Author: Norm

THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 10:1-7 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’” (Luke 10:5) What is the first thing we say or do when we witness to others? We are first and foremost agents of love, joy and peace. Without even know who we are speaking to, we bring them peace. We…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:57-62 “The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58) Jesus does not turn anyone away that wants to follow Him. But He does not water down what it means to follow Him. Joining with Jesus is more than accepting forgiveness and heaven. We are saved from selfish…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 82 “I said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’” (Psalm 82:6) For Jews, to claim God as Father is to claim to be equal with God (John 5:18). To be made in God’s image means to be God’s child (Genesis 5:1-3). In this Psalm, God is describing human leaders…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Ecclesiastes 3-4 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12) As disciples of Jesus, we know the value of the team. We see Jesus surrounding Himself with friends and helpers. And we see Him sending out His disciples in pairs –…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Ecclesiastes 1-2 “This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 2:26) So what ‘wind’ (empty treasure or pleasure) are you chasing after? You know, the thing that seems so important or wonderful right now. We invest our time, treasures and talents into that goal or obejective. But is it really that…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:51-56 “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” (Luke 9:54) James and John were called the sons of thunder, and we see why (Mark 3:17). They seemed to have a thirst for power, and for using it (Mark 10:35f). They were followers of Jesus, yet they…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:46-50 “We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” (Luke 9:49) Here we see the disciples eager to elevate and differentiate themselves. In order to be greater than others, we must differentiate from others. My previous church had non-christians supporting our community work. We were blessing others for…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:37-45 “You unbelieving and perverse generation…” (Luke 9:41) Yesterday I spoke about how we are saved to live and love like Jesus. These words seem to challenge this: am I supposed to talk like this? Am I expected, and permitted, to call out someone’s perversity? First, in the context we see that…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 9:28-36 “He did not know what he was saying.” (Luke 9:33) Sometime I think this would make a great motto for me as a minister. Like Peter, I make bold declarations based on what I think I know. Yes, he said that Jesus was God’s Messiah (Luke 9:18-20). But he also told Jesus…

THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 81 “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10) “If only” they would do this or that, their life would be so much better. We can all think of someone to whom this would apply. All of us make choices that hinder our experience of love, joy and peace….