Journa

Luke 2:21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. My wife Sue and I have three children, and I well recall the long conversations about names which took plac...

Luke 2:18-19 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. People greeted the birth of Jesus in very different ways. The shepherds were thrilled that they had been give...

Luke 2:10-11 “Don’t be afraid!” [the angel] said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” The news of Jesus’ birth would have b...

Luke 2:6-7 And while they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. The...

Luke 2:4 Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem. Even today, it’s not a particularly large town with only about 30,000 people – the si...

Luke 2:1-3 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for...

Luke 1:78-79 “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” There is something very exciting ab...

Luke 1:76-77 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.” In his song of praise, Zechariah ma...

Luke 1:74-75 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. The whole Bible speaks about salvation, and that comes to a climax in the life, death and resurrection of Jes...

Luke 1:72-73 “He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant – the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.” Zechariah’s beautiful song of worship after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, celebrated how...

Luke 1:67-70 Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Saviour from the royal line of his servant David, just as he...

Psalm 90:10,12 Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. It’s won...

Psalm 89:8 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful. Faithfulness is a wonderful word. To find someone who is absolutely trustworthy and dependable is an incredible blessing, and the p...

Revelation 21:3-4 [John wrote:] “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, an...

Revelation 5:12 “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered – to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.” Life is full of mysteries. The evil of our world is agonising, and the innocent suffer in ways that co...