Luke 9:51-56 When we face difficult circumstances, what keeps our focus on Christ? Contemplative Outreach, a non-profit organization that teaches contemplative prayer, suggests we practice the Welcoming Prayer during painful times. They suggest taking a deep...

Luke 9:37-45 The day after his transfiguration, Jesus and his disciples find themselves in a great crowd of people. Though surrounded by noise, Jesus hears a cry for help: “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son” (v. 38). When we see the situation, we understand...

Luke 9:33-36 During Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter voices an idea. I imagine it sounded something like this: “Look, we need to start a building project immediately. I’m not just talking about one structure—we need three! And we need all hands on deck. Are you...

Luke 9:28-32 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed… (v. 29). The older I become, the more I realize the importance of prayer. Praying is a transforming process. As we steadily learn to surrender ourselves, God changes us into the likeness...

Psalm 119:105-108 The ancient words of this psalm speak deeply to the faithful. It begins by affirming God’s word, in all of its manifestations. It is the lamp that lights every step along our journey. Without it, we would be left to wander in darkness and...

Luke 7:18-23 News of these two wonderful miracles reach John the Baptist, who is apparently locked away in some nasty, first-century prison cell. He’s been telling anyone who will listen about the coming Messiah. While he might have supposed that Jesus is the...

Luke 7:16-17 Luke said that fear seized all of them (v. 16). Of course it did—a dead man is now talking! We occasionally hear twenty-first century accounts of people who died on a surgery table and were miraculously returned to life. But those accounts are rare...

Luke 7:11-15 Luke tells of two large crowds that converge on a winding road somewhere between Capernaum and Nain. One group is overcome with grief as they carry the lifeless body of a man to the cemetery outside of the city gates. The other group is tagging...

Luke 7:9-10 It may be the highest praise that Jesus ever gives anyone. Luke writes that when Jesus hears the centurion’s second request, he was amazed at him (v. 9). He turns to the crowd that seems to follow him wherever he goes and says of the officer, I tell...

Luke 7:6-8 As Jesus makes his way to the centurion’s home to honor the man’s request to heal his servant, the plot takes a sudden turn. The centurion sends some of his friends to tell Jesus that he certainly doesn’t need to come to his house—he never meant for...