Most of us are familiar with the second chapter of Luke up to the point that “Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) While that may be the end of the “birth narrative” as theologians term it, there is much more to the story of Jesus and Mary and …
Monthly Archives: December 2018
Saying Yes
When Mary heard what God had called her to do, she said “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). No objections, no requests to find someone else, just a couple of questions. Of all the call stories we hear from scripture, Mary is …
Fruit Worthy of Repentance
In Luke 3:8 John the Baptist admonishes us to “bear fruit worthy of repentance.” That’s a fancy way of telling us we have to make a change in our lives if we want to be saved. Yes, God loves us as we are, if He didn’t why would He reach out to us at all? …
Roadbuilding
“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness ‘prepare ye the way of the Lord!’ Make straight in the desert a highway for our God!” Isaiah 40:3 I don’t really remember ever reading these words from the prophet Isaiah until my senior year in high school when I did the opening tenor solos for …
Being Prepared
How do you get ready for an important project or activity? Usually there is planning and research, followed by decisions and a timeline. A lot of time and effort go into preparing for a large scale or long term endeavor. Now I ask you, is there anything more large scale than salvation or long term …