When Jesus healed the ten lepers, nine continued on with haste to show the priests they had been healed; what joy they must have felt, knowing that their lives had been returned and an entirely new future stretched before them. But the one who turned back to thank our Lord, the Samaritan who was doubly outcast as a foreigner and a leper, received much more. He received acknowledgement of his faith and the wholeness that faith brings. How often have we acted like the nine, accepting our blessings without so much as a thank you? Let us with faith emulate the Samaritan, and give our thanks to He who knows our needs and satisfies them.

The Scripture references are Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, Psalm111 : 1-4, 7-10, and 2 Timothy 2:8-15. The Gospel reference is Luke 17:11-19.

Many times we are just like the disciples, seeking for that which we already possess. As Jesus shows with the parable of the mustard seed, it's not how much faith we have that's important, but our willingness to trust that our faith is sufficient to accomplish all that He calls us to do. By choosing to follow Him, we acknowledge what Christ already knows: our faith will be there when we need it, and it will be enough.

The Scripture references are Habakkuk 1:1-4 & 2:1-4, Psalm 37:1-6, and 2 Timothy 1:1-7. The Gospel reference is Luke 17:5-10.

In the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, Jesus shows us that although the rich man is in Hades he really hasn't died to his earthly way of life. He expects to be able to ask for favors or direct others to do his will as though he were still the rich and powerful man he once was. It's by dying to our earthly cares that we can truly experience the life that is promised to us; when we see our shared humanity we come out of our isolation to share together in God's kingdom.

The Scripture references are Amos 6:1a, 4-7, Psalm 146, and 1 Timothy 6:6-12. The Gospel reference is Luke 16:19-31.

As part of our annual Youth Celebration Sunday some of our Emmanuel youth, Elora, Sam, Hannah, and Lindsey, along with two of their mentors, Maria and Amy, share their remembrances, reflections, and feelings from the Youth Pilgrimage to London, Westminster, and Canterbury.

When Jesus dined with sinners he was welcoming and befriending the very worst of society, the moral disgraces and the ne'er-do-wells. By His welcome, they were no longer lost but had been found. We can be righteous, and still be lost; wanting to be found starts with admitting we are lost. When we do, we will experience God's fierce desire to find those who are lost and His overwhelming joy when they are found and returned to Him.

The Scripture references are Exodus 32:7-14, Psalm 14, and 1 Timothy 1:12-17. The Gospel reference is Luke 15:1-10.

As the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, Moses exhorted them to make a choice between a life of prosperity and goodness by following the commandments God had given them, or a death of misery and deprivation by following other gods. We, too, are challenged to look at our lives through the lenses of life and death; as we enter any new beginning we can be hopeful, looking for the signs of God's presence wherever they can found, or we can be critical, expecting to be disappointed, given to self-pity and complaining. Think of the future, the new beginnings that face us, the possibilities that are ahead, and choose life.

The Scripture references are Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 1, and Philemon 1-7. The Gospel reference is Luke 14:25-33.

In Luke's Gospel story of Jesus healing the crippled woman on the Sabbath, we see Jesus reclaiming God's holy day from the legalistic interpretation of the synagogue leader and returning it to to the restorative day that God intended in Genesis. We need the Sabbath to rest and reflect, and to be restored to God. We are so connected to our busy days of work and obligations that we miss being connected to God's holiness in holy time. Setting aside intentional, dedicated time to heal our spirit, as well as our body, is to truly keep the Sabbath.

The Scripture references are Isaiah 58:9b-14, Psalm 103:1-8, and Hebrews 12:25-29. The Gospel reference is Luke 13:10-17.

God's choice as the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator to come among us as a helpless baby confirms how much He needed Mary and Joseph. It's not that He couldn't come to us in any other way, it's that He chose to include us, to complete the bond between us and God. God counts on us to comfort, to console, to feed, to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; we have a stake in this world, and in bringing God's Kingdom. We all need God in our lives, and He needs us.

The Scripture references are Isaiah 61:10-11, Psalm 34, and Galatians 4:4-7. The Gospel reference is Luke 1:46-55.

Jesus' injunction to his disciples to sell their possessions and give away the proceeds is one part of the Gospels that always causes a bit of tension when we hear it. Are we literally to give everything away? Was this only directed at the disciples, or at all of us? The core message Jesus sends us is to not get too attached to material things. We are never to confuse wealth with worth. We will always have an inner richness on which to draw, the wealth and abundance that comes from sensing God's Spirit within us.

The Gospel reference is Luke 12:32-34.

In the parable of the rich fool Jesus showed us the futility of measuring the quality of our lives by the amount of material wealth we accumulate, rather than by the strength of our relationship to God and to each other. Our existence, our successes are not our own; our lives are God's to give and God's to take back again. The greatest riches God gives us are found in each other; let us then all be gifts to one another, doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

The Gospel reference is Luke 12:13-21.