Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and the Gospel.

Karate chops of Jesus’s blessings and woes of last week continue in today’s reading. The heart of Jesus’s revolution is about non-violent violence. Your enemy expects you to fight back, to hate, to curse, to strike out. When he receives the unexpected, he is thrown off balance and becomes disoriented and confused. The wind is taken out of the “sails” of violence.

The underlying message of the one turning the cheek is, “Your first attempt to insult and hurt me has failed; would you like to try it again? Is there not an alternative to violence?” The turned cheek has a spiritual violence about it—a karate chop to the soul.

Notice how Jesus gives a way out of chronic anger on the part of one attempted to be made a victim by some evil persecutor. If your heart is filled with prayer, blessing, and love for your enemy, joy can never be taken away from you.

Luke 6:27–38

What are “Bible Breaths”? Learn More…
Example: Loving all my enemies v. 27

Sundays are dedicated to the Gospels from the Revised Common Lectionary.
In year C, we generally read from the Gospel of Luke.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and Exodus 23:20-26.

A phone call came from our daughter one day in 1993, with fears that she had just miscarried twins. My wife and I prayed, turning to a Bible calendar for that particular day which had verse 26 from today’s reading. “You shall serve the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days..” We claimed this promise. The crisis passed. Beautiful twin girls were born a few months later. We rejoiced in the fidelity of the Lord.

The reading continues in verse 27 stating that terror from the Lord will go before the people, driving back the enemies coming against God’s beloved. So it is with us. Those who resist the love of God coming inside them will find the power of God against them.

St. John affirms: “Perfect loves casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Those who cast out the Lord are the ones who need to be afraid!

Exodus 23:20—24:18

This is the third of three parts of the Torah Portion Mishpatim (Laws)
Conservative and Reform Jewish congregations read only this part this year,
as also in this Bible plan.
Here is the entire portion in all three parts.

Exodus 21:1—24:18

Learn about Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: “I will take sickness away.” v. 25

The Saturday passages follow the reading list that Jewish people use in their synagogue worship
throughout the world. They are taken from
“The Torah,” the first five books of the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy
that are read each year beginning with autumn.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information

Listen to Pastor Nick read the “Firestarter” and Luke 8:1-15.

 This half chapter is neatly divided into five sections. Spread them through the hours of the day. Stay with what the Scriptures say about Mary Magdalene, resisting popular traditions about her as a prostitute. She was a demon-possessed person, as were others in the Gospel. Gratitude for her deliverance plummeted her into a profound devotion to Jesus, right up to the tomb, the morning of the resurrection, as recalled in John 20.

Your life is the field of “The Parable of the Sower.” What kind of soil is your soul? Learn about what it takes to become part of the family of God, and about the faith that we need when the storms of life tempt us to plummet into despair, instead of into devotion.

Luke 8:1–25

Create your own Bible Breaths Learn More…
Example: Cleanse my ears so I can hear. v. 8

Fridays are dedicated to the Gospels.
In Advent through Epiphany this year we read Luke chapters 1 to 8.

For all the Firestarters I recommend the ebook.  You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or tablet. Check the menu options at the site for more information.