Creative Space for Wanderers
Read: Today, we get to revisit Mark: Jesus Anointed at Bethany from a different perspective and at a different time. This is not during passion week, not just before Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, so it seems this is a separate event that ends with a different emphasis near the beginning of Jesus’ traveling ministry. The passage we read …
Continue reading “Luke: Your faith has saved you; go in peace”
Read: Affirmation. We all need to be affirmed by qualified sources, those whom we esteem to be an authority in our particular ministry. A car mechanic might not think working on the fuel injection system is a ministry, but I beg to differ! Everyone is a minister, each is an evangelist for that which they …
Read: Love your enemies, don’t judge others, the mouth speaks what the heart is full of, here the words and do what Jesus commanded. Somewhere there’s a sign for the wall with these short phrases that summarize so much of Jesus’ teaching. The original audience that heard these words for the very first time were …
Read: “They said to Him…” begins the reading for today and one of my recurring nightmares: will I be counted as one of them? Am I in the “they” group? Jesus wants us all to be part of His family, but He is not about checking boxes to gain acceptance, that would be easy, He …
Continue reading “Luke: Legalism Concerns – Fasting and the Sabbath”
Read: Rejected by His hometown, Jesus goes to Capernaum, some 40 miles (a 9-hour walk according to Google Maps). Luke surrounds these two miraculous interventions with observations about the spreading of Jesus’ ministry. Don’t miss the detail that Jesus is not only teaching on the Sabbath, but He is also “working” by casting out demons …
Continue reading “Luke: Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit, Heals Many”
Read: Back from the desert temptation experience, Jesus’ ministry is now set for launch. Not surprising, His teaching is exceptional and people are amazed. They were amazed when He taught as a 12-year old (), I can’t even fathom what another 18 years of life on earth added to His sermon archive! In this passage, …
Read: Tempting Jesus has always seemed like a moot point to me. Each time I read this passage, it seems there’s no way Jesus would actually be enticed by Satan’s offers. The highlight reel of this extended time of fasting includes three specific temptations: prove God is the ultimate provider bow down to Satan test …
Read: We fast-forward to somewhere between A.D. 25 and A.D. 26, when John the Baptist, and his cousin Jesus, were about 30 years old. John preaches the need for repentance through baptism and even baptizes Jesus. Luke covers the story of John the Baptist differently than the other Gospel accounts. His intentional process of identifying …
Read: Today we read a story that I’ve read a hundred times. It reveals the incredible truth that Jesus was fully human and, we later appreciate, fully God. Of all the stories, I’m so grateful that Luke was careful about choosing this one. There are times when I read a verse that my head seems …
Read: As I continue to ponder what Zechariah did during his 9+ months of silence as Elizabeth managed her high-risk pregnancy, I read this incredible section in the NIVAC (NIV Application Commentary). I hope you’ll read this and consider your leadership role in the church. Whether you’re on staff or occasionally attend a gathering of …
Continue reading “Temptation to be Relevant, Popular, and Powerful”