All Devotionals
This is post #4 in the Christmas devotional “Christmas Joy.” God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! […]
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” – Luke 2:13-14
This is the first post in the devotional “Christmas Joy.” But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11
Hundreds of millions of people will be preparing for Christmas in the days to come. But how will we prepare our hearts and minds? Thought for today: The Christmas carol “O Little Town of Bethlehem” mentions “the hopes and fears of all the years.” The coming (“advent”) of Jesus strengthens our hope and gives us
What happens when we die? This is a question we’d rather not ask, but is so central to our experience and our destiny that we can’t help but ask it. No one should be surprised that most people have at least some fear about death, because we naturally fear the unknown. It is a door
What Happens When We Die? Read More »
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh
Waiting – the Day in the Tomb Read More »
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.
Good Friday – Crucifixion Read More »
Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told
What is “Maundy Thursday”? Read More »
Here is where faith begins. “I believe in God the Father almighty, creator…” You are not an accident. You are not merely the best mutation in the neighborhood. You are not merely a species who is really good at avoiding getting eaten by another species. You can seek design and purpose in your life because
I Believe in God, the Creator Read More »
What do you really see when you look in the mirror? You probably notice the lines that were not there a year ago. The scar just beneath your chin from when you went head-first over your bicycle when you were a kid and they stitched you up with little thought to “cosmetic” effect. Your eye
What Do You See in the Mirror? Read More »
In many doorways of the Roman Empire there was a depiction of a god with two faces pointing in opposite directions. Janus was the god of transitions. He looked ahead and he looked behind–to the past and the future. He was a kind of doorkeeper, a minder of the gate. And so our calendar’s first
New Year, New Door Read More »
After Christmas, new articles in The Brook Letter by Mel Lawrenz: sign up. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. –Luke 2:20 At the birth of Jesus, amidst the dirt and straw of a stable, millennia of promises, prophecies,
Learn how “Spiritual Influence” works. Take the survey now! While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born. – Luke 2:6 On the night before Jesus was born, the shepherds would have seen the night sky the way they had seen it thousands of times before. That was a quiet night,
This is post #23 in the Christmas devotional “Christmas Joy.”Read more devotionals by Mel Lawrenz. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen