Blog (Page 12)
Daily Devotions
And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.” vs 10 Mark 1:9-11 According to Mark, after his baptism Jesus received an epiphany that forever changed the direction of his life. Prior to that moment we know virtually nothing about him, only that he had come to the Jordan from Nazareth in Galilee, a small hamlet near the city of Sepphorus. There are…
Daily Devotions
On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” vs. 11 Matthew 2:1-12 Matthew really didn’t have much to say about the birth of Jesus. According to his sources, Joseph had a home in Bethlehem and the child was born there–there’s no mention of an inn or a stable. But he does add a follow-up…
Daily Devotions
And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” vs. 5 Mark 1:4-8 John’s ministry along the Jordan attracted large numbers of people, most of whom seemed to have had a strong awareness of their own sinfulness. There were ways within Judaism for them to deal with this issue–the law was quite precise in explaining how people could find…
Daily Devotions
When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and theyspoke in tongues and prophesied—” vs. 6 Acts 19:1-7 When Paul encountered disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus he convinced them that their baptism was lacking. When he then baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues. Luke’sdescription of this event has provided the impetus for what has been called thePentecostal movement.…
Daily Devotions
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.” vss. 36-37 Luke 2:33-40 In Luke’s infancy stories of Jesus he gave the major speaking roles to Mary and Elizabeth, and he continued that pattern in today’s text by pairing the prophet Simeon with the prophet Anna, an even older…
Daily Devotions
Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation…” vs. 29-30 Luke 2:22-32 Those who have the privilege of living for many years sometimes begin to believe that they’ve “seen it all,” that there is nothing new under the sun, and to some extent they are right. There is a certain rhythm to life in this world, and some of us have been able to experience several of the…
Daily Devotions
And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” vs. 6 Galatians 4:6-7 Most people think of faith in personal terms. God is not some amorphous blob, a giant dollop of nothingness, but a being with whom we can have a warm and lasting relationship. And it seems to be most natural for us to think of God as a parent, and more particularly as our Father. Paul says that’s…
Daily Devotions
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.” Galatians 4:4-5 Galatians 4:4-5 Paul tells the Galatians that Jesus had been born in the fullness of time, that all preparations had been made, and all conditions were just as they needed to be. And as we look back at that time,…
Daily Devotions
Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Young men and women alike, old and young together!” vss. 7, 9, 10, 12 Isaiah 61:10-62:3 The psalmist believed that everything in the universe had its origin in God and was of God, and that all things, whether in the heavens or on earth, offered praise to the Lord…
Daily Devotions
For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring upbefore all the nations.” vs. 11 Isaiah 61:10-62:3 As one year yields to the grim reaper and another eagerly awaits its birth, there is a natural tendency to reflect and predict. We look at the year gone by, consider its triumphs and tragedies, and then make our best…
Daily Devotions
and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Marytreasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” vss. 18-19 Luke 2:8-20 As Luke tells the story, when the shepherds arrived at the manger and shared their tale of shining glory and herald angels they caused quite a stir. Evidently the birth had attracted notice—which makes sense—there’s going to be some hustle and bustle when a child is born. Passersby hearing Mary’s laboring cries…
Daily Devotions
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.” Galatians 4:4-5 Galatians 4:4-5 It has been widely reported that the leaders of the Christian churches in Bethlehem, in order to demonstrate their solidarity with the suffering Palestinians of Gaza, have canceled Christmas. There will be no marching bands, or holiday decorations,…