Articles for tag: Luke 2

Christian Living

The Science of Memory

By Jon Wren As modern science learns more and more about the human brain, some of the biggest findings have centered on memory. New research is helping us understand not only how we remember things, but also why we remember some things more than others. Interestingly, new findings show that nothing creates a stronger memory than experience and repetition. For example, when we meet someone and learn their name, that information goes to a specific part of the brain called the hippocampus. That’s where the brain stores facts and figures. But the circumstances about where, why, and how we met

August 13, 2019

Stuart Powell

First Memories

By Stuart Powell In the second-last chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses blessed the tribes of Israel. As the old prophet prepared to ascend the mountain to view the Promised Land and then to die, he poured out his heart in prayer. He asked God to continue showing favor to his chosen people. In his prayer, Moses referred to Yahweh God as “him who resided in the burning bush.” Even at the end of his life, Moses was still awed by the memory of his first encounter with the creator God. How often did Moses’ thoughts drift back to that day in

April 21, 2019

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Listening on the Road

By S. J. Dahlman I met Peter a few weeks after arriving in Platt Bridge, then a down-at-heels village just outside Wigan, in northwest England. When we crossed paths one chilly March day and said hello, my accent caught him off guard. (Wigan wasnâ™t exactly a tourist town.) âAre you American?â he asked. âYes,â I answered. âWhat brings you here, then?â I told him I was the new minister at the Church of Christ on Victoria Road. âFancy that,â his wife chimed in. We introduced ourselves and stood chatting for a half hour. That was the beginning of an off-and-on

December 17, 2018

Mark Scott

Lesson for December 23, 2018: Whole Prophecy (Luke 2:1-14)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 13 (weeks 49–53; December 9–30, 2018) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Marvel at how God wholly fulfilled prophetic promises in Jesus. ______ By Mark Scott One evidence that the Bible is divine is the record of fulfilled predictive prophecies. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by at least 40 different human writers. The evidence of fulfilled prophecy is extremely faith

November 27, 2018

Redemption Drawing Near

(This Communion meditation originally appeared on our website in December 2011. Advent is this coming Sunday, Dec. 2.) By Robert F. Hull Jr. Millions of Christians around the world celebrate this coming Sunday as the beginning of Advent, the first of four Sundays of preparation for the grand festival of light we know as Christmas. No matter how often we have observed Advent, for many of us the first Sunday still comes as a shock, for its focus is on the second coming of Jesus, not the first: People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on

December 20, 2017

In Season, Out of Season

This Christmas editorial fromÂ December 20, 1969,Â was written by Edwin V. Hayden, who served as editor of Christian Standard from 1957 to 1977. ___ By Edwin V. Hayden We observe, without being greatly disturbed by it, a growing tendency for Christmas to be observed as a season rather than as a day. For many it is a season of merchandising and merriment, merely extending what they have always done with the day. For Christians it is a season for becoming acquainted with Christ, and the more greatly that is extended, the better! It is hard to pinpoint Christmas, even as a

November 16, 2017

Incarnation and Resurrection

By Teresa D. Welch Strips of cloth, angels, a man named Joseph, a bed, spices, an angel”s “do not be afraid” message, and a group rushing to tell others the good news. In the context of December, with decorated trees and carolers singing “fa-la-la-la-la,” you most likely associated those items with the story found in Luke 2: “And she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed in him a manager” (v. 7). But these elements of the Christmas story also appear in a different story about Christ. The story of Christmas reminds

April 20, 2017

Doctrinal Issues & Debates Theology & Bible

Signs of the Apocalypse?

Timothy W. Ross How did the presidential election turn out for you? How are you feeling about the realities of Washington in 2017? Regardless of our politics and preferences, we all have probably been bruised by the news of recent months. As they say in West Africa: “When elephants fight, all the grass suffers.” Whether your buttons are popping with pride at the success of the Trump Revolution, or whether you are still checking real estate prices in Canada, the Word of God has an apocalyptic message for us. Apocalyptic Scriptures are charged, vivid, sometimes hard-to-understand pronouncements that interpret the

December 21, 2016

The Colors of Christmas

By Jim Tune Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34, 35). A popular Roman Catholic devotion holds that Mary suffered seven sorrows: Simeon”s prophecy that her heart would be pierced, her flight to Egypt that Jesus might escape the infanticide, the anxious days in Jerusalem when she thought she had lost Jesus,

December 19, 2016

Lesson for December 25, 2016: The Savior Has Arrived (Luke 2:1-21)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the December 18Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ “The Savior has arrived.” That is quite a headline. Big news. Make no mistake””this is a big day for the church. Joni Eareckson Tada said, “If God can become man, then everything else is easy.” Paul Scherer, who taught homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary, said, “God came walking down the stairs of heaven with a baby

October 14, 2016

Ethics & Moral Issues

Piercings

By Ron Davis Piercings are popular. It started with the ear lobe . . . and worked its way up . . . and down. But piercing is not new. And it did not come from good or noble precedent. The notoriously vicious Assyrians, in ancient times, took their captives home by inserting a hook through the cheeks of those captives. Keep up, or else, as you are dragged along! In fact, many cultures, ancient and modern “marked” their captives as slaves by a ring in the nose or ear. It was always the sign of an ultimate death penalty.

December 21, 2015

Meditating on Joy: December 21

By Becky Ahlberg Monday, December 21 The opening line of “Joy to the World” is sometimes sung incorrectly as, “The Lord has come.” That is not the way Isaac Watts wrote it. He wrote, “The Lord is come.” Watts was not describing a past event (the birth of Jesus), but rather looking forward to a future event (the return of Jesus). This hymn text was written as a paraphrase of Psalm 98, one of several psalms considered messianic. Watts understood it to be about the reign of the Messiah. And that”s precisely what the song is about. It speaks of

December 14, 2015

Lesson for December 20, 2015: Dedication of the Firstborn (Exodus 13:13″“15; Luke 2:22″“32)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri, and has held preaching ministries in Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. This lesson treatment is published in the December 13Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ There is an old downward spiral to sin that goes like this: If you hesitate, you will contemplate; if you contemplate, you will negotiate; if you negotiate, you will participate; and if you participate, you will desecrate. But maybe we could say that with the coming

December 4, 2015

Away in a Manger

By Lee Magness Luke tells us three things about the location of Jesus” birth: the town, the building, and the furniture. First, Luke emphasizes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, mentioning the town four times (2:4, 6, 11, and 15). Bethlehem was a farming village, insignificant except for one thing””being the birthplace of King David. No, make that two things””Bethlehem means “house of bread.” Jesus, the “bread of life,” was born in the “house of bread.” Second, Luke tells us there was no guest room for Mary and Joseph when it was time for Jesus to be born (Luke 2:7).

April 24, 2015

Believing Is Seeing

ByÂ Robert F. Hull Jr. “Seeing is believing,” we say, but in the logic of the Gospel of John, it works the other way around: Believing is seeing. It is true Peter and John did not believe Jesus had risen from the dead until they entered the tomb and saw the abandoned grave clothes (John 20:6-8). It is also true Mary Magdalene and 10 of the disciples were permitted to see the risen Lord. But was this a privilege all disciples should have? Thomas seemed to think so. He wanted the same experience the other disciples had, or an even greater

January 17, 2015

Doctrinal Issues & Debates Theology & Bible

Church Life

One Church, Many Nations

By John Chace Imagine a special glimpse of Heaven every time you go to church. If you worship, study, serve, or fellowship at Community Christian Church in Tamarac, Florida, you”ll do so with people from almost 80 countries. In this South Florida congregation, church members harmoniously celebrate the blessings of broad diversity. The people know diversity is there, but don”t necessarily see it. They feel good about fitting in easily and being fully accepted for who they are; they are warmly welcomed and encouraged to get involved. Most are quick to cite common bonds””acknowledgement they are sinners, in need of

December 25, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Have You Ever Seen an Angel?

By Mark A. Taylor Many of us witness costumed actors portraying angels in this month”s Christmas plays and pageants. But I”m pretty sure our versions don”t look much like the real angels of Luke 1 and 2. Years ago I attended the “Glory of Christmas” production at Southern California”s Crystal Cathedral, where the angels stole the show. There must have been a dozen of them, suspended through the vast expanse between the auditorium”s ceiling and the crowd below. Flowing gowns and ballet poses made these performers look ethereal and attractive, but that”s not how Luke describes the angels in his

December 21, 2014

Overwhelmed by Christmas, Again!

By Alan Ahlgrim A few unsuspecting shepherds were minding their own business when they were suddenly overwhelmed by Christmas. According to the classic Christmas text in Luke 2, the message and how it was delivered terrified them. An angel appeared. The radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were told in unmistakable fashion that the Savior had been born! The news was stunningly and extraordinarily good. It’s no wonder the angels were overwhelmed when they heard it. Overwhelmed is a great way to describe how many of us feel much of the time—especially at Christmastime. In fact, I suspect

December 15, 2014