From time to time we all meet devout people whose religion consists of a list of do’s and don’ts – with the emphasis on the don’ts. They have a litmus test for everything, which they apply to the actions of other people more than to themselves. Some religious legalists live by a long and comprehensive [...]

This text focuses on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Chronologically, Jesus has been baptized. His identity and vocation have been affirmed. Now he is led by the Spirit into the bleak Judean wilderness. Jesus is tested three times regarding making fast food, bungee jumping without a rope, just a little worship of the [...]

When we considered the Great Commission that Jesus gave to the leaders of his followers we noted that it takes a disciple to make a disciple. Following Christ entails inviting others to join us in that adventure. Therefore, it should not surprise us that early in his ministry, Jesus gathered those same leaders-in-training around him [...]

Jesus’ ministry now begins in earnest. He has been baptized in the Jordan, and he has been tested in the wilderness. Now Jesus begins to announce that God’s new way, rooted and extending from God’s always way, is here. To a people walking in darkness, to a people with fleeting hope, to a people [...]

Our life-long journey of faith, as with any long distance trek, proceeds by stages. Andrew and John began their spiritual journeys as followers of John the Baptizer. He was God’s messenger crying in the wilderness. John was credible because of his authentic and passionate commitment to God. His surroundings, wardrobe and diet demonstrated that he [...]

To understand this passage, we need to refer back to the previous one. John as come baptizing with water and preaching a message of repentance. Through that preaching, he is raising expectations for the one who is about to appear on the scene. This coming one will baptize not with water, but with [...]

God not only reaches down to shepherds, he reaches out to the peoples of the East. This Gospel written by a Jew for Jews begins with a reminder that the comming of the Messiah was for the world, for he has the whole world in his hands, as the Spiritual Song from the African-American community [...]

Babies are a threat. Any parent knows that. My kids came along two decades ago and turned my world upside down. They still do. I never knew how much love, fear, anger, sadness or joy I could experience as a parent. The fact that these emotions come because of little bundles [...]

Last week we read about John’s preaching in the desert preparing the way for the baptism and ministry of Jesus (Matthew 3). The events of Matthew 3 were the culmination of years upon years of hearing advent stories. I imagine that from John’s earliest days he heard stories about the events of leading up [...]

One characteristic of prophetic messages is their note of urgency. We may not like what they have to say but they cannot be ignored; or more accurately, we ignore them at our peril. John the Baptist is a case in point. His very title shows what he was known for. He could have been “John [...]