16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I…
People massage their lineage by scrubbing some from the family tree (don’t mention great-grandfather that was the village idiot or other unsavory characters. Matthew, however, when listing the family tree of Jesus, doesn’t scrub clean or try to hide anything from the line. So, he begins with Abraham and recounts generation to generation of real…
Has Christmas just become another holiday season with great expectations, where the true meaning is lost? So much has been lost in this time of COVID, and I don’t want to lose my usual Christmas. Mary and Joseph would understand how you and I feel. When this teenage mom and her new husband stepped into…
The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke, is about a traveler who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. First a Jewish priest and then a Levite comes by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan happens upon the traveler. Samaritans and Jews despised each other, but the…
From now on, Peter, you will catch men. So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:10b-11 What’s keeping you from fully following Jesus? Do you want to be a disciple? A disciple goes out into the world. A disciple makes disciples. A disciple leaves everything to be like…
Are you ready to be a disciple? Jesus tells us to consider the cost because it is going to cost you something. You can be the sanitized version of cultural Christian and blend right in, but if you follow Jesus, it is going to cost you something. You are going to be different. Jesus says,…
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 It’s Christmas again, and you think, same old, same old. We’ve heard the songs. We know the story.…
And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Luke 2:16–18 This Christmas present was so different.…
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:13-14 What are you celebrating this Christmas? We celebrate things because much of life is mundane. We celebrate and recognize…