Playlist on Spotify
  • Music Video, Traditional: “How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)” by Matt Redman and Friends
• Try this Multicultural Playlist on Spotify
  • Music Video, Multicultural: “How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)” by Matt Redman and Friends
• Try this Contemporary Playlist on Spotify
  • Music Video, Contemporary: “How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)” by Matt Redman and Friends
• Audio Podcast: “Faithfulness in Exile, Part 2” from Tim Mackie
• Theology of Work Commentary on Daniel 3
• Richard W. Nysse on Daniel 3:1–30

Download “In the World” for February 4, 202 here.

DISTRUSTING THE POWER COMPANY

During last month’s winter storms, the Portland, Oregon area was hit especially hard, with one hundred twenty-seven thousand people going without power for days. The Portland General Electric (PGE) webpage and mobile app were unreliable, as well, even telling residents that their address didn’t exist. The company worked diligently, mobilizing over fifteen hundred employees and calling in crews from surrounding states. Within two days, nearly a hundred thousand people had their electricity restored. Still, some went five days or more without heat at home, leading Portland resident Jai Sen to say, “I still have no honest answer from PGE as to what to expect, and I don’t know if I could trust anything provided at this point.”

TRUSTING IN THE POWER OF THE LORD

Today’s passage from Isaiah is a testament to the trustworthiness of God. With imagery similar to God’s words in Job 40–41, the Lord is portrayed in glory and power, for the one who created the earth and the cosmos has no equal. Yet this tremendous God employs that power to come to the aid of those who hope in him.

1. What was your most extreme encounter with cold weather?
2. What is something in your life that has proved less reliable than you expected it to be?
3. Where have you experienced the power of God in your life?

Additional Resources

Any videos or web materials are for your personal use. If you play media in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” by Sovereign Grace
  • Try this Traditional Music Playlist on Spotify
• Music Video, Multicultural: “The Promise” by William McDowell, Nicole Binion, and Dunsin Oyekan
  • Try this Multicultural Music Playlist on Spotify
• Music Video, Contemporary: “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle
  • Try this Contemporary Music Playlist on Spotify
• Asbury Bible Commentary on “The Power of God (Isaiah 40:12–31)”
• Michael J. Chan on Isaiah 40:21–31
• Tim Mackie’s article, “Isaiah and the Suffering Servant King: The Strangest Good News”

Download “In the World” for January 28, 2024 here.

USING THEIR SKILLS OFF THE FIELD

The University of Washington played in the championship of the College Football Playoffs this month. (They lost 34–13 to Michigan.) But three members of the UW Huskies’ football team are working with a professor on a study that identifies how the skills needed to thrive in high-level athletic competition are transferrable to a variety of career and academic fields. These players are “developing and analyzing plays, observing human behavior, anticipating their opponents, and adapting a complex strategy based on real-time information that they’re synthesizing from their surroundings,” says Holly Barker, a University of Washington teaching professor. “That hasn’t been widely acknowledged, and does a disservice to players, especially in the academic opportunities they pursue and their future careers.”

USING YOUR GIFTS IN THE CHURCH

In today’s passage, Paul calls the Christians in Rome to assess what spiritual gifts they’ve been given and then use those gifts to serve the body of Christ. The Lord has beautifully designed the church to build up its members, and this happens as every person uses his or her gifts in faithful service to Christ and one another.

1. What abilities have you developed in one hobby or sport that you’ve been able to apply in other settings?
2. What do you think sets a spiritual gift apart from a natural ability?
3. How can someone use a spiritual gift in a creative way or an unusual setting?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” by Brandon Lake
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Strength, Courage and Wisdom” by India Arie
• Music Video, Contemporary: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” by Brandon Lake
• Theology of Work Bible Commentary on Romans 12:4–8
• Guzik’s Study Guide on Romans 12
• Bible Project’s “Romans 12–16: The Gospel Unifies the Church”

Download “In the World” for January 21, 2024 here.

ERODING TRUST IN A COMPANY

In the online store of the Boeing aircraft company, you can buy a t-shirt that says, “If It’s Not Boeing I’m Not Going.” This reflects the trust the public once held in the company and the safety of its planes. However, recent disasters—including two deadly crashes of its 737 Max aircraft in 2018–19—have tarnished their image. Their Starliner spacecraft program has been plagued with errors and failures, and their design of the two planes slated to replace Air Force One has amassed more than $2 billion in losses. Then on January 5 of this year, a 737 Max 9 suffered the rupture of its fuselage in the main cabin while at 16,000 feet, with 171 passengers aboard. After the crashes five years ago, US consumer advocate Ralph Nader said the Boeing 737 Max must never fly again, and recent events have not stopped the erosion of public confidence.

ENCOURAGING TRUST IN THE LORD

During the reign of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, an enemy alliance of three armies invaded the land. The people of Judah came to Jerusalem and cried out to the Lord. The king prayed to God, ending with the words sometimes translated, “We don’t know what to do but our eyes are on You!” (2 Chron. 20:12 NIV). Then the Lord gave a message to a prophet among them, who urged them to trust in the Lord’s deliverance, because the battle would be fought by the Lord on their behalf.

1. Which companies or brands do you deeply trust, and why?
2. What do you think of the words of the king in reaction to the danger?
3. When have you trusted in the Lord to help you through something in your life? What was the result?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “Just as I Am” by Carrie Underwood
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Up” by Common Hymnal
• Music Video, Contemporary: “At the Foot of the Cross” by Tammy Trent
• Bible Project’s “Guide to the Books of Chronicles”
• Asbury Bible Commentary on 2 Chronicles 20
• Guzik’s Commentary on 2 Chronicles 20

Download “In the World” for January 14, 2023 here.

COUNTERINTUITIVE PARENTING

It may seem odd, but modern parenting of school-age children in Western cultures may be increasing anxiety in children rather than giving them confidence for life. “Unfortunately … what the statistics and the studies show us,” says Jennifer Breheny Wallace, a journalist, parenting researcher, and author, “is that the very life-vest we’re hoping to put on our kids to keep them afloat in an uncertain future is actually … acting more like a lead vest, and drowning too many of the kids we are trying to protect.” Parental anxiety over their children, especially their children’s performance in school and extracurricular activities, may be sending the message that what really matters is their scores, grades, and rankings. This can have a chilling effect on children, causing them to hesitate about taking the risks that will make them stronger and teach them how to handle anxiety in life.

COUNTERINTUITIVE TRUST

Following God can sometimes seem counterintuitive to a watching world. Today’s passage reminds us that our own understanding—logical though it may be—is far inferior to the Lord’s commands and guidance. Proverbs reminds us that it’s better to trust in the Lord’s ways than in even the most popular or agreed-upon wisdom of the world.

1. What’s an example of a parenting strategy that did not work as planned?
2. When have you found something to be true but counterintuitive?
3. Why do God’s ways sometimes seem confusing to non-Christians?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” by Rosemary Siemens
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Hidden from Sight” by WYLD
• Music Video, Contemporary: “Pour Your Spirit Out” by Thrive Worship
• Alexander Maclaren’s Proverbs 3 Commentary
• Guzik’s Commentary on Proverbs 3
• GotQuestions Comments on Proverbs 3 (note the questions at the bottom of the page)

Download “In the World” for January 7, 2024 here.

SINKING FAITH IN GOALS

In Europe and America, governments have set goals that significant percentages of energy be obtained through renewable sources such as solar or wind power in the near future. The European Union, for example, has set a legally binding mandate that it will be producing 42.5% of its energy from renewables by 2030, up from its current 32%. However, supply chain interruptions begun during the pandemic have not been resolved, and manufacturing and shipping costs have risen dramatically. It has reached the point where wind power companies can’t afford to build the turbines and infrastructure. Britain recently held an auction for wind farm companies to bid to supply that country’s energy needs, but no bidders showed up. “The ratio between risk and reward is out of line in the offshore wind market,” said Ben Backwell, CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council. If things don’t change, he warned, “climate and economic goals will simply not be met.”

STEADY FAITH IN GOD

In the famous chapter on faith from the book of Hebrews, the writer features several biblical heroes. What is praised is each person’s belief that God’s faithfulness would be present in the future. Whatever the Lord asked them to do, they did it, counting it as sure that God would work things out to his glory and according to his design.

1. What is a goal you were able to reach? What is one you were unable to reach?
2. When have you had to trust in someone who had not always proved to be reliable?
3. How have you trusted in God for something in the future and found him faithful?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “Beneath the Cross of Jesus”
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Trust” by Sajan Nauriyal
• Music Video, Contemporary: “Desert Song” by Brooke Ligertwood
• Zondervan Commentary on Hebrews 11
• Pulpit Commentary on Hebrews 11
• Kenneth Wuest’s Commentary on Hebrews

Download “In the World” for December 31, 2023 here.

UNWAVERING IN A BAD FAITH LAWSUIT

This year, a judge in Houston, Texas, made a ruling in a trade dispute between Teligistics, an expense management company, and Liquid Networx, a San Antonio-based cybersecurity company. Teligistics accused Liquid Networx of stealing a trade secret, but a jury found that Teligistics did not own the secret and had brought the lawsuit in bad faith, which means with dishonest or harmful intent. In September, the Houston judge awarded Liquid Networx over a million dollars in attorneys’ fees as damages. Attorneys praised Liquid Networx, which “never wavered in its denial of any wrongdoing and asserted that the lawsuit was brought in bad faith.”

UNWAVERING IN A GOOD FAITH JOURNEY

Somewhere in “the east,” possibly Persia, Magi saw a star rise in the sky and understood it to herald the birth of a king of the Jews. In faith that their observations were correct, they set out on a long, overland journey to come worship such a supernaturally announced king. In faith, they asked King Herod about where the baby would be born, in faith they went to Bethlehem as the Jewish teachers advised, and in faith—because of a warning dream—they departed via another way.

1. What does it feel like to be exonerated from a false accusation?
2. When have you seen non-Christians behave with admirable faith?
3. Why do you think none of the Jewish chief priests accompanied the Magi to Bethlehem?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “We Three Kings (Persian style)”
• Music Video, Multicultural: “We Three Kings” by the Watoto Children’s Choir
• Music Video, Contemporary: “We Three Kings (Epic)” by L’Orchestra Cinématique
• Precept Austin Resources for Matthew 2
• Biblical Scholarship on the Magi’s Journey
• IVP Commentary on Matthew 2

Download “In the World” for December 24, 2023 here.

REVEALING THE GENDER

An expectant woman from Texas had celebrity help in discovering her baby’s gender this fall. Larissa Silva of Weslaco, Texas, attended a Jonas Brothers concert in San Antonio, hoping that the music group would do the honors during the show. The three brothers, all young fathers themselves, have been kindly announcing babies’ genders throughout their current tour, and Silva and her husband were able to arrange for them to do so for their baby. After the band sang “Little Bird,” a song dedicated to their daughters, Joe Jonas opened the envelope that revealed the findings of the ultrasound and announced, “It’s a girl!” The crowd cheered uproariously, and the lights turned pink.

REVEALING THE SAVIOR

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would be the mother of the Son of God, who would be the Savior. Despite the incredible nature of this news, Mary gladly submitted to the will of the Lord. Gabriel told Mary that her Aunt Elizabeth was also expecting, so Mary journeyed to the hill country to share the news with her aunt. But as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s voice, the baby growing inside Elizabeth—who would be John the Baptist—leapt inside her. In two senses, John would be among the very first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

1. What’s the most interesting gender reveal you’ve ever heard of?
2. What would be your ideal Christmas celebration, if you could have your best dream come true?
3. Of what significance might it be that a woman was the first to be told of the Savior’s birth and that a woman was the first to witness the risen Christ?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “Carol of the Bells” arr. Richard Hayman
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Little Drummer Boy (African Tribal Version)” by Boye’
• Music Video, Contemporary: “Little Drummer Boy (African Tribal Version)” by Boye’
• JesusWalk Commentary on Luke 1
• Faithward Comments on Mary and Elizabeth
• GotQuestions Article “Who Is Elizabeth?”

Download “In the World” for December 17, 2023 here.

A LIST OF SITES WITH GREAT HERITAGE

In September of this year, an ancient earthworks circle joined Stonehenge, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Angkor temple complex in Cambodia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This ceremonial site isn’t on the plains of Mesopotamia or Africa, however, but in Ohio. Around two thousand years ago, the Indigenous people now referred to as the Hopewell culture built hundreds of ceremonial earthworks. Over the centuries, especially with European migration to the area, most of the sites have been damaged or erased. A quarter of a century of work from organizations across Ohio culminated in the U.S. Department of the Interior applying to UNESCO in March of 2022, and in September 2023 the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthwork site was officially added to the list.

A LIST OF FATHERS WITH GREAT HERITAGE

Today’s passage includes Matthew’s genealogical list tracing the lineage of Jesus from Joseph to David, Ruth, and Rahab, and all the way back to Abraham. A careful reading of the list reveals it to be not just a dry sequence of begats but a remarkable tale of God’s grace, faithfulness, and love for people of all nations.

1. Which UNESCO heritage sites would you like to visit? Here’s the link: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
2. How far back do you know your own genealogy?
3. What do you make of the fact that Matthew’s genealogical list includes women and non-Jews?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix
• Music Video, Contemporary: “Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix
• Guzik’s Commentary on Matthew 1
• Working Preacher Commentary on Matthew 1
• The Bible Project Introduction to Matthew

Download “In the World” for December 10, 2023 here.

GOING UP AGAINST A CORPORATE GIANT

This fall, a small real estate holding business, Courtland Company, successfully challenged a much larger corporation in federal court. In what the company hailed as a “David versus Goliath victory,” U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. ruled favorably for Courtland against chemical giant Union Carbide, which is owned by Dow Chemical. Between 1950 and 1980, Copenhaver found, Union Carbide had illegally dumped toxic waste in a nearby property called the Filmont Landfill. Toxins from that practice have and continue to leech into public waterways and groundwater. If the ruling is not overturned, Union Carbide will be forced to pay for the cleanup of soil and water contamination and could face civil penalties under the Clean Water Act.

GOING UP AGAINST AN ACTUAL GIANT

When a young man from Bethlehem came to King Saul and offered to face a Philistine giant in single combat, Saul was hesitant. How could this David, not much more than a boy, stand a chance against a nine-foot-tall warrior? But seeing no other volunteers, and perhaps being moved by David’s zeal for the God of Israel, he relented. David stood before Goliath in the power of the Lord, and he prevailed.

1. When have you seen someone take positive responsibility for harm done to another?
2. What’s a David vs. Goliath situation you’ve been part of?
3. Why do you think King Saul agreed to let David represent Israel in this situation with Goliath?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “O Come, Emmanuel” by Simon Khorolskiy
• Music Video, Multicultural: “O Come, Emmanuel” by Simon Khorolskiy
• Music Video, Contemporary: “O Come, Emmanuel” by Simon Khorolskiy
• Zondervan Academic Commentary on 1 Samuel 17
• Bible.org Commentary on 1 Samuel 17
• Coffman’s Commentary on 1 Samuel 17

Download “In the World” for December 3, 2023 here.

REUNITED WITH HIS BIRTH MOTHER

One day in 1981 in Santiago, Chile, a poor woman gave birth to a premature baby boy. She was discharged from the hospital while the baby was put in an incubator, but when she returned, she was told the baby had died and his body had been disposed of. In reality, the baby was sold in a human trafficking scheme that was common at the time. The boy was adopted by an American family and given the name Jimmy Lippert Thyde. The mother, María Angélica González, had more children but never forgot her baby boy. Forty-two years later, through an organization called Nos Buscamos (which means, “We are looking for each other”), mother and son were reunited in Chile. “Mijo,” María told her son, “you have no idea the oceans I’ve cried for you. How many nights I’ve laid awake praying that God let me live long enough to learn what happened to you.”

STAYING WITH HER NEW MOTHER

Naomi had gone to Moab because of a famine in Israel. She had prospered there, marrying and raising two sons, both of whom married Moabite women. But when all three men died and news reached Naomi that Israel had food again, she determined to return home. She urged her two daughters-in-law to go back to their own homes and remarry, but one of the two—Ruth—refused to be parted from her mother-in-law. Her devotion was such that she gave up her homeland and her religion to stay by Naomi’s side.

1. What’s the happiest adoption or reunion story you’ve ever heard?
2. How can we help put an end to human trafficking?
3. What could cause you to leave everything behind and start a new life?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by Celtic Woman
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Merry Merry Christmas” by Chris Blue
• Music Video, Contemporary: “Santa la Noche” by REVERE
• Bible Project Overview of Ruth
• Working Preacher Commentary on Ruth 1
• John Piper on Ruth 1

Download “In the World” for November 26, 2023 here.

FREEDOM THAT RISKS HARM TO ONESELF

Protestors in several countries recently commemorated the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year. Amini had been arrested by morality police for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Her death is believed to have resulted from beatings inflicted by Iranian police. News of the tragedy triggered massive protests across the country that threatened to overthrow the Islamic regime. Though the uprising was violently put down, women in Tehran and elsewhere could be seen openly flaunting the headscarf rule. Amini’s efforts to win freedom were celebrated by anniversary gatherings not only in Iran but also in England, France, Italy, and Germany.

FREEDOM THAT RISKS HARM TO OTHERS

Paul countered the claims of some people connected to the church at Corinth who were saying that freedom in Christ meant they were freed from restrictions of any kind. The apostle argued against such libertinism, saying that the freedom we have in Jesus is not meant to be license to sin—nor should it be used to cause others to stumble. If our flaunting of freedoms harms the faith of others, then we are not walking in love.

1. What freedoms do you enjoy now that you or others had to fight for?
2. Why do people sometimes flaunt freedoms that others do not have access to?
3. How can we keep our freedoms from becoming a stumbling block for someone else?

Additional Resources

These videos and materials are for your personal use. If you show videos in class, be sure to have the necessary rights to do so.

• Music Video, Traditional: “I Am Thine, O Lord, I Have Heard Thy Voice”
• Music Video, Multicultural: “Nobody” by K-Anthony
• Music Video, Contemporary: “Give Me Jesus” by UPPERROOM
• Bible Project Overview of 1 Corinthians
• Asbury Bible Commentary on Food Sacrificed to Idols in 1 Corinthians
• Commentary on 1 Corinthians 10 from BibleStudyCourses.org