Melchior, Caspar (or Gaspar), Balthazar. Do these names ring a bell? According to Catholic tradition, they are the three wise guys who visited Jesus at his birth. They are all scholars, saints, and the kings of Persia, India, and Arabia respectively. While the first and the last of these are made completely from someone’s imagination,…
All around the world there are millions of people who for thousands of reasons of poverty, oppression and injustice are crying out for a Savior to come. Two thousand years ago He came incarnated in a little baby. This year He still comes, incarnated in you.
Where was everybody else?
People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. (Micah…
He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” (Luke 13:20-21) Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29, Luke 13:1-21, Psalm 78:65-72, Proverbs 12:25 Relate: When the disciples asked their master…
So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples. It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover…
When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to…
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23) Read: Joshua 7:1 – 9:27, 1 Chronicles 2:7 Relate: I love a paradox. Maybe it is just me, but I love trying to wrap my mind around two different concepts that, somehow, both must be true.…
There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” (John 3:1-2) Daily Bible Reading: Leviticus 7:1 –…
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied. Daily Bible Reading: Job 40:6 – 42:17 Relate: “What do you want?” Then “Come and see.” Later, “Your name is Simon, son of John. But you will be called Cephas.” Finally, “Come, follow me.” These four brief statements are all we…
THE RIVER WALK 