Even at the early age of 12, Jesus was asking questions. Questions that forced his hearers to deeply consider answers that led to even more profound understandings. In today’s story, Jesus was left behind at the temple by his family during Passover. He was found a few days later in the temple sitting at the feet of the rabbis. His question to his parents forces all of us to reconsider our own relationships with our Heavenly Fath
Throughout the Christmas season, we’ve been focusing on how a weary world rejoices. Today, we consider the importance that ritual plays in creating space for the Holy Spirit to work in us when all we can do is cry. As we live into these sacred rituals, we are led to rejoice once again.
The Gospel of Luke describes how God broke into the weary Roman world with the birth of His Son. This gave all the people reason to rejoice despite their weariness. And so, we too set aside our weariness and make room to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
When was the last time you laid on your back and looked up at the stars in awe and wonder? One theologian said, awe causes us to wonder, and wonder leads us to praise the One who created what is awesome. In this Christmas season, may we be awe struck by a God who loved us so much, who entered our world as a little child, and who came to save the world from our sins.
We all need encouragement, and it is so important to surround ourselves with people who will share our highs and our lows. In our scripture story today, we see how Elizabeth was that sort of person for Mary, her much younger cousin. As Mary received word from the Angel Gabriel that she would soon bear Jesus, the Messiah, God knew that she would need to connect with someone like Elizabeth who would encourage her that her baby was a gift
One look at Christmas advertising tells us a lot about what our culture thinks of Christmastime. It’s all about happiness, cheer, and materialism. But what happens when this season brings sadness, despair, and weariness? How do we reconcile these two seeming opposing emotions?
As we begin our journey into Advent, leading unto celebrating Jesus’ birth, we acknowledge that while we are weary, joy oc
On this Sunday before we begin the Advent Season in which we prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus’ birth, we learn more about Jesus’ threefold office as prophet, priest, and king. As prophet, Jesus speaks for God. As priest, he forgives us of sin. As king, he rules over us forever, and we see how Jesus’ coming made the Old Testament Law obsolete and replaced it with a new law based on love and grace.
In some African Christian cultures, the most joyful part of the worship service is the offering as people dance down the aisles with their offerings. The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver.
In today’s bible story, we see how King David danced with all his might before his people in thanksgiving to God. In this season of Thanksgiving, may we stop and consider how everything we have and everything we are is a gift f
At some point in our lives, we have all encountered the metaphorical burning bush…some event or activity that really captured our attention. It could have been a health scare that woke us up to a much-needed lifestyle switch, a financial decision that greatly blessed us, or a simple note from a friend that encouraged us. What if it were really God who was speaking to us through these “bushes?&r
