The parable of the Extravagant Father invites us to reflect on our own spiritual journey, recognizing that we may find ourselves in the position of either son or even the father at different points in our lives. When we are like the younger son, God welcomes us back with unconditional love and celebration, never holding our past against us but instead rejoicing in our return. When we resemble the elder son, we are challenged to examine our self-righteousness and resentment, learning to embrace God's expansive grace that extends beyond our limited notions of justice and worthiness. The father's character ultimately reveals God's heart—one that runs toward the broken, celebrates restoration, and patiently appeals to the self-righteous to join in divine joy rather than remain outside in judgment.

Week 18: Saturday

Week 18: Monday

Week 18: Thursday

Week 18: Sunday

Week 18: Wednesday

Jesus Anointed at Bethany, John 12.1-8: This profound passage challenges us to examine the authenticity and costliness of our devotion to Christ, especially when faced with competing values and social pressures. Just as Mary was willing to sacrifice something of great material worth for the sake of honoring Jesus, we too are called to consider what genuine, sacrificial worship looks like in our own lives, particularly when others might question or criticize our choices. We must discern between authentic devotion and performative religiosity, reminding ourselves that true worship often involves both vulnerability (as Mary displayed by using her hair) and sacrificial giving (as shown through the expensive perfume). Jesus's words about the poor always being present serve not as dismissal of social concern but as a reminder to seize opportunities for direct devotion to Christ while also maintaining ongoing commitment to those in need.

Week 19: Sunday

Jesus orchestrates his entry into Jerusalem in a manner that deliberately fulfills messianic prophecy. After instructing two disciples to acquire a colt that has never been ridden, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey amid crowds spreading their cloaks on the road—a traditional honor reserved for royalty. The multitude of disciples joyfully praise God, proclaiming Jesus as "the King who comes in the name of the Lord." When Pharisees demand that Jesus silence his followers, he responds that if they were silent, "the stones would cry out," emphasizing the cosmic significance of this moment. Through this signature event, Jesus publicly declares himself to Israel that he is the Messiah, the Son of David destined to reign over God's Kingdom.

Week 20: Monday

Week 20: Sunday

Week 20: Friday

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the foundational truth of Christian faith, confirming his divine identity and the efficacy of his atoning sacrifice for humanity's redemption. Christ's resurrection validates all his teachings and promises, offering assurance that death has been conquered, and eternal life is available to all who believe. The disciples' journey from confusion and disbelief to understanding and conviction demonstrates how encountering the risen Christ transforms our perception of Scripture, history, and personal purpose. As modern believers, we are called to follow their example by allowing the reality of the resurrection to illuminate our understanding of Scripture, shape our worldview, and empower us to bear witness to this transformative truth in our daily lives.

Week 21: Monday

Christ meets us precisely where we are, in our places of fear and doubt, offering his peace and inviting us to move from skepticism to faith through personal encounter with him. Just as Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubts but rather compassionately provided the evidence Thomas needed for his assurance, so our honest questions and spiritual wrestling can lead us to deeper conviction when we bring them before the Lord. In commissioning his disciples Jesus reminds us that encountering him is not merely for personal assurance but to propel us into the mission of God's reconciling work in the world. The purpose of God’s revelation in Christ is to move us to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and Son of God, the one whom God has sent to grant eternal life to all who believe.

Week 22: Thursday

Week 22: Sunday

Week 22: Monday

The encounter of celestial worship in Revelation 5 portrays a scene where concentric circles of praise radiate outward, beginning with countless angels surrounding the throne and expanding to include every created being in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea. At the center of this cosmic liturgy stands the slain yet victorious Lamb alongside God the Father, both receiving identical worship that acknowledges their shared divine nature and authority. In the scene’s climax, all creation offers a fourfold doxology to both the enthroned Father and the Lamb, concluding with the four living creatures affirming with "Amen" and the twenty-four elders prostrating themselves in reverent worship. Because of Calvary and the resurrection, Jesus has established his supremacy and ultimate worthiness, based on his victory and redemptive sacrifice.

Week 23: Monday

Week 23: Tuesday

Week 23: Wednesday

Week 23: Sunday

Week 23: Friday

John's apocalyptic vision reveals the culmination of God's redemptive plan: a complete cosmic renewal where both heaven and earth are made new, and the corrupting presence of chaos (symbolized by the sea) is eliminated. The holy city, New Jerusalem, descends from heaven like a bride adorned for her wedding day, representing the perfected community of God's people. A voice from the throne announces the fulfillment of God's covenant promise—his dwelling place is now permanently among us human beings, establishing an intimate relationship unmediated by temple structures or priestly intermediaries. In this new reality, God personally wipes away every tear, and the devastating effects of the fallen world—death, mourning, crying, and pain—are permanently abolished. The One seated on the throne declares with divine authority that he is making everything new, commanding John to record these trustworthy and true promises. With the pronouncement "It is done," God identifies himself as the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, offering the water of life freely to all who thirst, signifying the completion of his redemptive work and the inauguration of eternal communion with his people.

Week 25: Wednesday

Week 25: Tuesday

The New Jerusalem fulfills humanity's deepest longing for direct, unhindered communion with God as he makes his permanent dwelling among his people. The magnificent city imagery with its perfect measurements, precious materials, and light-filled splendor reveals God's own beauty and worth, teaching us that our ultimate destiny surpasses mere escapism but involves genuine renewal of creation where heaven and earth finally merge. The restoration of Eden's imagery—particularly the water of life and tree of life—yet now elevated within an urban setting, reveals God's intention never to abandon creation but to perfect it, removing all curses, healing all brokenness, and bringing his original purposes to their intended fruition. Finally, the beatific vision—seeing God face to face and reflecting his character with his name on our foreheads—emphasizes how our practice of spiritual disciplines are meaningful preparation for the ultimate communion we will experience when through Christ’s mediation we come to fully participate in God's eternal reign.

Week 26: Tuesday

Week 26: Friday

Week 26: Wednesday

God's gospel possesses transformative power that transcends every human circumstance and overcomes every form of bondage, whether spiritual, social, or personal. Paul and Silas’s Gospel ministry reveals that authentic faith responds to adversity with worship rather than cynicism and complaint, understanding that our trials often serve as doorways for God's miraculous intervention in the lives of others. The jailer's urgent question—"What must I do to be saved?"—emerges from witnessing the supernatural peace and integrity of these imprisoned missionaries, reminding us that our conduct during difficult seasons often becomes the most powerful testimony of the gospel's reality. We are called to embrace both the ministry of deliverance and the ministry of suffering, recognizing that God uses our faithfulness in hardship to display his glory and draw others to salvation.

Week 27: Sunday

Week 27: Wednesday

God's Spirit transforms ordinary believers into extraordinary witnesses, equipping them with supernatural gifts to proclaim his mighty works across all cultural and linguistic barriers. The international scope of this miracle demonstrates God's heart for the nations and his intentional desire that every people group should hear the gospel message in their own language and cultural context. Peter's immediate response to opposition shows us that when filled with the Spirit, believers are empowered to boldly defend and explain God's work, turning moments of potential embarrassment into opportunities for prophetic proclamation concerning the supremacy of Jesus as Messiah. The fulfillment of Joel's prophecy reminds us that we live in the era of the Spirit's outpouring, the Already/Not Yet Kingdom, where God continues to work through his people in supernatural ways to reveal his salvation purpose and to reach a lost world.

Week 28: Sunday

The triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has worked salvation for his own, not by what we do to perform, but according to God’s gracious provision in Christ. Our salvation establishes us in an unshakeable position of peace and favor with God, providing present security and future hope that transcends temporal circumstances. Because of God’s working, we can persevere when we encounter trials and sufferings. Now believers can embrace trials as divine instruments for character formation, knowing that God sovereignly uses our difficulties to deepen our spiritual maturity and strengthen our hope. The presence of the Holy Spirit within us serves as both the guarantee of God's love and the power source for experiencing joy and perseverance, even amid life's most challenging seasons.

Week 29: Sunday, Trinity Sunday, God's Triumphant Love, Rom. 5:1-5

Week 29: Saturday

Week 30: Sunday

Week 30: Tuesday

Week 30: Thursday

Week 30: Friday

Week 30: Saturday

Week 31: Sunday

Week 31: Monday

Week 31: Tuesday

Week 31: Wednesday

Week 31: Thursday

Week 31: Friday

Week 31: Saturday



The preacher of the sermon of Hebrews declares that since therefore the children shared in flesh and blood, Jesus our Lord himself likewise partook of the very same nature, the very same things, that through death he might actually destroy the one who has the power of death today, that is, the devil. By his sharing of the same nature as we human beings, through the incarnation, Jesus is also able to deliver all those who through fear of death have been subject to lifelong slavery. The preacher argues that for surely it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the offspring of Abraham. 

Therefore Jesus had to be made like us, his own people, in every respect, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation (full atonement) on behalf of the sins of the people. Because Jesus suffered when he himself was tempted, he now is able to help those (like us!) who are also being tempted. He understands us and knows us, for he is like us, except he is without sin.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth, Luke 4.21-30, Year C 2015 - 2016

After his baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness where he spent forty days, being tempted by the devil. During that time he did not eat anything. When these days were done, the Lord was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 

Then, the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, in a moment of time. The adversary said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Again, Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

Finally, Satan took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’  and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Again, Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he then departed from Jesus, until an opportune time would show itself again.

In his recapitulation (reenactment, retracing) of Israel’s wanderings and temptations, Jesus withstood the temptations of the devil by quoting as final authority passages from Deuteronomy chapters 6 and 8. These texts suggests that he was thinking about the experience of Israel in their wilderness wanderings. In every case Jesus deferred to the will of God – that we do not live by bread alone but by God’s Word (Deut. 8.3), that we worship God alone (Deut. 6.13), and that we never should put the Lord to the test (Deut. 6.16). The devil’s efforts to deceive and distract the Lord were not sucessful; Jesus refuted his lies and distractions with the Word of God, “It is written.” It remains an effective sword against the enemy’s lies (cf. Eph. 6.17).

It Is Written, Luke 4.1-13, Year C 2015 - 2016

The question of fate, i.e., those people whose actions somehow condemn them to both tragedy and death, was a common issue Jesus confronted in his interactions with others during his ministry. At one point on his journeys there were some people who told him about some Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. Jesus answered them “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

The force of our Lord’s teaching cannot be missed. It is quite common for people today to speculate on the ways in which others may have earned tragedy or judgment because of their own sinfulness and guilt. Jesus however says that the events which occur appear to suggest that people suffer due to their own culpability and error, say nothing of the need for everyone to repent and believe. Salvation is for everyone; we are all guilty before the Lord. No person or group is exempt from the need to repent and receive God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. Unless we repent, each one of us, we all will face judgment, and no one can save themselves. The Gospel is truly good news for the world.

Repent or Perish, Luke 13.1-9, Year C 2015 - 2016

Paul exhorted the Philippians to look out for those “evildoers” who relied on the externals of law keeping to sustain a relationship with God. He told them that they were in fact the true circumcision, those who worship by the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence at all in the trappings of external righteousness.

He was clear however, that, if he were to play that game, so to speak, he would have greater cause to depend on his own acts of self-righteousness than anyone. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a direct descendant of Abraham’s lineage. As to knowing and keeping the law, he was a member of the Pharisees, and as to zeal for the faith of his fathers, he was a persecutor of the Nazarene sect, the church. As to the kind of righteousness you can obtain from being under the law, he was literally blameless. 

All of these things however, and whatever position or benefit they held for him, whatever gain he had, he now counted them all as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, he now counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. Now, for the sake of Jesus he had suffered the loss of all things and counted them as rubbish, in order that he might gain Christ. 

Now the apostle Paul’s desire was to be found in Jesus alone, not having a righteousness of his own that came from the law, but the kind that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. His single focus now was to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, to share his sufferings, and to become like him in his death, and by any means possible to attain the resurrection from the dead. 

Paul considered himself, however, neither to have obtained this nor to be perfect already. Rather, he pressed on to make this vision his very own, since Christ Jesus had made him his own. He determined to do only one thing alone: he would forget what lay behind and would now strain forward to what lay ahead, pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. This was his heart, a heart he said all mature believers in Christ share deeply with one another. Our single focus is to gain Christ alone.

That I May Gain Christ, Philippians 3.1-14, Year C 2015 - 2016

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken from the tomb. Mary ran and told Simon Peter and John that someone had taken the Lord from the tomb, and “we do not know where he is laid.” They ran to the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying there and the face cloths, and returned to their homes, not yet understanding the Scriptures regarding Jesus’ resurrection.

Mary, however, stood weeping outside the tomb. As she cried, she stooped to look into the tomb, and saw two angels in white, sitting where Jesus’ body lay, one at the head and the other at the feet. They asked her why she wept, and she replied that they have taken away her Lord and she did not know where they laid him. On saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. He asked her why she wept, and supposing him to be the gardener, she said “if you have carried him away, tell me where he is now and I will take him away.” 

At that moment, Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Mary turned and said to the Lord in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 

On hearing this from Jesus, Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” – and that he had said these things to her. In the simplest language possible, Mary Magdalene testified to the disciples the foundational truth of Christian belief. As an eyewitness of the risen Christ, her statement, along with the apostles’ witness, would form the heart of Christian confession and standard of Christian faith – 

“I have seen the Lord.” Christ is risen, he is risen, indeed!

cckannual

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks