Christ Church Vienna

The surprising hesed (lovingkindness) of God brings the story of Ruth to a close. A widow whose life has been so horrible she wants to be identified as Mara (bitter) instead of her given name Naomi (pleasant). But God will not allow her to live into her felt experience. The narrator continues to call her […]

Nearly every character in the Old Testament had flaws and failures–except Ruth and Boaz–two of the central characters in the book of Ruth. They demonstrate “hesed” (loyal lovingkindness) to those around them. In Ruth chapter 3 their stories come together in an evening filled with dramatic tension in which both walk in courageous sacrificial loving […]

Ruth and Naomi are in Bethlehem during the barley harvest. In need of food, Ruth, the young widow goes to “glean” in the fields–collecting what the harvesters do not gather. This is a dangerous endeavor, but Ruth demonstrates loyal lovingkindness to her mother-in-law Naomi, sacrificing her wellbeing for their survival. But, by God’s lovingkindness, she […]

A drama in 4-acts, Ruth tells the story of tragedy and loss, of bitterness and grief and the faithfulness of God to an unlikely outsider of the people of God. Ruth chapter 1 constantly calls from the Lord to his people–return, return, return to me. But God chooses takes a foreign-born widow and daughter-in-law who […]

At the end of Genesis, Jacob, the one who grasped for blessing his whole life, finally rests in the lovingkindness and blessing of God so that he can rightly offer blessings to others–to his sons. He invites us to receive the abundance of God’s blessing in our own life and to freely offer it to […]

Joseph is elevated to Prime Minister of Egypt and implements a massive agriculture production and storage endeavor during 7 years of abundance in order to save Egypt, and his own family, when 7 years of famine struck the world. What does God say about work in Genesis? How does Joseph’s work fit into God’s design? […]

The many rises and falls of Joseph, the 11th and favored son of Jacob, is a compelling narrative of broken family systems, personal tragedy and the hopeless circumstances of slavery and prison. But the writer of Genesis records, The LORD was with Joseph. What difference does God’s “With”-ness make? For Joseph, as with for us, […]

The story of Jacob’s life is the longest of the patriarch’s of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet Jacob’s life is filled with downs and ups, but more downs. He is a deceiver and schemer, he lies and steals, and he deals with consequences. He wrestles with everyone for what he wants–with his brother for supremacy, […]

After stealing The Blessing & Birthright from his brother Esau, Jacob is forced to flee from his family to the land of Haran. On his way, he stops in a “certain place,” and with a stone for his pillow, he falls asleep and has a dream. He dreams of a wide stairway up to the […]

Jacob is the son of Isaac that God has chosen to carry on his plan of salvation in the line of Abraham until the one who would crush the serpents head once and for all. But neither Jacob, nor his plotting mother Rebekah, seem concerned with the Covenant Promises when they make a plan to […]

Trusting in God to provide, very late in his life, Abraham calls his servant to go to the land of his kinsman to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant goes, faithfully obeying Abraham and fully trusting the Lord to provide. And at a well, the scene of Ancient Near Eastern betrothal narratives, […]

Abraham had waited his whole life for a son. At 100 he has Isaac, the son of the promises.  But then God calls him to an unthinkable act of obedience – to offer his son as a sacrifice. Abraham obeys, he is willing to offer even his son to the Lord. But the Lord stays […]

Abram is 99 years old, without a son, and it has been years since the Lord spoke to him. But God Almighty shows up to reaffirm his Covenant–renaming Abraham: father of a multitude, i.e. the one through whom God’s plan of salvation would extend to the world. But in reaffirming his Covenant he also calls […]

Sarai and Abram are very old and have no children, but God promised Abram a son. So Sarai suggests Hagar, her servant, might be the one to give birth to son; after all, it was normal to do this in the Ancient Near eastern society. But this was not God’s plan nor his purposes for […]

God’s Covenant with Abram (Abraham) is central to God’s redemptive plans in the Bible and history. God chooses a person, whom he will bless and through whom God’s blessing of salvation will reach all peoples. God calls Abram to leave his father’s house and homeland. Abram leaves. But the promises of God seem unfulfilled. Yet […]

After the flood and God’s renewal of creation in his covenant with Noah, humanity again fell away, rejecting God and seeking to build their own name apart from God. In the building of the Tower of Babel, human hubris climaxes and God’s judgment is brought – the scattering of languages and humanity. But even in […]

After the flood, God establishes his Covenant with Noah, his descendants, and all living creatures–never again will God cut off all life. God is re-creating the earth, calling Noah and all humanity to be fruitful and fill the earth anew. The God of the Bible is about restoration and relationship–he is committed to us, who […]

Noah’s Ark, the flood account in Genesis 6-8, is arguably the most well known narrative in the Bible. What does this story still have to say to us today about our faith?  

East of Eden, Adam and Eve begin a family, first Cain is born, then Abel. In the course of team they grow, enter vocations and bring their offerings to the Lord God. But Cain’s offering is not accepted as Abel’s. Why? Who was Cain actually worshipping and serving, himself or God? God confronts Cain’s displeasure […]

God created us with bodies, physical human bodies. God’s story for all of history is revealed in our bodies, male and female. We are made in God’s image, but in the union of male and female in the covenant of marriage, there is the possibility of birthing new life–a human being, made in the image […]

Doesn’t God want me to be happy? Why can’t I do what I want? Doesn’t God want me to be happy? What if there’s a deeper happiness, one we are designed for in this life and eternally? What does the creation of human beings with physical bodies tell us about God’s purpose for life. God […]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” The Declaration of Independence begins. But are equality and rights self-evident? Modern societies try to underpin human dignity and equal rights in human superiority or collective knowledge “everyone knows,” but lack philosophical integrity. Christianity claims all humans have equal and eternal significance and worth from concepti...