Text: Luke 5:1-11 – We see Jesus calling the first disciples to come and follow Him. But before He does this, He gets into Peter’s boat, as these disciples were fishermen who had caught nothing all night. Jesus brings them such a large number of fish their nets begin to break. Rather than cash in […]
Text: Luke 2:22-40: On February 2, we remember the purification of Mary and the presentation of Jesus as the temple. According to the law of Moses, after birth, the woman would go through a time of purification and then bring sacrifices for atonement. Also, according to the law, the firstborn was given, dedicated, to God. […]
Text: Luke 4:16-30: There are people that say things to us, and we might respond by saying, or thinking, “who do you think you are?” As Jesus goes to the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath, He reads from the scroll of Isaiah and tells the people that what He has just read has been […]
Text: John 2:1-11 – The first miracle of Jesus takes place at a wedding in Cana, where He shows that the glory of God is manifested in Him. This first miracle of Jesus, turning water into wine, was not requested, but almost demanded of, by Jesus’ own mother. Do we ever treat God like that? […]
Text: Luke 3:15-55 – Born and raised in the Gambella province of Ethiopia, Pastor Oboya Ochalla emigrated to Canada in the early 2000s following political unrest within that region of Africa. Pastor Oboya trained for pastoral ministry here in Canada through the pastors-with-alternate-training program of Lutheran Church-Canada. He was ordained and called to serve as […]
Text: John 1:1-14 – We saw on Christmas Eve that Jesus came to be “with us” (Immanuel) and that He came “for us” to save us (“Jesus”). On Christmas Day we go back to the manger scene, where we see that the “Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.” But where was the […]
Text: Luke 1:26-2:20, Matthew 1:18-25 – Jesus Christ is Immanuel, which means, God with us. In that, we see that He came to be “with us.” And the reason He came is to save us, which is what the name Jesus means, the Lord is my salvation, which means that Jesus came “for us.” This […]
Text: Revelation 21:1-14, 22-27 – There are many things that we have in this life that we might call “sentimental,” like a box full of old letters. Some of us hold on to those types of things more closely than others. Some of us dwell on them much more often than we ought. However, all […]