The Fourth Sunday of Advent While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:6–7 Tomorrow is Christmas; and amid all the…

The Third Sunday of Advent Luke 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. We can only imagine the impact of the journey to Bethlehem for Joseph and Mary. It was approximately…

The Second Sunday of Advent In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4   God is light, and God is life. In choosing to believe in a power greater than ourselves, the Creator of the universe and all therein, we allow ourselves to walk in the light of…

The First Sunday of Advent The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. Luke 3:15 The season of Advent begins today…that time of waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Waiting is not a fun pastime but is necessary in various circumstances. For example,…

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”  Matthew 6:13  The Lord’s Prayer ends in a shout acknowledging God’s power and glory. This power was present over 2,000 years ago when Jesus was raised from the depths of darkness. It is a power still available to us today. When…

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…”  Matthew 6:13 None of us are exempt from crisis or struggles. We are not just up against our own faults and shortcomings, we are also up against cosmic evil. And so we pray that we will not become vulnerable to those powers that rage…

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:12 Forgiveness lies at the core of all spiritual teaching, and this phrase is the turning point in the prayer. Jesus has so arranged this prayer that it omits nothing that is essential to our spiritual development. Forgiveness simply means pardoning the one who…

”Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11 This verse of the Lord’s Prayer offers ideas to ponder. God is our source. We can trust God’s faithfulness to meet our needs on a daily basis, not only for our bodies but also for our spirits. God’s provisions are sufficient. In fact, not only will…

“Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:10 What about God’s will? We live in a world that tells us that we are in control. We certainly have choices, but there is a greater force at work in our lives. God is constantly working in us and through us to…

“Thy kingdom come.”  Matthew 6:10 Notice that verse 10 is a complete sentence. Simple, short, and to the point. Our work here on earth is very simple—we are to be about helping to establish God’s kingdom on earth. In all that we do, God is our reference. In the wilderness, Jesus refused to worship Satan…