SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:67-75 Filled with the Spirit… what does this mean. On the one hand, this is something that God does to him. But he also opens himself to God, and allows the Spirit to bubble out of him. I have had times when I had praise or prayer stirring within me… During a powerful God…
Why do I find this funny?
Naming our experiences by faith!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:57-66 Zechariah was speechless because he had doubted God (Luke 1:19-20). By choosing the name ‘John’, he was showing he finally believed God. Zechariah chooses to name his blessing, to believe God’s message, to accept God’s promise. There is something powerful in naming our experiences by faith. This crisis is a God-opporunity, this encounter is…
He knows my name!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:46-56 For Mary, the great thing about God is His connection to the little guy. She’s a nobody (humanly speaking), yet God choses her for this special mission. He is not impressed by stars and tycoons and rulers and bigwigs. In fact, His tendency is to bring down the ‘mighty’, while lifting up the…
God’s blessing through difficulty
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:39-45 Is ‘blessed’ the word you would use for Mary? A young unmarried girl divinely impregnated, her life never to be the same. To expect her son to be honoured, yet to see Him mocked, bullied, tortured and shamefully executed. And if Elizabeth knew that her son (John the Baptizer) would also be executed,…
Blessed to be a blessing!
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 67 This is a blessing prayer, usually used at the end of a gathering or event, perhaps a religious festival. It is based on the ultimate blessing prayer God wanted the priests to use: “The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say…
A reason to celebrate!
SCRIPTURE: Esther 6-10 Sadness turned into joy, a reason to celebrate. We have just come through Christmas, a time very similar to the Jewish Feast of Purim. To celebrate as a time of joy, to enjoy good food, to give presents to each other, and gifts to the poor. But these are just the garnishes, the…
Nothing is impossible with God!
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:34-38 For me, the virgin birth is not a big deal. If God is real (and I believe He is), then “nothing is impossible with God.” Once you’ve decided there is a God, then a whole new world of possibilities opens up. God is the wild card that changes every hand, God makes hope…
Joel, Obadiah
SCRIPTURE: Joel, Obadiah What do you sense the Lord saying to you? PRAYER
His kingdom will never end
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26-33 “His kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:33) – this is the good news in this story. Governments and ruling powers come and go, they rise in favour and fall from favour. A Stephen Harper or Barack Obama or Rob Ford promise great things… and people are hopeful. But their ‘kingdom’ (the world according to…