1/19/2016 Day 19 - Luke 4:14-44 - Good NewsConnecting to the Larger StoryAfter overcoming his temptations in the wilderness, Jesus was ready to begin his ministry. He wandered through the towns of Galilee, preaching the good news and healing many along the way. Important to Note1) In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus reads a Scripture from the prophet Isaiah that sums up his mission to preach the good news of God's kingdom and to help all those in need. Remembering him merely as the son of Joseph the carpenter, the people are amazed and then enraged by his rebuke of them. 2) Coming to Capernaum, Jesus' teaching and his ability to heal the sick and possessed is embraced and word begins to spread about him. People begin to follow him in hopes of keeping him for themselves, but Jesus proclaims his mission again - to preach the good news of God's kingdom far and wide. Thoughts for Reflection1) Why did Jesus receive such different reactions in Nazareth and Capernaum?
2) How do we try to keep Jesus for ourselves? Connecting to the Larger StoryNot much is known of Jesus' story from the time of his birth until he began his public ministry around thirty years old. Before he began his ministry of preaching, healing, and calling disciples, Jesus made his way to where his kinsman John the Baptist was already engaged in public ministry. Important to Note1) Jesus prepared for his ministry by being baptized by John who had already begun preaching the message of repentance because of the coming of the kingdom of heaven, a message that Jesus would repeat. 2) After his baptism and before beginning his work, Jesus went into the wilderness to face temptation in preparation for the difficult road ahead of him. He fasted for forty days and then faced three tests. With each test he uses Scripture to combat the desire to prove himself as the Son of God and to grasp his power for himself. Thoughts for Reflection1) Who has laid the groundwork for your life in faith?
2) Why did Jesus need to face temptation before starting his work? How do trials shape us for ministry? 1/17/2016 Day 17 - Luke 2:1-20 - SaviorConnecting to the Larger StoryEventually the people of Judah were released from exile in Babylon and many returned to a land left in ruin. In time, they rebuilt Jerusalem, its walls, and its temple. Yet control over Judah passed from one empire to the next, and its people struggled for independence and waited even more expectantly the Messiah, the anointed one, to bring God's salvation and lead them. Important to Note1) We are told that Jesus' birth occurred during the time of Caesar Augustus. By noting this time, Luke reminds us of the situation into which Jesus is born. Judea (Judah, now a province of Rome) is under Roman control, and the emperor at its helm is increasingly making claims of being divine himself by taking the title "Son of God". Jesus' birth in the midst of this situation will bring peace to those whom God favors. The ensuing struggle between Jesus as God's anointed and the Roman authorities is set from the beginning. 2) While few outside the shepherds noted his birth to a common worker and his wife at the time of a census that had brought them far from their home, Jesus was born to a family in the line of King David in the town of Bethlehem, the hometown of David. In a manger attended by shepherds, Jesus was born in a lowly, humble place to small acclaim rather than in a palace to great rejoicing. He came not for the rich and powerful but for the lowly and downtrodden. Thoughts for Reflection1) What situations do we face today that make us need Jesus?
2) What kind of people would Jesus come to now? 1/16/2016 Day 16 - Isaiah 61 - Messiah ForetoldConnecting to the Larger StoryAs the people were carried into exile in deep despair over the future, the prophets continued to prophesy about God's promise for the future and how God would restore all things. Important to Note1) Isaiah prophesied about one who was "anointed" by God for a special purpose - to heal the sick and blind, to proclaim good news, and to release captives, among other things. The Hebrew word for one who is anointed is Messiah. With these prophecies, the people began to look for the Messiah ("Christ" in Greek) who would come to bring God's salvation to them. As the Old Testament draws to a close, the people are waiting expectantly for the coming of the promised Messiah to lead them out of oppression and to establish God's perfect kingdom as David's heir. 2) Isaiah, along with other prophets, foretold the coming year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance. The year of favor was to be celebrated as the time when God would restore all things to the way they should have been. Much like the Year of Jubilee that the people had been commanded to observe every fifty years in which all debts were to be forgiven and all property returned to their original owners, the Year of the Lord would see the people reinherit the land promised to them in a perfect kingdom based on God's law. The day of the Lord was, however, seen less with a sense of celebration and more with a sense of terror and apprehension. If the year of the Lord would see all things restored to the benefit of the oppressed, the the day of the Lord would see the overturning of the sinful oppressors and the establishment of justice. While this day would be great to see, there was always a sense of awe and terror at the thought of it because any sin and oppression would be avenged in that day. Another common theme associated with God's coming was the refining of God's people like the refining of gold - by burning and melting away impurities. While the end result may be what the people wanted, it was understood that enduring that day would be both great and terrible. Thoughts for Reflection1) What are we waiting for God to do in our world?
2) Is God's judgment a good or bad things (or a bit of both) to us? |
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February 2016
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