Reflection for the Week

Shepherds had received a joy-filled message from heaven, announcing the birth of our Savior. They left in haste to see for themselves, found everything just as an angel had described, and shared what had been told to them. Years went by, and John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Son of God, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. After hearing John’s proclamation, Andrew told His brother Simon Peter that he had found the Messiah. When Jesus invited Philip to follow Him, Philip went and got Nathanael to come, too. Having encountered the Lor

Suddenly, the night became glorious. An angel appeared, proclaiming the joyous news of our Savior’s birth. It must have seemed puzzling to the shepherds when the angel said that they would find the Lord in a manger (a manger? the feeding trough for livestock?!). In haste, the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see. Finding everything just as the angel had described, they glorified and praised God. Magi later came with gifts for the newborn King. During the ritual Presentation of the Lord in the temple, a holy man named Simeon recognized Jesus as

Scripture doesn’t tell us how Joseph came to know about Mary’s expected child. The news came as a shock, but an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to reassure him. In faith, he then took Mary into their marital home and raised Jesus as his son. An angel also appeared to Zechariah, who doubted the message that his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son to be named John. Zechariah lost the ability to speak until the day he gave his son the name declared by the angel. When unexpected news comes our way, how much convincing do we need t

When a determined group of men lowered a paralyzed man through the roof to bring him close to the Lord, Jesus rewarded their faith by healing the man spiritually and physically. The Virgin Mary responded in faith to the angel Gabriel’s message that she would give birth to the Son of God. Time went on, and John the Baptist lived and died in a way that prepared people to believe in the Lord as Jesus took every step on His way of bringing salvation to sinners. When we wonder what more God has in mind for us, do we open ourselves to His plan, no

When a centurion described the suffering of a paralyzed servant, Jesus agreed to come and cure him. The centurion, admittedly unworthy to have the Lord under his roof, believed that Jesus just had to say the word. The Lord did not come to solve all the world’s problems, leaving plenty of room for His followers to follow up. Anyone who heard but failed to act on His words might as well build a house on sand instead of stone. Jesus came to provide the foundation for what He wants us to do. When we become paralyzed by doubt, fear, or ambivalence

Two small coins placed by a widow into the temple treasury hardly seemed worth a glance, but the Lord noticed! When Jesus said that a majestic temple would one day become a pile of rubble, people wanted to know what signs would warn them to take notice of the coming destruction. They had no idea that He meant the temple of His body. Besides, the timing didn’t matter. Our loving Savior taught His followers not to let everyday anxieties wear them down. When little things we could do hardly seem worth the effort, have we become too drowsy to not

In a church one morning, a preschooler left the pew to sit right in front of the pulpit, seeming to hang on every word of the Gospel in the way of people captivated by Jesus’ preaching. Back in Jesus’ time on Earth, a blind man’s shouting to get His attention or the sight of Zacchaeus climbing a tree to see Him may have seemed childish to bystanders, and yet the Lord responded to both. In a parable of servants given gold coins to use in the master’s absence, one servant hid the coin in fear of losing it. When we see ways to get closer t