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…
“The Lord has done this FOR me!”
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:21-25 Childlessness is usually a difficult emotional burden for a couple. Hopes ignited then dashed, well-meaning comments or questions from others, techniques and technologies that promise results, yet often disappoint, and perhaps the growing anger, “the Lord has done this TO me!” I cannot explain why good or bad things happen to some people….
Pointing the way back to God
SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:5-20 The Jewish Bible (or ‘Old Testament’) has many symbols meant to show the loving goodness of God, the danger of sin, and the importance of love and loyalty to Him. In this passage we have several of these symbols: — priests: symbols of love and loyalty to God, communicators of God’s love and…
The Father heart of God
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 66 “For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. (Psalm 66:10-12) My primary concept of God is as Father, whose…