Twelve Followers Leading When Jesus told his disciples that “as the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” they had no idea the extent to which they would be sent to serve in the mission of God in the world. Each of these followers of Jesus – average ordinary working people – would take […]

Eleven Educational Innovating Fourteen times in the gospels Jesus is referred to as a “rabbi” or master teacher. True to the rabbinical tradition, Jesus proclaimed divine law, taught in the synagogues, gathered disciples in his teaching, debated with the scribes, was asked to settle legal disputes, sat as he taught (which was a typical rabbinic […]

Ten Statements Guiding Early in his ministry, Jesus gave the “sermon on the mount” where he laid out statements describing the character of the people of the kingdom of heaven who are “blessed.” He declared that those who are blessed are those who are poor in spirit, mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure […]

Nine Experiences Learning Along with teaching in the synagogues, Jesus created learning experiences for his followers. He taught spiritual truths from everyday life using parables, shocking statements to gain attention, catchy sayings and word plays, poignant questions, and repetition. He taught by example and by practical assignments for his followers with reports on their application. […]

Eight Schools Inspiring As Joseph looked at baby Jesus in the manger, undoubtedly he thought of how he would grow up. Knowing that most families in Nazareth did not have the financial means to pay for formal Jewish education, he knew that he and Mary would teach Jesus as much as they knew about the scriptures and […]

Seven Continents Teaching At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the incarnate Almighty God, who took the form of a human, born of a virgin as prophesied by Isaiah. But that incarnation also included his entire sojourn on earth. He adapted to the Palestinian cultural setting in which he was raised in Nazareth. Upon […]

Six Missional Careers When a baby is born, we often think of what he or she will become. Will the child follow in the steps of his parents in the family business? Will the child become a doctor, lawyer, engineer or teacher? For the baby Jesus it was anticipated that he would follow in the […]

Five Missional Answers Across the Christmas story are questions and concerns that give voice to the emotions that were stirred and the very human responses of the participants to the events as they unfolded. We see Mary and her doubt, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”; the shepherds and their fear, “they […]

Four Educational Levels On that eventful Christmas night, the shepherds received the birth announcement. The message did not come to the powerful and prestigious – but to the people on the fringes of society without extensive education and financial resources. God’s offer of “good news of great joy” was to be “for all the people” […]

Three Intercultural Options The telling of the traditional Christmas story is incomplete without the scene of the three wise kings from the east who visited Jesus after his birth bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Sermons on the Matthew passage often focus on the symbolism of the gifts – missing the missional significance of […]