Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in

Jesus went on, “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth’. Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all’. If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and

Jesus continued, “Trivialise even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialised yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honour in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t

Jesus continued, “You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a

When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how

The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb!He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me’. I knew nothing about who

Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told! (Luke 2: 19 – 20) He was the toughest kid on

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, peace to all women and men on earth who please him. (Luke 2: 13 – 14) The “Hands Project,” a collection by the late photographer Martin Lueders, contains pictures