Tag Archives: mercy

Jesus in the Wilderness

In the wilderness

Right after his baptism, Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. We read about this in Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is in the wilderness for forty days and near the end of that time, the devil tempts him. Today I’m looking at one aspect of this journey—the commitment to a complete incarnation.

One aspect of the incarnation is the act of God experiencing our lived reality. When the spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting, this is another way in which Jesus walks a mile in the shoes of his ancestors. I have written about how the work of Jesus is a kind of grand Exodus story. Here we see Jesus wandering in the wilderness for 40 days, and that echoes the Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. 

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Transfiguration of Jesus

Transfiguration of Jesus

In the Gospel of Luke 9:28-36, we read about the transfiguration of Jesus. This transfiguration experience describes the moment when Jesus reveals his divinity to his inner circle, Peter, John, and James. We find this encounter in three of the Gospels, and I’m looking at Luke’s account in this article.

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The Rich and the Poor

rich and poor

Jesus delivers “blessings and woes” to the rich and the poor in Luke 6:20-26. The woes are for the rich. Jesus didn’t give a nod to the rich people who were merely hard workers or well-meaning. He didn’t take the time to differentiate between those who were abusing their privileges or not.

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Rejoice in Answered Prayer

answered prayers

4th Sunday of Advent: Luke 1:39-55

Luke records part of the visit between Mary and Elizabeth including Mary’s song. There are many themes in this text. Here I’m looking at the extraordinary experience they share in their pregnancy. Perhaps this was answered prayer for Elizabeth, whereas for Mary it was more of a surprise. God saw them both. They were given the great responsibility to raise a child who would make a difference.

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Jesus, Have Mercy on Me!

Have mercy!

22nd Sunday after Pentecost: Mark 10:46-52

The sad truth is, often you have to be your own advocate. Even when people can see the issue you’re facing, even when they can see the turmoil you’re in, they still might not care. The good news is, we can all approach God with our need. As I wrote in Approach the Throne of Grace with Boldness, God welcomes us. People might not take the time to know our struggle, and some people, once they know, might not care. Sometimes, as we see in this story, the powerful try to silence those in need.

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Approach the Throne of Grace with Boldness

grace

20th Sunday after Pentecost; Hebrews 4:12-16

This book is aptly named Hebrews because it draws comparisons between this new life of following Jesus and the faith of the ancient Hebrews. This chapter recalls the exodus where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. It talks about those who walked in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. They didn’t all make it. We know the exodus story is a story of grace, but it seems grace wasn’t part of everyone’s story. Some were killed and some died before they crossed over to the promised land. Some turned away from God, some made up their own rules, and some doubted—those are the people who didn’t enter God’s rest. Continue reading

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