August 22nd, 2010 
Called to Stand Upright – Luke 13:10-17 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Luke 13:10-17 [NLT]

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

¹⁰ One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, ¹¹ he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” ¹³ Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

¹⁴ But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? ¹⁶ This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

¹⁷ This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

 

    

Scripture taken from taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation^®. Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

August 15th, 2010 
Walking in Wisdom – Psalm 80:8-19 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Psalm 80:8-19  [NIV]

⁸ You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.

⁹ You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.

¹⁰ The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.

¹¹ It sent out its boughs to the Sea^[a], its shoots as far as the River^[b].

¹² Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?

¹³ Boars from the forest ravage it and the creatures of the field feed on it.

¹⁴ Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,

¹⁵ the root your right hand has planted, the son^[c] you have raised up for yourself.

¹⁶ Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.

¹⁷ Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

¹⁸ Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.

¹⁹ Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Footnotes:     

[a] Probably the Mediterranean 
[b] That is, the Euphrates 
[c] Or branch

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Image Credit: “Red Umbrella” by Stephanie Matti. Taken from www.flickr.com

August 1st, 2010 
Guard Against Greed – Luke 12:13-21 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Luke 12:13-21 [NIV]

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

¹⁴Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" ¹⁵Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

¹⁶And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. ¹⁷He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

¹⁸"Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ‘

²⁰"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

²¹"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

Footnotes:     

 

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

July 18th, 2010 
What must I do? – Luke 10:25-37 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Luke 10:25-37  [NIV]

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
 ²⁶"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

 ²⁷He answered: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]"

 ²⁸"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

 ²⁹But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

 ³⁰In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³²So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two silver coins^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

 ³⁶"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

 ³⁷The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
      Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Footnotes:       

[a] Deuteronomy 6:5 – Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
[b] Leviticus 19:18 – Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
[c] Greek two denarii

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

July 11th, 2010 
Who Do You Represent? – Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 [NIV]

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

¹After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ²He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 
 ⁵"When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. ⁷Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

 ⁸"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ ¹⁰But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹²‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’

¹⁶"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

 ¹⁷The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."

 ¹⁸He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Footnotes:       

[a] Some manuscripts seventy; also in verse 17

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

July 4th, 2010 
God’s Casting Call – Luke 5:5-11 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Luke 5:1-11 [NIV]

The Calling of the First Disciples

¹One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,^[a]with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, ²he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down^[b] the nets for a catch."

⁵Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

⁶When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

⁸When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" ⁹For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, ¹⁰and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

   Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men." ¹¹So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Footnotes:       

[a] That is, Sea of Galilee.
[a] The Greek verb is plural.

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

June 27th, 2010 
I Am Not, But I Know THE ‘I Am’ – Matthew 16:18-19
By Rev. Pete Estrada

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Matthew 16:18-19 [NIV]

¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter,^[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[b] will not overcome it.^{[c] 19}I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[e] loosed in heaven."

Footnotes:       
[a] Peter means rock.
[b] Or hell
[c] Or not prove stronger than it
[d] Or have been
[e] Or have been 

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

June 20th, 2010 
Pride Within: The Responsibilities of the Sower
Galatians 6:8-9; I Corinthians 15:58; Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 22:5; 2 Timothy 4:6-8 
By Rev. Pete Estrada

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Galatians 6:8-9 [NIV]

⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature^[a] will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I Corinthians 15:58 [NIV]

⁵⁸Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Proverbs 4:23 [NIV]

²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 22:5 [NIV]

⁵ In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 [NIV]

⁶For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. ⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Footnotes:       
[a] Or his flesh, from the flesh.

    

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The "NIV" and "New International Version" trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Image: The Sower by Garret Walker

June 13th, 2010 
Food Stamps for Soul Food – Luke 7:36-50 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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Luke 7:36-50 [NLT]

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat.^[a] 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”

40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”

   “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver^[b] to one and 50 pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”

43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”

   “That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”

50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Footnotes:       
[a] Or “and reclined”.
[a] Greek “500 denarii”. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.

    

Scripture taken from taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation^®. Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

June 6th, 2010 
Compassion: It’s NOT Just a Theory 
By Rev. David J. Pettitt

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