“Jesus said: ’33 I have said this to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world’”   John 16:33 . These words of Jesus make this point very simply and clearly: “In Me you may have peace” John 16:33 . That there is no other peace anywhere in this world except in Jesus Christ, begs the question for us all: DO YOU BELIEVE JESUS?  I do! And I know everything Jesus says, and everything He did, is true. So to

“1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is wr

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah 18  Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19  Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20  But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, d

“ 67  Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,     for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.  69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his child David,  70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71  that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 72  Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors     and has

7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  8 Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices; together they shout for joy, for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. 9  Break forth; shout together for joy, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.  10  The Lord has bared his holy arm befor

“ 1   A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,     and a branch shall grow out of his roots.   2  The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,     the spirit of wisdom and understanding,     the spirit of counsel and might,     the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.   3   His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.     He shall not judge by what his eyes see    or decide by what his ears hear,   4   but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor     and d

“ 1  Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;  2  Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  3  If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?  4  But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.  5  I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.  6  I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning,    more than watchmen wait for the morning.  7  Israel, put your hope in th

Today marks the beginning of Advent. This 4-week period of preparation for the birth of Christ has its roots in pre-Christian, pagan practices in northern Europe when people celebrated the winter solstice by lighting candles on a wagon wheel hung up in their homes and by adding greenery each day to the wheel to remind them of the coming of Spring.  The Christian Church later developed these 4 weeks as a symbol or period of light to remind us of the coming of Christ, the light

The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving, for thanksgiving is another way to express our mercy and forgiveness, because in both thanksgiving and mercy we give ourselves.  Paul writes to the Thessalonians: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 .  At his Last Supper, Jesus gave us an action, a sacred, communal ritual that would summarize His core and lasting message for the world — one to keep repeatin

Not long ago I spoke with someone who came so close to death with huge amounts of cancer inside her body.  But miraculously she got better and went into remission.  She then began to live life again without looking over her shoulder at the possibility of dying from cancer, until she realized that she became so comfortable living without cancer that she returned back to old useless habits of daily living.  She then made this observation that shook me more than a little: “Havin

I just read these words of God this morning: “I thank you that you have answered men and women and have become our salvation.   The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.    This is the Lord’s doing;  it is marvelous in our eyes.    This is the day that the Lord has made;  let us rejoice and be glad in it”   Psalm 118:21–24. The cornerstone is that part of the foundation upon which the whole building stands. And the Psalmist speaks metaphorically a