Contemplative Bible Reading

Romans 12:12 (Christian Standard Bible) 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. This short statement is from Paul in the letter to the church in Rome. Many of today’s Bibles attach a heading to this section titled “Christian Ethics.” One Internet definition of ethics is: Ethics is based on well-founded […]

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Mark 13:5-6 (New Living Translation) 5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 6 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. Jesus is telling followers about things that will happen in the future. People will appear claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah. Those […]

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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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Matthew 4:19 (American Standard Version) 19 And he saith unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you fishers of men. This is a famous statement from Jesus to Peter and his brother Andrew. These brothers were commercial fishermen. Jesus told them that they would no longer seek fish from the sea but […]

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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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John 1:6-7 (New Living Translation) 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. There are many different things to discuss about this sentence. One aspect is, how do we recognize this person has been sent by God? Do these persons […]

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John 11:25 (New Living Translation) Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Jesus is speaking to Martha. This is part of the (hi)story of the death of Lazarus and when Jesus raised him after being dead four days. While consoling Martha and before raising Lazarus, Jesus says the above almost as an […]

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Mark 11:25 (New Living Translation) 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. Jesus taught the followers how to pray. Here, Jesus is talking to them about the power of prayer with an example of throwing a […]

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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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Matthew 11:20 (New Living Translation) 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. Folks don’t like this verse. I don’t “like” this verse and the ensuing discourse from Jesus. Jesus denounced people for not repenting […]

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