Tag: faith
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Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Scripture:“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’”— Acts 26:28 Reflection:There is something haunting about that word almost. Agrippa was not hostile to Paul. He was not ignorant of what he was hearing. He was not far away from the truth. He was close enough to feel its pull, close…
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Hidden Grace (In Plain View)
Scripture:“Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:15–16) One of the strangest parts of the Emmaus story is that Jesus is right there, and they don’t recognize him. They’re looking at him, talking to him, walking with him—and still… nothing clicks. And if we’re honest,…
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Emmaus Road Condition
Scripture (Luke):“Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus…” (Luke 24:13)“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them.” (Luke 24:15) There’s something quietly honest about Luke’s Emmaus story: the disciples aren’t in a sanctuary, they’re not in a prayer meeting, they’re not…
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Early Dawn Disciples
Scripture:“On the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb…” (Luke 24:1)“But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” (Luke 24:11) Luke’s Easter begins in the half-light—early dawn, when most of the world is still asleep, when grief is still heavy, when faith…
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The King Riding a Borrowed Donkey
Scripture:“He rode on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.” (Luke 19:28)“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38)“God has made him both Lord and Messiah—this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36) Palm Sunday is an outsiders parade in Luke. Jesus enters Jerusalem without the usual symbols of power—no warhorse, no…
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Do You See This Woman?
Scripture:“Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman?’” (Luke 7:44) Luke tells a dinner story where a “sinful woman” enters, weeps, anoints Jesus, and is silently condemned. The host’s judgment is not subtle: “If Jesus knew what kind of woman this is…” In Luke’s world, women carried reputations…
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Grief Stops the Parade
Scripture:“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” (Luke 7:13) Luke tells the story of a widow in Nain who has lost her only son. In that society, this wasn’t just emotional devastation—it was economic and social vulnerability. A widow without a son could quickly become invisible,…
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The Women in Jesus’ Family Tree
Scripture:“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” (Luke 1:52)“Tamar… Rahab… Ruth… the wife of Uriah…” (Matthew 1:3, 5–6) Luke doesn’t give us a genealogy the way Matthew does, but Luke absolutely gives us the same theology: God lifts the lowly and works through the overlooked. Matthew makes that…
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What Restoration Looks Like
Scripture:“They found the man… sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.” (Luke 8:35)“They devoted themselves… and all who believed… had all things in common.” (Acts 2:42–47) Luke doesn’t end with fireworks. He ends with a picture of wholeness: clothed, clear-minded, sitting at Jesus’ feet. That’s not merely “symptom management.” That’s…
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An Outsider of Outsiders
Scripture:“A man… met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.” (Luke 8:27)“Jesus came… to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) Luke describes this man in layers of exclusion. He’s not just struggling—he’s socially erased. No home. No…
