Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 2:38 (New Living Translation) 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. This is part of the (hi)story of Anna. She was an 84-year-old widow who stayed […]

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Luke 1:51-54 (New Living Translation) 51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.52 He has brought down princes from their thronesand exalted the humble.53 He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away with empty hands.54 He has helped his servant Israeland remembered to be […]

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Luke 2:27-28 (New Living Translation) 27 That day the Spirit led him (Simeon) to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God… This is part of the (hi)story of […]

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Luke 2:8-14 (King James Version) The most-heard sermon of all time was delivered by an 8-year-old boy voicing a cartoon in 1965. Christopher Shea spoke the words below in A Charlie Brown Christmas. That sermon has been heard by millions or hundreds of millions of persons in the sixty years since. It isn’t a long […]

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Luke 5:20 (New Living Translation) Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” This is part of the (hi)story of Jesus healing a paralyzed man. Jesus was in a home. The crowds of people wanting to hear Jesus were big and thick and … crowded. There was a paralyzed […]

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Luke 4:5-7 (New Living Translation) 5 Then the devil took him (Jesus) up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. […]

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Luke 2:52 (New Living Translation) Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. This verse describes a mostly unknown part of the life of Jesus. What did Jesus do from about age 13 to about age 30? We don’t know much. This sentence gives us one glimpse […]

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Luke 22:3 (New Living Translation) 3 Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot… This is part of the (hi)story of the death of Jesus which precluded the resurrection of Jesus. The prior sentence tells us “The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus…” Right into the plot steps Judas Iscariot. […]

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Luke 18:34 (New Living Translation) 34 But they didn’t understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. Jesus is talking to the group of insiders who walked with Him daily. Jesus told them what was to happen in Jerusalem. Given […]

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Luke 3:23 (New Living Translation) 23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was about half the age of life expectancy when He began His public ministry. Three score and ten is seventy years of age. The life expectancy in Jesus’ time and place was much less than seventy. Jesus […]

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