THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 3:1-6 “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Luke 3:4) Here God uses John – a wilderness prophet – to prepare people for Jesus. John caught peoples’ attention with his extreme ways and words. “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,…
A life of purpose!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:41-52 “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) Here is an example of where Jesus had to learn submission and wisdom. Jesus was not being rude or disobedient, He was sincerely doing what he thought was right. As a child He did not do things selfishly…
Learning and growing!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:36-40 “The child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on Him.” (Luke 2:40) Anna knew little about this child, except that He was God’s promise fulfilled! She sensed something in Jesus that filled her heart with hope and joy. What was Jesus like…
Piercing light!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:25-35 “The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” (Luke 2:35) The promised messiah has finally come, so why such dire predictions? Isn’t the coming of Jesus supposed to be good news? It is the truth that Jesus brings that sets people free. But people do not always like the truth, especially…
Kingdom citizens
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:21-24 “Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” (Luke 2:22) Jesus was Jewish, or an Israeli. His first days included Jewish practices: circumcision, dedication, purification, sacrifice. Circumcision is the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his children (Genesis 17:1-14). Firstborn sons were dedicated to recall the…
Jesus treasure
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:15-20 “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) To treasure and ponder, this is how I feel about my relationship with Jesus. I ponder a lot, lots of questions and thoughts and feelings and uncertainties. But not just pondering with my mind, I treasure what…
Bringing good news!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:8-14 “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10) What would it take to bring great joy to ALL people? To the poor, oppressed, homeless, anxious, abused, lonely, sick, depressed, distraught? Think of all the people living at this very moment; how many of…
Room for Jesus?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 2:1-7 “Because there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke 2:7) Middle Eastern culture is known for it’s strong hospitality. Yet no one would take in an young expectant mother? Maybe the town was full for the census Maybe all the spare rooms were spoken for. But no one would take…
The sun will come up!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 1:67-80 “The rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death…” (Luke 1:78-79) When life is reasonably easy, and things are generally OK, hope is a small matter. But when you live in the dark, in the shadow of death,…
Survey – Growing to be more like Jesus
Last Sunday I took another survey. I was trying to gauge whether disciples were actively working on personal growth areas in their relationship with Christ. The response to the first question was obviously unanimous: do you struggle in any specific area to reflect the character of Jesus? — YES!!!! The next question was intended to identify…