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…
God’s appointed rulers!
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…
Why struggle alone?
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 –…
Everyone loses in snakes and ladders!
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…
Set my heart on fire!
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…
See Jesus at work in others too!
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…
Speaking truth in love
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…
Shrines to our ignorance!
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…
Open up and let Him in!
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….
Just enough, Lord!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 30-31 “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Proverbs 30:8) Our world seems to be divided between those with plenty, and those with nothing. As a result, some people disown God while others dishonour God (v.9). Our world is caught in the grip of poverty and…