Just this week we have seen Jesus’ care for a Gentile and his servant; a widow and her son; a Pharisee and a woman with a sinful lifestyle; and a homeless, demon-possessed Gentile along with his community. What a hodge-podge of people making up the beginnings of a new family of God! Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts as you continue to look at the focus of Jesus’ heart for people. This pas...  Read More

Today’s passage takes place after Jesus calms the wind and the waves in the boat, which we looked at last week. When Jesus and the disciples get to the other side of the lake, they are in Gentile territory, probably even more of an unknown to the disciples than a stormy sea! Try to put yourself in their shoes as you imagine this interaction of Jesus with a demon-possessed man. Begin your time by a...  Read More

As we continue to think about who Jesus cares about, it’s easy for our own assumptions to cloud our reading. Once again, invite the Holy Spirit to give you ears to hear and eyes to see what he wants you to take note of today. 36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life...  Read More

Today’s story follows immediately after yesterday’s, where Jesus healed the centurion’s servant. It would be helpful for you to know that the original audience would immediately connect today’s story to a similar incident in 1 Kings 17:7-24, where the prophet Elijah raised a widow’s son from the dead. It was evidence that God was on the move through Elijah. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your t...  Read More

Last week we focused on who Jesus is. This week we will focus on who he cares about and prioritizes, another aspect of his heart. Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to open your eyes in new ways, such that a story that might sound familiar to you will speak to you in fresh ways. We want to understand how Jesus cares about us, how we belong to him. But as we think about being like him, it cha...  Read More

As we finish up this first week, we skip ahead in Luke a bit to one more scene that reveals something about who Jesus is. So far, we have seen Jesus demonstrate power to cast out evil spirits, heal sickness, forgive sins, read people’s minds and hearts, and invite the most unlikely sinner to be part of his company. Jesus is no ordinary man or teacher! And yet he wants to draw us close to him, not ...  Read More

Today’s passage follows immediately after yesterday’s, the healing and forgiveness of the paralyzed man. As Jesus becomes more well known in the area, it’s interesting that some people come looking for him, but others are pursued by Jesus. Keep in mind that tax collectors were not popular people in Jesus’ day–in fact they were despised. They were considered defectors from Israel because they colle...  Read More

We pick up today after skipping a couple of vignettes in Luke. Because of the healings Jesus has performed, word has spread about him. Jesus continues to establish who he is, this time in front of a tough crowd. It’s especially important to ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in passages like this that might be familiar to you. Read it a few times and look for details that the Holy Spirit draws you...  Read More

by Janet Nygren Once again, invite the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see and ears to hear as you read today’s passage. This passage follows immediately after yesterday’s passage, where Jesus had the authority to cast an evil spirit out of a man. Illness is probably easier for us to relate to than evil spirits, but with the knowledge and resources we have for cures now, we tend to put a lot of tr...  Read More

First, invite the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see and ears to hear as you read today’s passage. As you read, think about what it would be like if you were an eye-witness of this interaction. How might you react to the situation? What do you learn about Jesus? What is surprising? If you were telling a friend about what you saw today, what would stick out in your mind? The passage is pretty shor...  Read More

John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus’ ministry by calling people to repent. The Greek word for repent (metanoeo) translates “to think differently, to reconsider.” As we continue our church’s theme of “story” this year, we will use the time of Lent to reconsider Jesus’ story. We invite you to “think differently” as we look at Jesus’ interactions with people with fresh eyes.The passages that we ...  Read More

Can you believe the journey we've been on? Six weeks of digging deeper as we anticipate the resurrection and ask God for revival of our souls and all the places we occupy.This morning, I want to reflect on a moment recorded in two of the Gospels. It's one of the traditional "Seven Last Words" of Christ from the cross. Today we will read Scripture and reflect in 2 parts.Read:  Matthew 27: 47-50From...  Read More