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1 PETER 4:10 Whatever our talents or skills are, God is behind them! He does not bless us with talents or skills so we can get noticed or earn a lot of money (although that may happen), He blesses us to minister to others. Sometimes we think we are not qualified to do what God has … [Read more…]

MATTHEW 28:16-17; LUKE 24:37-43 Matthew 28:17 says “some doubted” – this is more than just one person. In Luke 24:37-43, Jesus showed the disciples His hands and feet, and also asked for meat to eat before them so they could believe. How come then that we usually focus on the doubt of Thomas? Like the disciples, many … [Read more…]

LUKE 24:13-35 Luke tells the story of the risen Christ appearing to two disciples who were walking together along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Like Christians and churches who are blinded by preoccupation with their own immediate difficulties, these two disciples were blinded by sadness and their hopelessness seemed to prevent them from seeing … [Read more…]

MARK 14:1-9 Mary of Bethany is a biblical figure mentioned by name in the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Martha, she is described by John as living in the village of Bethany, a small village in Judaea to the south of the Mount … [Read more…]

1 PETER 1:3 The truth about Jesus hinges on His resurrection. After finding the tomb empty that first Easter morning, the disciples proclaimed that Jesus had risen from the dead. The religious and social disruption feared by the Jewish and Roman authorities was about to materialize. These leaders could have quickly stifled this unrest by finding and … [Read more…]

MATTHEW 27:59-60 The scene of the burial of Jesus is one of the most emotional in all of scripture for me. Matthew’s gospel tells us it is Joseph of Arimethea who asked for Jesus’ body. In John’s gospel, Nicodemus was there too. His presence makes us believe that somehow he did understand Jesus when he … [Read more…]

MARK 15:17-20 The phrase – “jumping the gun” or “beating the gun” originated from track and field races and was known since the early 1900s. It refers to athletes starting the race before the gun was fired (which was used to signal the start of the race). Those who are in a hurry to get … [Read more…]

JOHN 13:12-15 Jesus set aside His outer garments and looked like a servant would appear. He poured water in a basin. We exchanged baffled looks. “Give me your feet,” He said. We were startled. Each of us carefully removed our sandals, not certain of what to say, or what to do. We were shocked by such humility. … [Read more…]

MATTHEW 26:14-16 Spy Wednesday, from the Church’s tradition, is the Wednesday in the Holy Week, the day before Jesus was arrested. It was perhaps Judas’ last real chance to repent. But he wasted it. As Lent comes to a close, it is a good time for us to ask ourselves what we have made of the … [Read more…]

MATTHEW 25:1-13 Firemen are trained and equipped to fight fires. They know there will be fires, but they do not know when or where. They are in a constant state of readiness, even when they sleep. Their clothing is all laid out so they can quickly dress and get to the fire. We must also be … [Read more…]