Scripture Reading — Luke 4:14-21“The Spirit of the Lord . . . has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. . . .”— Luke 4:18In our city there is a center for forensic mental health. Part of its work involves care for people with mental illness who have been part of the criminal justice system.
Scripture Reading — Matthew 10:40-42“If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”— Matthew 10:42I’m not sure how widespread the tradition is in your area, but when the 13th of the month f
Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:14-16“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”— Matthew 5:16I was intrigued by a church’s vision statement for 2026: “Empowering believers to embody Christlike values in their workplaces,
Scripture Reading — John 1:14-18No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.— John 1:18One of our latest adventures in the past year has been to invite about 10 people at random to our home for dinner—a mix
Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:3-12“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”— Matthew 5:9J. John, an evangelist and speaker from the United Kingdom, has said there are two reasons why someone is not a Christian. The first is that they have never met a Christian and have
Scripture Reading — Acts 16:11-15“If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.”— Acts 16:15The door of our church can be opened by pressing a “Push to Open” plate, and on Sunday mornings a greeter stands there to welcome people coming in. As they approach, he del
Scripture Reading — Acts 8:1-8There was great joy in that city.— Acts 8:8Our reading today describes a great persecution against the church of Jesus and how people like Philip responded. Saul (also known as Paul) was convinced he was doing the right thing, even at the cost of many lives. His actions
Scripture Reading — Romans 16:3-5Greet also the church that meets at their house.— Romans 16:5Paul was a traveling preacher on mission for the Lord Jesus, and Priscilla and Aquila welcomed him to stay and work with them (see Acts 18). They knew the importance of the gospel and were willing to do wha
Scripture Reading — Acts 16:22-34The jailer . . . was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.— Acts 16:34It wasn’t a place they would have chosen to stay for the night. Yet God chose a prison cell to be the place where Paul and Silas would share the gospel.
Scripture Reading — Acts 10:1-38While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.— Acts 10:27She walked to church regularly on Sunday mornings, and on one occasion she saw a most unlikely character. He was barely sober and headed to the liquor store. Though she might e
Scripture Reading — John 4:1-30The woman . . . said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”— John 4:28-29It started as an ordinary day. The woman had her routine planned—including going to the well at the hottest time of day, when no one else wo
Scripture Reading — Romans 10:11-15How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?— Romans 10:14Have you ever wondered what beautiful feet look like? A woman who walked into my office one day helped me to see that beautiful feet m
