Contemplative Bible Reading

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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1 Peter 1:18 (New Living Translation) For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. Peter is writing to God’s chosen people—they have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus […]

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1 Peter 1:8 (New Living Translation)The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a call to be productive and useful. Well, sort of. Peter writes about a growth from faith to love through steps that enrich a person’s life […]

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Hebrews 11:40 (New Living Translation) For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. This sentence concludes what has been called the “Faith Hall of Fame.” This section of the letter to the Hebrews mentions people from the Hebrew history who showed great belief in things […]

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