Luke 7:28 Jesus said, “I tell you—among those born of a woman, no-one is greater than John; yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Nobody really knows exactly what Jesus meant here, but most people think he was acknowledging John the Baptist as the last and greatest of the Hebrew prophets. He was also trying to look into the future, into a whole new era in which everyone would be a prophet in some way, everyone would be walking with God in the way John had. We aren’t there yet, but we see glimpses of that Kingdom and we long to live there. Maranatha—Come Lord Jesus.

Colossians 2:12 When you were buried with him in Baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God.

Those of us who baptize in just a little water lose sight of the possibility of drowning during our baptism! In a river or an ocean we might be more mindful of going down with Christ into the darkness of death and coming back out into the light with him. The early Christians never forgot that as they were being born again the old self was dying, right there in the water.

Wisdom 5:5 Why have they been numbered among the children of God? And why is their lot among the saints?

These are the incredulous questions that the unrighteous will be asking after the resurrection, when they see the righteous poor there with God. The ones that everybody else looked down are among the saints!! Wisdom says, all will be revealed sooner or later!

Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever.

Up until now, the psalmist has been talking to King David—describing his palaces and princesses and power. Then right in the middle he addresses God, the one who never dies and will reign forever. Even with all the trappings of royalty King David is a man, here for a short while only. Not so the living God.

Luke 6:5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath—the day of rest for all believers. When the religious authorities took offence, Jesus tried to model for them the priorities of his Father in heaven. Always, the priority is to heal, to serve, to love. He is the Lord of every day—the day of work and the day of rest and the day of worship.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on God, because he cares for you.

The apostle Peter is writing here to all believers, not just a select few from one church or one town. He understands what we sometimes forget—that God cares for each and every child of his vast creation. Why should we spend valuable time and energy worrying, when the creator and redeemer of the universe knows our situation, and cares about it? And about us.

3John 4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Every parent and grandparent says AMEN to that. In this case, the evangelist John wasn’t talking about his own children, but about his children in the faith—those who had come to Christ through his ministry. When we preach and teach, we only hope that those words of life take root, and grow into lives of truth.

Psalm 105:17 God had sent a man ahead of them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

Psalm 105 is a lengthy narrative about the people of God, and the many trials and experiences they had in Egypt. It includes their deliverance through the Red Sea, and the leadership of Moses. But long before Moses, long before the Red Sea crossing, God saved his people from starvation by sending Joseph into a place of plenty. His brothers badly used and abused him, but Joseph himself forgave them, and came to understand that it was God himself who had gone before him into Egypt. Wow.

1 John 5:12 There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.

The three witnesses are in agreement that Jesus is the Lord, the Son of the Living God. The water comes to us in Baptism, the blood comes to us in Communion, and the Spirit breathes in and among us at all times. He is Lord….they all say.

Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are truth and his ways are justice.

It was through Daniel, a Jewish captive, that the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar first came to hear about the one true God. The king came to understand his ways and his power, and came into relationship with the living God. Maybe that was the greatest legacy of the great prophet and visionary we remember as Daniel.

Psalm 25:4 Make me to know your ways O Lord; teach me your paths.

Quite often we forget that we might not actually know all the ways of God. We know a lot of them, and the challenge is to actually do them/keep them. But what are the paths/ways of God that we still need Him to show us? It might be quite a long list!

1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining.

You have to love it—these instructions are part of an End Of The World Set Of Rules. Never mind the complicated, theologically grounded sermon Peter might be tempted to preach—just be polite to one another, and show hospitality, he says, until the end is here. We can do it!

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us love—not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

As an adult (56 birthdays to prove it!) it is interesting to read something addressed to “little children” and to know it has been addressed to me. John the Elder, writing here to all believers, has a word for us: love. He recognizes our propensity for words of love that don’t necessarily translate into acts of love. Hence, Little Children…. Our elder speaks, and we listen.

Psalm 16:5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup.

In the division of land among the tribes of Israel, the Levites were not included. They didn’t get any inheritance because they had the privilege to serve as priests to God. He was their inheritance—their chosen portion. The idea was amazing, really. The Levites knew what they had—the best portion of all, the cup that flowed to overflowing.

Luke 3:2 The word of the Lord came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

Before John was born, his father Zechariah had some inkling of what he would become: a prophet and servant of the living God. Then one day in the wilderness, it began. The Word came to him, and he began preaching and baptizing. He was a willing vessel, poured out there in the wilderness countryside. He was the last of the prophets, preparing the way for messiah.

Daniel 2:27-28 No wise men, enchanters, magicians or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, but there is a God who ....

... reveals mysteries.

Daniel, the great hero of our faith, was given the ability to interpret dreams and visions. He is careful, though, not to take credit for the gift himself. Daniel always points to God, the giver of the gift. He is not a magic worker, he is the voice of the Living God.

1 John 1:9 Whoever says, “I am in the light” while hating a brother or sister is still in the darkness.

Loving our brothers and sisters can be really hard! By comparison, preaching about Jesus or studying his ways is really easy. The author of 1John says we have to do both: preach about the love and live the love. That is where the true light shines for all to see.

Psalm 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.

It is amazing that we sleep night after night—losing consciousness in a little death every day. We are entirely absent from our surroundings during those many hours. God isn’t absent—he is the one sustaining us so that we will rise again to serve him.

John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

Jesus was assuming that his disciples believed in God. He was proposing that they believe in him in the same way. The result would be fearless hearts. He goes on to reassure them about their home with him in eternity.