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 →

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4

INTRO: If there is a book you are thinking about buying, how do you look it over to make your decision?

When you begin a new book, do you turn to the first page and start reading?
– Barbara teases me for taking the time to break in the binding of each new book before I read it

Well, you can’t browse a rolled-up scroll, which is what the Gospel of Luke was written on
– therefore, the first line written on a scroll was very important
– it gave you enough information to form an idea of what would follow and to pique your interest Continue reading →

 And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child when I am so old?'”  Genesis 18:13 (1-15)

INTRO: As we step into the story and look around, where are we?

We are not far from Jerusalem, where spread out on a hillside we see a cluster of tents
(made from goat skins that have been sewn together)
– the homestead of an old man and woman with an empty nest
– in fact, that’s the hint of sorrow in the old lady’s eyes–their nest has always been empty
Their whole marriage she has suffered the stigma of being “barren” Continue reading →

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

INTRO: A few years ago, while channel-surfing I cam across a documentary and had to stop

A woman’s voice arrested my attention–which is unusual for me
(I usually switch channels until I hear squeeling tires, gunfire and explosions)
 – the woman was Maya Angelou and she was undoubtably the most eloquent speaker I had ever heard Continue reading →

Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Matthew 13:13 (Read 10-17)

INTRO: Of the two main candidates in this week’s elections, are you absolutely certain which one would make the best governor?

There are too many unknowns to reach absolute certainty, and we’ve had too many disappointments to be optimistic
– we have to do our research and then make our best guess Continue reading →

Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done righteousness
And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight in the nearness of their God. Isaiah 58

INTRO: We cannot read this prophetic poem without a sense of surprise, even shock

It describes Israel’s spiritual quest:

• to seek God
• to know his ways
• to enjoy his nearness Continue reading →