Nestled into the hills of Lower Galilee, the historic city of Nazareth today is the largest Arab city in Israel. Though not mentioned in the Old Testament, New Testament Nazareth is connected with the boyhood home of Jesus. Nazareth (Arabic an-Nasira, Hebrew Nazerat) draws tourists from the Christian faith wanting to connect with the heritage…
Real Good News: A Baby
Here is the good news of the birth of baby Jesus from Luke’s gospel. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to…
Before the Resurrection
The resurrection is arguably the most unique and yet, critical, doctrine of the Christian faith. The resurrection changes our understanding of our future. It alters how we perceive our value and purpose. The resurrection validates the truth of Christianity’s teachings and claims, as it motivates and moves each step we take. Even though all four…
The Parables of Jesus
To understand the parables Jesus taught, we first must go back earlier to Old Testament times. The prophet Isaiah, some seven hundred years before Christ, writes, “Go and say to this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive” (Isaiah 6:9 ESV). Time to growl? When we hear,…
Rise Let Us Go From Here
Rise let us go from here (John 14:31 ESV). It is the last verse in this incredible chapter in the gospel of John. Rise … let us go from here. We have spent the last fifty days preparing to rise. It is time for us to leave the Upper Room. Let us go from here…
That the World May Know
The interesting phrase, “that the world may know” is the subject of our attention for today. As we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, there is a phrase in verse 31 of John 14 that is translated very well by the English Standard Version (ESV). Several other translations use the same wording, including…
One Step Closer to the Father
Title: One Step Closer to the Father Scripture passage for the week: John 14:28-31 ESV Key Phrase: Because I am going to the Father Can you believe that we are about to start the last week before Easter? We took our first steps on Ash Wednesday and this weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday and proceed…
Be Different
Have you studied or read through the entire Sermon on the Mount before? Did it strike you different? Most of us have studied parts of the sermon – perhaps the beatitudes or the Lord’s Prayer. But most of us have not given a great deal of time or effort in studying the entire passage. Sometime…
In a Blur About Bokeh
A couple of years ago, I ran across a word related to photography that I had never heard before. The word is bokeh. Wikipedia says: “In photography, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens …” That phrase was about the only part…