Author: Richard Urban

The Indescribable Heart of Jesus

Jonah 2

2 From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:

2 When I was in trouble, Lord,
I prayed to you,
    and you listened to me.
From deep in the world
    of the dead,
I begged for your help,
    and you answered my prayer.

3 You threw me down
    to the bottom of the sea.
The water was churning
    all around;
I was completely covered
    by your mighty waves.
4 I thought I was swept away
    from your sight,
never again to see
    your holy temple.

5 I was almost drowned
by the swirling waters
    that surrounded me.
Seaweed had wrapped
    around my head.
6 I had sunk down below
    the underwater mountains;
I knew that forever,
    I would be a prisoner there.

But, you, Lord God,
    rescued me from that pit.
7 When my life was slipping away,
    I remembered you—
and in your holy temple
    you heard my prayer.

8 All who worship worthless idols
turn from the God
    who offers them mercy.
9 But with shouts of praise,
I will offer a sacrifice
    to you, my Lord.
I will keep my promise,
because you are the one
    with power to save.

10 The Lord commanded the fish to vomit up Jonah on the shore. And it did.

Psalm 45

7You love justice and hate evil.
    And so, your God chose you
    and made you happier
    than any of your friends.

Continue reading “The Indescribable Heart of Jesus”

Jesus’ Agonizing Heart

Matthew 2

13 After the wise men had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”

14 That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15 where they stayed until Herod died. So the Lord’s promise came true, just as the prophet had said, “I called my son out of Egypt.”

Isaiah

Tell those who obey God,
“You’re very fortunate—
    you will be rewarded
    for what you have done.”
11 Tell those who disobey,
“You’re in big trouble—
    what you did to others
    will come back to you.”
12 Though you are God’s people,
you are ruled and abused
    by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
    down the wrong path.

Continue reading “Jesus’ Agonizing Heart”

The Chosen People of Israel Opposed Jesus

Hosea 9

17 Israel, you disobeyed my God.
Now he will force you to roam
    from nation to nation.

Song of Solomon

You are in the garden
with friends all around.
    Let me hear your voice!

She Speaks:

14 Hurry to me, my darling!
Run faster than a deer
    to mountains of spices.

Continue reading “The Chosen People of Israel Opposed Jesus”

Who Could Understand the Heart of Jesus?

Exodus 12

14 Remember this day and celebrate it each year as a festival in my honor.

Richard:  We should remember and honor the traditions taught by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, unlike his former wife, Hak Ja Han, who does not honor the words and traditions taught by Rev. Moon.

Jonah 1

12 Jonah told them, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I’m the cause of this terrible storm.”

13 The sailors tried their best to row to the shore. But they could not do it, and the storm kept getting worse every minute.

Richard:  We can try to run from God, but ultimately we will have to face the truth, on this earth or later.

Continue reading “Who Could Understand the Heart of Jesus?”

Jesus’ Indescribable Heart of Loneliness

Ezekiel 22

17 The Lord said:

18 Ezekiel, son of man, I consider the people of Israel as worthless as the leftover metal in a furnace after silver has been purified. 19 So I am going to bring them together in Jerusalem. 20-21 I will be like a metalworker who collects that metal from the furnace and melts it down. I will collect the Israelites and blow on them with my fiery anger. They will melt inside the city of Jerusalem 22 like silver in a furnace. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have punished them in my anger.

Richard:  It is reasonable to think that a just God will allow judgement to fall on an unrighteous people.  We should check if we, and in turn, our community and nation are following God’s Will.  Are such things as homosexuality, transgenderism, relatvisim, and all kinds of godlessness acceptable in God’s sight.  Are we moving in accord with the heart and will of God and Jesus Christ?  What is evil must be judged; what is good must be exalted.

Jeremiah 34

8-10 King Zedekiah,[c] his officials, and everyone else in Jerusalem made an agreement to free all Hebrew[d] men and women who were slaves. No Jew would keep another as a slave. And so, all the Jewish slaves were given their freedom.

11 But those slave owners changed their minds and forced their former slaves back into slavery.

12 That’s when the Lord told me to say to the people:

13 I am the Lord God of Israel, and I made an agreement with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, where they had been slaves. 14 As part of this agreement, you must let a Hebrew slave go free after six years of service.

Richard:  God remembers our promises to Him.

Continue reading “Jesus’ Indescribable Heart of Loneliness”