Posts by Deborah van Kroonenburg
Drinking in His Words
A temple guard seeks to hear Jesus. It was the time of the festival, the Feast of Tabernacles, and we had heard that the teacher, Jesus, was present in Jerusalem. As an officer of the Temple Guard, I was to be ready, if the order came, to arrest him. In the middle of the week,…
Read MoreFollow Me
‘After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth.’ A tax collector I did not look out into the crowds from my booth. I was a wealthy man and I had no right to be. The only reason I was rich was because I…
Read MoreLord of the Sabbath
The pharisees waiting in the synagogue were the same men who had lingered at the edge of the field. I do not know why they had waited as we came through the field on that Sabbath day but I do know that one man was delighted to call out the Lord for the shocking sin…
Read MoreA Just Man
My friend was a fair and generous man. All the men in his family looked to him for guidance and the women said that no one would find a better husband. He was faithful. He obeyed the law to the letter, but we never heard him condemn anyone. If someone had strayed from the right…
Read MoreApproaching the Temple
Year on year, we measured out our lives in waiting; waiting for our liberation, waiting for a new Kingdom of justice and right. Year on year, we made our way to the holy Temple of the Lord. We sang psalms as we approached the gates of the city, our limbs losing the fatigue of days…
Read MoreWaiting for the Wedding Feast
Be dressed ready for service. I have been a maid for a long time, and I am no longer young, but I have never known an employer to be so loving and generous as mine were. I knew that I will never find a fairer master or mistress than those I kept the house for,…
Read MoreThe Parable of the Dishonest Manager
True Riches: My dear brother, let me explain what I have done. I long to share this gift with you and be reconciled with you and we will love and care for each other and learn together as we did when we were children. It came about when I met a teacher and what I…
Read MoreAnd Nobody Came
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. ‘Come to the wedding banquet.’ Quite honestly, I was surprised to receive the invitation. Although I suppose it was to be expected. My father had been recognized for his service to the king and our family had…
Read MoreGreater than Jonah
Prelude – the Sign of Jonah: But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. The story of Jonah thrilled us when we were boys. It was so frightening we would hold on to each other…
Read MoreSeek First the Kingdom
Prelude – the Sermon on the Mount: I brought out my best linen and went up the mountain with my women friends that day to listen to the Teacher. It was a fair day; the scent of white lilies drifted over the fields and birds circled above us, calling out to their mates. It was…
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