Category: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: 1 John 3:16

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“This is how we have come to know love: He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I finally watched it, and now it’s time to talk about it. The finale of Loki season 2 dropped last week. Marvel has been going through a bit of a rough spell lately. Their content isn’t getting as many viewers as it once did. Their newest film, The Marvels, a Captain Marvel sequel, came out last week and scored the worst box office opening of any Marvel movie to date. More and more people are talking about superhero fatigue after 15 years. Loki season 2 proved to me they’ve still got what it takes. Let’s talk about what made this story so good.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 16:21-23

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“They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts apiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He told them, ‘This is what the Lord has said: “Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.”‘” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There are some traditions and phrases whose origin nobody knows anymore. One is the existence of “Blue Laws.” We know what these are, of course. They are laws designed to restrict the things people can do on Sundays. Why exactly they are called “Blue Laws,” though, nobody seems to know. We have some guesses, but none of them are very confident. The reason they exist, though, is because followers of Jesus from our nation’s colonial past wanted to encourage (that is, force) people to honor the Sabbath as they understood it should be honored. Speaking of the Sabbath, while we know where that came from, there is lots of debate about what exactly it is and what we should do about it today. We’ll be spending a lot more time talking about it in the weeks ahead of us, but let’s get started on that conversation today.

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Digging in Deeper: Genesis 2:18

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“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

I have been eagerly watching the latest season of Disney’s Loki series. The latest installment of the misadventures of the fan-favorite villain-turned-hero has, in my opinion, been even better than the last season. Reportedly, its viewership is down some from last season, but Disney viewership in general is down because the company keeps doing things and producing media to trumpet their woke bonafides which just keeps pushing more and more people away. That’s a conversation for another time. So is a full review of the latest (and, honestly, probably last) Loki season as I haven’t yet watched the finale. But a bit of dialogue in the penultimate episode did reveal what has been driving Loki and point to what will probably be the big theme of the season, and possibly Loki’s entire character arc. He’s trying to save the world because he’s lonely. That seems pretty basic as far as motivations go, but it struck me as a whole lot more significant than people might think. Let’s talk about why.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 16:17-20

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“So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. When they measured it by quarts, the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat. Moses said to them, ‘No one is to let any of it remain until morning.’ But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. Therefore Moses was angry with them.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Have you ever proven yourself to someone only to have them doubt you anyway? That’s an enormously frustrating situation. One of the major themes of the Exodus journey is Israel’s persistent lack of faith in God. This story fits squarely within this theme. Let’s talk about how God provides, why Israel didn’t trust, and what all of this might mean for us.

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Digging in Deeper: Exodus 16:4, 12

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“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. . . .I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Maybe it’s because I grew up in Missouri, the “Show Me State,” but I remember growing up that it was not at all uncommon when someone in a group of friends made a claim that seemed particularly outlandish, the rest of the group responded with two words: prove it. When Israel complained that Moses had dragged them out into the desert to starve them to death, while food was the direct object of their whining, it wasn’t the real issue. The real issue was that they were essentially telling God to prove (yet again) that He really was God. So he did, and in a way that has shaped the cultural memory of the entire world ever since. Let’s talk about what’s going on here.

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