Lead in: In Jesus’ day, the practice of baptism had many meanings in Jewish culture.  It was seen as a kind of cleansing ritual that prepared one for worship. But with John the Baptist, baptism became a way of demonstrating one’s willingness to undergo a total life...

Lead in:  Matthew wrote his Gospel for the Jewish community.  The Magi were foreigners from another land. By including them as worshippers of Christ, Matthew hoped to convince his fellow Christians that God intended to call all people to worship the one true God...

Lead in:  Jesus’ parents find their twelve year old son conversing with the scholars of the law in the temple, who are quite taken with the boy and the answers he was giving them.  His parents, however, weren’t quite as impressed. For three days they’ve been half out...

Lead in: Young Mary, expectant with child, decides to visit Elizabeth who also is with child. Elizabeth lives in the hill country of Judea. It’s a dangerous trek, about one hundred miles over rough terrain. Not knowing who she might encounter on the way, safety is...

Lead in: People from various walks of life came to John the Baptist, common folks, corporate professionals and military personal. After hearing him preach a baptism of repentance, they all asked the same question, “What should we do?” As we walk with Jesus, seeking to...

Lead in: In the opening line of Luke 3:1, we hear the names of no less than eight different kings and governors along with exact dates that they ruled including the regions they ruled.These seemingly random facts seem extraneous to the core message of the Gospel. But...

Lead in: In Luke 21, Jesus talks of the signs that speak of the hard times to come. Is he predicting the end of the world? There has always been great curiosity about the second coming of Christ. When is it and how will it happen? These are two questions that we can...

Lead in: Pilate was suspicious of this Jesus who he’d heard so much about. Like Pilate, we can be suspicious of people based on what we’ve heard about them.Prompt : Reflect on a time when you met someone who you were suspicious of based on what you had heard about...

Lead in: Jesus and his disciples have travelled from Galilee to Jerusalem. At this point in his ministry, Jesus knows his time is short. The hostility of religious authorities toward Jesus has grown to the point that his life is in danger. But for Jesus, there is no...

Lead in: When asked which is the first of all the commandments, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6, “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” To love with all your heart, your soul, your strength, is to give it your...