Matthew TwoSix:ThreeNine

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Hm. - John 13: 1-5 When was the last time you washed someone’s feet? For most of us, our answer may be never. For others, we have to draw back to a time when our children were tiny and needed someone to wash them. Maybe we have been a part of ceremony at a church where we washed feet. A few years ago, we held a volunteer app...

When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. John 6:19‭-‬21 NIV Two aspects of this selection of scripture make my mind race. First, I wonder how they could be frightened. When I put myself in their shoes I can understand maybe being frightened at first. Seeing what looked like a person's silouette in the distance and on the water would be uncomfortable. I'd certainly be curious and maybe a bit freaked out. However there is no doubt in my mind that when I made out who it was walking towards me, I'd be excited. I'd probably call out to them, "Hey Jesus! Is that you?" I'd be excited to see them and mesmerized at what I was seeing. "That's my friend and he's walking on water! How ...

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 NIV The person Jesus said this to had been paralyzed for 38 years.  That's along time!  He was at a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda. The remains of this pool can still be seen in Jerusalem.   The colonnades around the pool was a location where many disabled people were left each day to rest.  I envision hundreds of people laying on mats, unable to get up and move.  While others are wandering around aimlessly because they are blind.  It seems it would have been a sight to see. With all of these people around, Jesus chose one. I suppose He could have chosen any of them.  For that matter, He could have healed all of them.  Yet He made a personal invitation to just one.   The simplicity of the question is astounding. It seems like a lay up, a no brainer, a gimme. Reading it today,...

Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathaniel asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. - John 1:44‭-‬46 NIV I have been to places that I just think look desolate and hopeless. Not necessarily a city, but parts of cities and neighborhoods. The buildings are in disrepair, addiction and crime have taken over, and the life just seems to be sucked out of the space. I'm not sure if that is what Nazareth was like, but that's the picture I get in my head when I read Nathaniel's response.   I think we all have times in our lives that we resemble my mental picture of Nazareth. We are in such a dark place, we can't imagine anything good coming from us in this place. Maybe it's addiction, or shame, or an infidelity, or deceit, ...

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3 NIV Nothing…  Pronoun- not a single thing, not anything Adjective - having no prospect of progress Adverb - not at all Without God… Not anything No prospect of progress Not all Away from God there isn't anything. There is no way to advance or make progress. It's a dead end. Without God there is nothing at all. It is empty.   I'm not sure about you, but I struggle to wrap my head around nothing. I think of the desert as barren. Plants and animals are scarce. The conditions are harsh. You look around and can't see a thing for miles and miles. Yet, it is not nothing. You have sand, sun, skies, heat, and the animals that are adapt to the environment. My mind then goes to space. The absence of gravity and oxygen must make it feel like nothing. Yet, you have the planets, the stars, your spaceship, and all of your fancy space technology. In the vast emptiness of space...