Luke 1:39-56 - December 17, 2023

Being a community, or even a family, can be hard at times. Everyone has opinions and, most of the time, we are not always willing to change our mind or even listen carefully to others. There is a special way Christians live in community where tough decisions are generous and grace-filled. This week's episode explores how that can happen.

The discipline of fasting is enjoying a revival. Many people practice intermittent fasting or abstain from certain foods during the year. (I'm looking at you Dry January!) Fasting has always been woven deep into the Bible even including Jesus himself. In this only text where Jesus teaches on fasting, we find important lessons on how fasting can shape the heart and soul.

Holy Communion is a special time in the life of any church's worship and in the lives of people. We are drawn close to God's infinite love and grace when we share around the Lord's Table. It is a table that should make us one. In our world filled with divisions and arguments, Holy Communion, with the power of the Lord Jesus there, just might make a difference!

The Bible continues to be the all-time best selling book. It was written over a period of 600 years covering over 2000 years of history. It is 66 different books which convey a unified message of God's grace. How are we supposed to read the Bible, much the less, use it well? The Bible helps to answer that question about itself. When it does its best work, it points to the God whose story it tells.

Many Christians feel that being Christian is a matter of agreement with certain truths or practices. Jesus calls his followers to something a bit different. Finding deep relationships with Jesus and others might be the key to experiencing the love of God in a more profound way. If this is true, our prayers might sound less like a request list and more like a longing to experience Jesus.

Jesus as refugee! Not too long after the birth of Jesus the forces of evil, power, and corruption are already trying to end his young life. With all of the power of empire set against Him, God finds a way for Jesus to live so that one day he will defeat the greatest enemy of all; sin leading to death. This is story about the extraordinary act of Joseph to save "The Child" so that He might save us all.

The Christmas story is perhaps the best known story in all of the Bible. It has been re-enacted time and again by adults and children alike. We warm to the images of Jesus birth and the wonder of that first Christmas. If we take a closer look, we might find that the story has more wonder than we ever realized. It is a story filled with ordinary people finding themselves in God's great plan of salvation. Maybe that makes it easier to find ourselves in this story.

it is hard to imagine that the cosmos hangs in the balance with two Jewish women in the first century. Elizabeth and Mary have an important moment together when their unborn children meet for the first time. These two women find themselves in a moment when God will use each of them for extraordinary things, one of which, will be savior of the world.

Have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? The Bible is filled with stories of people who found themselves in exactly the same place. The story of Joseph, in Matthew's gospel, is a good example. He is faced with a daunting choice about his future. In the midst of that situation, an angel appears and offers him a new and glorious solution which had never crossed his mind.

Judging and being judgmental are two different things. One requires prudence and wisdom. The latter requires ingratitude and fear. Jesus offers us a new and wonderful way to balance these these in the Sermon on the Mount. how can we convey the sacrificial love of God while not losing ourselves in the process.