Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also bapized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” Luke 3:21-22 (read entire chapter)

INTRO: From the end of chapter 2, the story jumps ahead, skipping eighteen years of Jesus’ early life

Verses 1-3 give us the geopolitical setting for John’s story

These names of people and places are like vectors that help us locate the story in its historical and cultural context
– a hierarchical and oppressive system and at all levels in the service of Rome

Luke isn’t writing a history as we think of it–that is to say, he isn’t marking a point on a “time line”
– he’s telling a story, so his concern is not a date, but what this situation means to the characters
– in verses 19-20 we will see how politics affect John the Baptist

Continue reading →

And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Fathers house?” Luke 2:49 (read 2:21-52)

INTRO: For many years, my parents had a stable Sunday routine

We would go to church, go out to lunch with other families, swing by the store for the Sunday paper on our way home, nap, and then return to church for the evening service
– the predictability of a routine can be boring, but it can also comforting
– if our weekdays are chaotic, then falling back into a routine on the weekend helps to restore our sanity

One Sunday Dad pulled up to the front of the grocery store and I jumped out as usual Continue reading →

Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79 (read vv. 57-80)

INTRO: A day or two after our most recent grandson was added to the clan, I went to see him

When I asked the baby’s name, my son-in-law began to explain how he came up with “Indy”
– he got it from the movie character, Indiana Jones–only Sid didn’t care for “Indiana,” but he liked the nickname Indy
– my daughter, who was lying on her side gently stroking her fourth child, said with a sigh of resignation, “That was our deal. I got to name the girls and Sid got to name the boys.” Continue reading →

And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

INTRO: On one of our trips to Russia, we walked through a park near the Kremlin in Moscow

Observing that the large metal sculptures reminded me of fairytales, I asked our translators whether the one closest to us was the story of the fish that begged for its life, promising to fulfill a wish for the man who caught it. The translators confirmed that it was what I had guessed and they were surprised to learn that I knew those same fairytales (I was surprised to learn how many fairytales have come to us from Russia). I recognized the sculptures because the familiar images belong to both cultures Continue reading →

[Zecharias] was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. Luke 1:9-10 (read verses 5-25)

INTRO: Last week, we stood in the threshold, now we cross it

No sooner do we enter the story than we’re swept into the temple–a place that was designed to create a sense of heaven on earth (Heb. 8:4-5; 9:23-24)
– it defined sacred space–a bridge on which heaven and earth meet
– a place of encounter Continue reading →