Read: Luke 2:8-20 Study: For many of us, this scene (seen mainly in crèches and Christmas pageants) has a lovely glow about it. But not so much when it happened! Remember that the shepherds were sent to find the newborn king “in a parking garage” (that’s what a first-century stable was), lying on a bed…

Read: John 10:11-16 Study:  Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd” to a culture where the Pharisees and aristocrats often saw shepherds as “uneducated, unsophisticated and unclean” (The Journey: A Season of Reflections). Yet God honored shepherds at Jesus’ birth and Jesus undoubtedly grew up hearing the story. King David himself was a shepherd. And…

Read: Isaiah 40:9-11 Study: Throughout history, humans typically associate triumph with toughness, with superior strength that demolishes whatever stands in its way. Isaiah’s prophetic poem, however, struck a different note. In the poem, the strong, triumphant God bringing salvation does so as a caring shepherd, carrying lambs in his arms and gently guiding ewes who…

Read: Micah 5:1-4 Study: The scribes in Matthew 2:3-6 used today’s reading to tell King Herod and the magi where to seek the Messiah. The prophet Micah wrote about a king who would come from Bethlehem, “shepherd his flock” well, and make his people secure. In Micah’s day, the Assyrian Empire loomed over Israel, and…

Read: Psalm 23:1-6 Study:  David become Israel’s greatest king—but he knew a shepherd’s job description from his own experience. In this Psalm, David portrayed God as his shepherd. He found in God the perfect expression of the qualities he himself had exercised as caregiver to his flock of sheep. News of Jesus’ birth was first…

Read: 2 Timothy 1:3- Study:  On his second missionary journey, the apostle Paul met a younger man named Timothy. Timothy became one of his most trusted associates, one Paul trusted to lead some of the churches he planted, and to continue leading them after Paul was gone. Such a large responsibility must have frightened Timothy…

Read: Luke 12:22-32 Study: Don’t be afraid” is one of the most common commands in the Bible for a reason. We tend to fear, to worry about what the future might hold. Our minds may see truth in Jesus’ question,“Who among you by worrying can add a single moment to your life?” (We know that…

Read: Isaiah 43:1-7 Study: Isaiah’s prophetic poetry spoke first to Israelites returning from exile in Babylon. The chance to return to their land was welcome, but it took a long, likely dangerous journey, often on foot. “Don’t fear,” was the divine message to them. “I will be with you.” Those words have strengthened and encouraged…

Read: Matthew 1:18-25 Study: “Do not be afraid.” These words must have been difficult for Joseph to hear. What would you think if your soon to be wife announced that she was pregnant and an angel appeared and told you to “not be afraid”? Joseph probably feared many things. He was afraid of the angel…

Read: Romans 8:24 Study: Like we have been saying all week, waiting can be a good and holy thing. In this letter, Paul is addressing the concerns of the Romans. They are facing oppression and are worried that they cannot endure any longer. Paul is reminding them that waiting does not always diminish. Like a…