Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (At Nazareth synagogue) A home town hero is home. …
Hebrews 12:28-29 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” One longing people share is to rest securely in an unshakable life. The good things we enjoy—we want them to last forever. But …
Joel 2:12-17 “Even now,” declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing—grain offerings and …
Eph 6:14-18 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil …
Eph 6:11-13 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in …
Hosea 10:12 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love,and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord,until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. Hosea, John the Baptist, and Jesus all preached repentance—get right with God. Deal with sin. God will then give us his righteousness. What a wonderful exchange. There is a …
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. “David Zeisberger, noted Moravian missionary passed through here in Oct 1767 en-route from Bethlehem to found missions among the Delaware Indians to the West. …
Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. This chapter begins with a call to those who are thirsty. No money needed. It’s a gift. Isaiah …
Mark 1:4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:14-15 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” What is there not to …
Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. At creation, light was the first thing created—“Let there be light.” Light has power. Seeing the light is akin to experiencing God. There is no darkness in …
Isaiah 40:3-5 A voice of one calling:“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;make straight in the desert a highway for our God.Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. A call is …
Psalms 63:1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water. What is the level of my desperation for God? In Psalms 63, David was desperate; King Saul was pursuing with his army to kill him. …