Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:1-16 “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”— Matthew 5:16Speaking to the crowds that have gathered to hear him, Jesus declares: “You are the light of the world.” Jesus, the light
Scripture Reading — John 1:1-14 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.— John 1:5Everything has led to this moment: Jesus is born!John frames the announcement of Jesus’ birth through the lens of the creation story. Borrowing from Genesis 1, John
Scripture Reading — Luke 2:1-21 “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”— Luke 2:15The shepherds are relatively obscure actors in this story. We don’t know their names. We’re not sure if they are hired hands or tending the
Scripture Reading — John 3:16-21 Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light. . . .— John 3:21With Jesus’ birthday celebration just two days away, this is a fitting time for us to remember why Jesus came into the world. This passage begins with the memorable declaration “F
Scripture Reading — John 12:37-46 “The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.”— John 12:45Sometimes when I read the Bible’s stories about Jesus, I am baffled at the doubts, disbelief, and outright opposition that people showed in response to Jesus. What more did Je
Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 2:4-12 You are a chosen people . . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.— 1 Peter 2:9As a pastor and teacher, I have met with many people who have wondered, “What is God’s will for my life
Scripture Reading — John 12:35-36 “Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”— John 12:36By this point in John’s gospel, Jesus has declared a couple of times that he is the light of the world. This image is intended to draw us int
Scripture Reading — John 9:1-7 “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.”— John 9:4As we draw closer to the celebration of Jesus’ birth, it’s important to remember why Jesus came. Several times in the book of John, Jesus talks about doing the will of God,
Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts. . . .— 2 Corinthians 4:6Today’s Bible passage calls us back to the creation story, reminding us that the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness
Scripture Reading — John 8:12-20 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”— John 8:12The text in our reading for today is centrally focused on Jesus’ identity. He declares, “I am the light of the world . . .
Scripture Reading — Matthew 4:12-17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”— Matthew 4:17Our Scripture reading today includes a quote from Isaiah that we considered earlier: God’s light will dawn on the people who live in dar
Scripture Reading — Luke 1:67-80 “You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High . . . because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven.”— Luke 1:76-78In the first chapter of Luke many important things can attract our attent