Luke 1:39-45 Making a Place for Hospitality (Entrekin)
Mary entered the house. But no matter how beautiful, comfortable, well designed and perfectly appointed the house, it is the people inside who make it welcoming or not.
Luke 1:35-45 With God Nothing Is Impossible (Kegel)
Mary visits her kinswoman Elizabeth whose unborn child, John the Baptist, leaps for joy in Elizabeth's womb. Mary is called blessed because she believes the Lord's promise. We are called to be optimists not on the basis of wishful thinking but on God's sure promise.
Luke 1:26-55 Mary’s Complaint (Leininger)
Mary was preparing to enter a new phase of life. It had been arranged for her to marry a local carpenter, a man named Joseph. Now...catastrophe. She was pregnant. Catastrophe...an unwed mother...and through no fault of her own.
Luke 1:26-38 Two Responses; One Sovereign God (McLarty)
God calls us to be part of his kingdom. Sometimes we hear him, sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we’re quick to respond; and sometimes we don’t want to be bothered. Through it all, God is faithful to us, pouring out his grace and love, whether we deserve them or not.
Luke 1:26-38 The Rebirth of Images (Hoffacker)
A promise of national security, and a woman pregnant before marriage. Two very different stories. Indeed, they appear to be opposites. In one story, safety is gained. In the other, it is lost. But there is a bridge between the two.
Luke 1:26-38 When the Angel Leaves the Room (Hyde)
Gabriel is sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. His purpose is to pay a visit to a young girl named Mary. Mary is betrothed to a man whose name is Joseph. Joseph is of the house of David. That’s important, that Joseph is descended from King David.
Luke 1:26-38 A Faithful Response (McLarty)
What constitutes a faithful response? That’s what I’d like us to think about this morning: When faced with an unexpected, unsolicited and undesirable situation, what does it mean to respond in faith?
Luke 1:26-38, Called to Greatness (Sellery)
How many girls do you know have been painted by DaVinci and sculpted by Michelangelo...who've been serenaded by Bach and Schubert... who've been praised by Augustine and Aquinas… who’ve been venerated over the ages by a constant stream of devotions?
Luke 1:26-38 God’s Time (Hoffacker)
This girl from a nowhere town had it all figured out in her teenage mind. Marry a decent guy named Joe, settle down, have some kids, live like most every other woman she knew.
Mark 10:46-52 Basic Steps to Being Reformed (McLarty)
No matter how solid we may be in our faith, there’s always room for improvement. Besides, the world around us is anything but static. It’s dynamic, changing, always on the move. To take seriously the world's needs requires an on-going process of renewal.