Light for Those in Darkness And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea,...

The Lamb of God The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  John 1:29 John the Baptist proclaims Jesus to be the Paschal Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world.  In a...

Jesus’ Baptism – The Joyous Exchange Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is...

Jesus She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.  Matthew 1:21 People choose names for their children for a variety of reasons.  There are family names and popular names.  Names are chosen because of how they go...

The Dark Side of Christmas Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he...

Waiting in Peace  I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33 We live in a nation divided– by everything from demographic categories to personal preferences.  However, there...

Waiting with Joy And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my...

Waiting in Love In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to...

Waiting with Hope For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Romans 8:24-25 The Church Year is like life.  Everyday is not a...

What to Expect When You’re Expecting And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.  Revelation 22:7 Immediately after learning that my wife was pregnant with our first child, we went to the bookstore and purchased the popular book,...