Reading from Luke 2:25 after baby Jesus was presented in the Temple. 25-32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was pious, righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah [...]
The Fruit of Repentance Consider Luke 3 verse 8 (Amplified Translation) “8 Therefore produce fruit that is worthy of [and consistent with your] repentance [that is, live changed lives, turn from sin and seek God and His righteousness].†We started with this passage in Episode 9. John the Baptist was very direct and somewhat harsh [...]
 Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.†Now in the last episode, we were looking at the message of John the Baptist in Luke 3, which is also recorded in the synoptic gospels of Mark 1 and Matthew 3. Matthew’s version has a few extra details which are worth discussing, [...]
Luke 3: 1-12 NIV, MSG, CSB The word of the Lord came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one [...]
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 As a young boy, Jesus would have grown up learning all of the Scriptures we know as the Old Testament, so he would have the Torah, the Proverbs, the Psalms and Prophets to learn from. And for sure he would he have known [...]
The story of the Magi in Matthew 2 is the traditional text for the first Sunday in Epiphany. Let’s review it, and notice all the moments of divine revelation, “epiphany†occur. I have a special “mash up” translation. […]
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you!â€Â Isaiah 60:1 (NIV) This Isaiah passage is one of the traditional texts that would be read at an Epiphany service in a liturgical church. Epiphany falls on January 6 in the West, however, the date for the Eastern Orthodox churches is [...]
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes [...]
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 To see yourself as a child of God is truly an empowering belief. When I was a child, I knew that my parents loved me. I didn’t have to do anything to [...]
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. John 1:6-8 John the Baptist was a forerunner. His mission was to [...]
