Mary became a mother out of wedlock as a teenage girl from a small town called Galilee. She probably felt pressure from every direction, so much so that she left her...

We have thus far meditated on the kingdom of heaven that builds “the way,” that frees the oppressed, heals the sick, and brings good news to the poor. Many times we...

We may read this text and wonder if John the Baptist is not as great as we think he was. After all, Jesus says that “the least in the kingdom of...

The community to whom Matthew wrote was still questioning if Jesus was really the Messiah. They hoped for the Messiah to come and save them from the oppression of the Roman...

Isaiah 35 is one of the most beloved chapters in the Bible, but we often miss that it was written in partnership with the chapter before it. Chapter 34 is the...

Recently here in Texas where I live, we went almost fifty days without precipitation. The foundation of my house shifted as the soil around it lost its volume from lack of...

In verse eight of this text, John the Baptist calls people to change their behavior in preparation for the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Believers must behave differently as they prepare...

I was taking my children to school one day when we saw an entourage of law enforcement officers. My daughter was curious about what was happening. “Mom, look at all those...

Followers of Jesus Christ ought to be the most loving and accepting people in the world. God wants the church to accept one another: It is not an option but a...

Breven became a refugee when he was very young. Violence forced him to flee his home country of Burundi for the Tongogara Refugee Camp in Zimbabwe. He recalls passing through four...