For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”  (Acts 13:47) The Apostle Paul was one of the first missionaries in the early church. Originally someone who opposed Christianity, Paul ...

Jesus said, “You will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) This simple sentence is the charge that Jesus left to his disciples before he ascended to heaven and left them to take over his work. It is ...

Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. (Matthew 21:12) It may seem odd to share the verse from above in a post on Palm Sunday ...

At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) This week during our Lenten midweek worship we read from Psalm 139. It is a magnificent Psalm filled with many images and beautiful ...

Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) We often think of Jesus as the Son of God but often think of that as something that began when Jesus was born in a manger. It is hard to conceive of what it ...

Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:40-41 The Bible is filled with lots of stories about Jesus. Some ...

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” (Mark 1:17) When Jesus began his ministry, one of the first things he did was gather some companions. It was an essential part of his work to not work alone, but to include other people ...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) It took a long time to fully come to grips with what had happened to the world when Jesus arrived on the scene. Early attention came in the form of crowds ...

And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. (Mark 9:4) If you wonder why Christians are so committed to including the Old Testament in their biblical material, look no further than the Transfiguration of Jesus. This event took place when Jesus took three of his ...

“Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” Esther 4:15 The book of Esther tells the story of those Jews who didn’t return to Israel when the Exile was over. Instead, they stayed behind and remained in Babylon, which was now under ...

“You have looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because my house lies in ruins, while all of you hurry off to your own houses.” (Haggai 1:9) When the people of Judah returned to ...

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” 25 He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are ...