Scripture: 1st Corinthians 1:11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. Thought for the Day: In any good story, there is a moment early on when a conflict arises and a response seeking resolution follows. A story without some tension, friction, troubling question, emotional rift or unexpected bad news, is not going to be a
Scripture: 1st Corinthians 1:5-7 …for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind—just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thought for the Day: One of the great concerns I have for the church in 2017 is
Scripture: 1st Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes… Thought for the Day: Paul speaks of his calling as an apostle – Apostolos in the Greek. It literally means: One Sent Out With A Message. It is interesting how Paul claims his position as an Apostle and the authority that comes with it. Apostle was
Scripture: Matthew 2:11-12 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Thought for the Day: I love the image of the
Scripture: Matthew 2:9-10 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. Thought for the Day: Too often we miss our stopping place along the road. We set off in
Scripture: Matthew 2:7-8 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” Thought for the Day: I know there is always need for confidentiality
Scripture: Matthew 2:3-6 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least
Scripture: Matthew 2:1-2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” Thought for the Day: We are in the midst of the 12 Days of Christmas.
Scripture: Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Thought for the Day: John the Baptist started his work of preparing the ground work for his relative, Jesus, who would soon follow. One of the great discussion points for scholars and students of the Bible is the language of how “the kingdom
Scripture: Matthew 2:19-20 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Thought for the Day: The scriptures seem to like the underdog, the improbable hero. And in the case of Matthew’s Gospel,