... him to be heard'' (Luke:Interpretation, Louisville: John Knox, 1990, p. 50). Luke does not explicitly mention the place of baptism (though he mentions the Jordan at verse 3), nor even the person doing the baptism (John is in prison by this time in ... Spirit," so prominent is the Holy Spirit there. Thus Jesus' baptism becomes a prelude to the other key Holy Spirit events like Luke 4:1-18 and Luke 24:49. Although the voice proclaiming Jesus as the Son is important, we ought not to read into this a moment in which ...
... between Jerusalem and Jericho was an “Uh-Oh” kind of neighborhood. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho stretches about 18 miles through desert terrain—hot, dry, rocky and rough. In Jesus’ day, it was common for thieves to hide ... law. He commends the one who puts love for a stranger into action. He commends the one who risks himself on behalf of an enemy. What do John 3: 16-17, the central verses of the New Testament, say? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever ...
... .’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” And in John 13, just before Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, he takes the role of servant and washes his disciples’ feet, then he challenges ... 1928,” she had written the words, “To Bob from Miss Hunter. My prayer and deepest desire for you is Matthew 28:18-20: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . .’” Jesus’ prayer and deepest desire for us is to “Therefore go and ...
... bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). Earlier in Jesus’ own ministry, when a lawyer asked him about the greatest commandment, Jesus spoke of loving God and loving ... heart. But the way Jesus defined love was new, for he said, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34). In his life and ministry, Jesus showed love for his disciples over and over again. He invited them into relationship with ...
... up in the prelude to the Lukan birth account, where Elizabeth is barren and receives the gift of the forerunner, John the Baptist. What is the message which comes through in these stories? They are marked first by human frailty, barrenness, ... of barrenness comes Samuel, the opposite of the priests of that day. "Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod" (2:18). He had been started out on the right path by his mother, and she continues to set a good example for him. "His mother ...
... but the death of Absalom brought weeping and mourning so deep that he could not fulfill his responsibilities. He even cried out that he wished he had died in Absalom's place (2 Samuel 18:31-19:4). When Lazarus died and Jesus was with his sisters and other mourners, Jesus was so moved and disturbed that even he cried (John 11:33-34). In scripture, mourning is characterized by a neglect of appearance, by withdrawing from those close at hand, and by deep, relentless grief. We recognize it in our own tears and ...
... their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." -- John 13:12-17 (NRSV) ____________ Jesus never said, "I am the teacher." Precisely, he said, "You call me Teacher and Lord -- and you are ... horizontal level, without the vertical dimension of trust in Christ. I know about humanism. I was a humanist for the first 18 years of my life. My father was Jewish; my mother Irish Catholic. Since my father was opposed to the Roman Catholic ...
... generations. "The soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." - 1 Samuel 18:1 The difficulty was that Jonathan was Saul's son and heir. Jonathan was to be the next king of Israel, following his ... also knew the greater void they left in the life of the nation. But David knew more than this. He knew, in the words of the poet John Donne (who also lived in a less individualistic time), "Any man's death diminishes me." We see so much pain and loss and death around us ...
... and had every reason to believe, by their experience, that it would always be that way. Yet Ezekiel, Jesus, Peter, and John of Patmos, author of the book of Revelation, were convinced otherwise. They believed there was something else in the mind of ... : Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light. Amos 5:18 Amos waves the warning flag because he knows that what we live in the interim, between now and the day of the Lord, has an impact on ...
... course the debt was never paid, because nobody can ever pay 10,000 talents. Well, this is where the story ends, as recorded in Matthew 18:21-35. It was Jesus who told the story nearly 2,000 years ago. And having told it, he then said, "So also my heavenly ... finds it shut. And, as you know, God never breaks down a door that is closed; he enters only the open ones. We read in 1 John 3:17: "If anyone ... sees his brother in need, yet shuts up his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?" This is ...
... light." God had only to speak and his will was done. So it is also with God's son Jesus, who according to the Gospel of John, was "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth ..." The Word of God revealed in Jesus Christ has great power ... 2. Edward Witten, in K. C. Cole, "A Theory of Everything," New York Times Magazine, October 18, 1987, p. 21. 3. Cole, "A Theory," Times Magazine, October 18, 1987, p. 22. 4. Agnes Sanford, The Healing Light (St. Paul: Macalester Park Publishing Co., 1955 ...
... since the time of the pyramids of Gizeh. Witchcraft was forbidden by Mosaic law, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exodus 22:18) In Leviticus we find, "A man also or woman ... that is a wizard ... they shall stone them with stones ..." (20:27) Even the ... more humane Deuteronomy declared, "There shall not be found among you any one ... that useth divination ..." (18:10) John of Damascus preached on "Concerning Dragons and Witches." In A.D. 799, the Synod of Reisbach denounced witchcraft. The ...
... acquaintance of an understanding, compassionate older man? Sometime during these years, Joseph died. Legend fixes the date at A.D. 18 or possibly as late as 27. One story claims that Mary and Jesus were at his side when death came. ... 13:55-56) Joseph was a true father for the growing Jesus - the only one he ever knew, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph ...?" (John 6:42) And again, "Is not this Joseph’s son?" (Luke 4:22) FATHER How much the word father means. What would Jesus’ early years have been ...
... , of course, this command to love God is only possible in God’s love. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). All religion begins here - loving our God totally - a complete commitment to him - with our energy, our cash, our self ... must love your fellow man as yourself" (Matthew 22:39b). When this rule was first given to the Pharisees, it came from Leviticus 19:18, and meant that they should love their fellow Jews. Jesus gave this a new interpretation with his story of the Good Samaritan. We are ...
... reputation for God's sake? Confessing sin-- with a willingness to change--frees the Holy Spirit to activate His power and work through you. The second prescription is this: Ask daily for a fresh infilling of God's Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, God commands us to be filled with the Spirit. Then in First John 5:15, we are told that if we ask anything of God in accordance with his will, He will do it. We know that God wants us to be filled with the Spirit; therefore, when we ask sincerely, we can be assured ...
... walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Do not "oppress the poor" (Amos 4:1) or "answer roughly the entreaties of the needy," (Proverbs 18:23) and do not let some acquire so much of God’s earth for themselves that others are left without (cf. Isaiah 5:8), for ... , who is our "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). "God spoke peace," and the Word God spoke "became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:14). Peace became a person. "For He is our peace," declares Paul of Jesus Christ in our text from Ephesians. In His flesh ...
... time of waiting was fulfilled in a particular way. It was said of this man that the very word of God "tabernacled among us" (John 1:14). God came to dwell with us, not in tents, temples, nor family lines, but in a person, Jesus of Nazareth. All the ... the insight of the wise, "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he" (Proverbs 39:18). The church lives on the vision; indeed, the church is this vision buried in the daily lives of those who are the faithful-waiting. ...
... O my son Absalom, my Son, my Son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" - 2 Samuel 18:33 These words have echoed down the centuries ever since they were uttered and they are one of the most distressing scenes in all literature ... contained within it. 2. It’s okay to cry Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and over his friend Lazarus (John 11:35). No doubt he wept on many other occasions also. Somehow we have gotten the idea, however, that "big boys don’t cry." ...
... words, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:16). In a still more dramatic occasion Jesus places a little child before the disciples, who are quarreling about priority rights ... , the home under God, and strive earnestly with God’s help to build and maintain it. This home is beautifully described by the poet John Oxenham: "The cornerstone in Truth is laid, The guardian walls of Honor made, The roof of Faith is built above, The fire upon the ...
... seldom heeded words of Jesus: "Trust me when I tell you that whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a child will not enter into it" (Luke 18:17 NAB). When the disciples asked him who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, he placed a little child in their midst and said the same thing (Matthew 18:1-3). Jesus also insisted we must be born again. (John 3:2) He kept repeating the same truth. He was emphasizing that unless you have the courage to find and face the little child within you, the part of ...
... land). He had been having trouble escaping the demanding crowds; things were dangerous politically (King Herod had recently beheaded his cousin, John the Baptist); he was frustrated in his efforts to make any headway with the religious establishment and he was regularly ... Skey, via PresbyNet, "SERMONSHOP 1996 08 18," 8/13/96 4.Elton Trueblood, The Humor of Christ, (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1964), pp. 116-125 5.ibid. p. 116 6.Susan O'Shea, vis PresbyNet, "SERMONSHOP 1996 08 18," #124, 8/16/96 7.David ...
... , "Whoever welcomes one such...in my name welcomes me..." Amen! 1. Eric Marshall & Stuart Hample, comp., (New York: Pocket Books, 1966) and (New York: Essandess Special Editions, 1967) 2. Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15, Luke 18:17 3. William Schwein, "Preaching on the Lessons," Clergy Journal, July 1997, p. 43 4. John and Sylvia Ronsvalle, Behind the Stained Glass Windows: Money Dynamics in the Church, (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1996), p. 218 5. Christine Iverson, via Ecunet, "Gospel Notes for Next ...
... for the 113th time. I was disturbed to read that lung cancer has now surpassed breast cancer as a primary killer of women. According to professor John R. Benfield the cause is the increased numbers of women who smoke. Maybe your focus is on smoking or some other vice. Each of us has ... to his parents when he got home. What is missing from the story ” and accounts for that missing 18 years in Jesus' life ” is that his Jewish mother was more than a little peeved at her son's taking off on his own. So ...
... at the wrong time? Many people speculate that they would be better off with a new spouse or a different set of circumstances. John Micofsky was confident his life would be greatly improved once he ridded himself of his wife. His dream came true on January 20, ... will prevail. 1. Victor Borge and Robert Sherman, MY FAVORITE INTERMISSIONS, (Garden City, New York), p. 89. 2. THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/18/93, p. 8A. IN OTHER WORDS. . . , Mar/Apr 1993, p. 2. 3. Dr. William P. Barker, TARBELL'S TEACHER'S GUIDE, ( ...
... in the future. Press onward and upward, serving God all your days. 1. Adapted from William L. Stidger, THERE ARE SERMONS IN STORIES (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), p. 40. 2. BITS AND PIECES, September 19, 1991, p. 18. 3. DAILY BREAD. 4. "Woulda, coulda, shoulda," by Victor M. Parachin and John Archer, ASPIRE, August/September 1995, p. 48. 5. LEXINGTON HERALDLEADER, Jan. 4, 1996, p. 4. 6. CROSSROADS, Issue No. 7, Page 34. 7. THE EXECUTIVE SPEECHWRITERS NEWSLETTER. 8. Robert H. Waterman, Jr., THE RENEWAL FACTOR ...