her face was no longer sad (1 Samuel 1:18).
Tears are a natural, important function of our perfectly created body. Scripture tells us many instances of weeping by the people of God. Sometimes they were tears of sorrow. Sometimes they were tears of joy.
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Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (Psalm 106:1).
As we contemplate the miraculous healing of the Ten Lepers, just think! Leprosy was an awful skin disease that was unsightly, painful, and incurable. Its victims were ostracized from their families and the rest of society. The disease was debilitating! Embarrassing! Downright depressing! Thus, their plates were piled high with misery! As Jesus cleansed those ten lepers, He converted their sense of hopelessness into a hope-filled joy! As those lepers realized that they were healed, by all rights, all ten should have turned back immediately, acknowledging God’s almighty Son as the source of their healing. But only one out of the ten men took the time to contemplate how his life had been changed for the better by Jesus and returned to give God thanks.
[Please provide: two readers, Bible, one 9-inch plain white paper plate with “grooves” on the outside for each participant, black pens, seven sheets of poster board, marker]
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Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house” (Genesis 28:20–22a).
Something is missing. Have you ever felt that way? You walk into a room and something is different. Something is wrong. Something is missing. Maybe you notice it right away or maybe it takes a while for you to finally figure it out. How does it feel when you are not sure what is missing? How does it feel when you figure it out? What if you can’t change the fact that something is missing?
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[Simeon] blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:28b-32).
Does your heart melt when you see a tiny baby? Infants look so precious and vulnerable. Can you imagine the overflowing joy in Simeon’s heart when he first saw the baby Jesus, instantly knowing this little being was also the promised Messiah, God’s precious Son?
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We ask you brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a).
Showing our Pastors and Church Workers Love and Respect
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But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy … (Titus 3:4-8a).
No matter what we are going through at the moment, God's grace is sufficient.
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And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them (Luke 2:20).
Are you like the shepherds? How has knowing Jesus changed you?
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