Jacob's Well Church

READ THROUGH LUKE is a companion podcast for our new series, Luke: Turning The World Upside Down. Join our Lead Pastor Paul Berthiaume, and Worship Pastor Joshua Skoyen each week as we journey through this book together.

Series Synopsis: Luke was a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul who witnessed the power of the Gospel to transform lives and communities first hand. In his Gospel and the Book of Acts he wrote to show the work of the spirit in including the "Other". Those who the religious Jews of Jesus day would have considered sinful, foreign, unclean-- and thus outside God’s love and favor. Luke is a Gentile who has been included himself and wants to show that the Gospel is far more inclusive than we could ever imagine. In this series we will call our people to study the Gospel of Luke over twelve weeks for the purpose of rediscovering Jesus and the radical inclusion of the Gospel. As those who have heard his call to follow, we need to be people who love the "Other", welcoming them into the family of God as brothers and sisters.

Message Synopsis: This week we will introduce the book, its author and his audience. We will identify the unique themes of the book. We will call people to be deeply engaged in the study of this book in a way that is deeper than it has ever been before. We will pay special attention to Jesus' mission statement in Chapter 4:17-21 in which Jesus cast a vision for inclusion that is more robust and radical than we can ever imagine. We will ask everyone to consider who they have added to their personal list of “Other”.

Communities that devote themselves to the teaching of Jesus, fellowship, communion and prayer are transformative communities.

Spiritual Maturity is only possible when we learn the art of serve.

In this message we will discover what we can learn from Legos about proper relationships.

We were created for Community - to have deeply connected lives with God, and with one another. Unfortunately, sin has left us with a world of distrust and fractured relationships that keep us from revealing our true selves. But Jesus offers us a path of hope and connection in the local church.

God’s presence in stereo!

God told Simeon that he would not die until he had actually physically SEEN the Messiah. (This was after 400 years of God’s “silence,” so this was either pretty dramatic or the aged Simeon was losing his mind.) Following the Jewish law of Purification, Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus (just over a month old) to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Simeon realized this baby was THE MESSIAH for which he had been waiting. He took the baby Jesus up in his arms and proclaimed: "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A LIGHT TO LIGHTEN THE GENTILES, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:26-32). He spoke these words, perhaps VERY LOUDLY, perhaps even shouting, in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem where ONLY Jews were allowed (scandalous!)

We imagine tears in Simeon’s eyes. Perhaps, like Mary, he even kissed the face of God. Can we even being to imagine: waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and wondering if you’ve lost your marbles. This passage, recorded by Luke (a physician and gentile) is God’s presence in stereo: Simeon prays to God the Father, cradling God the Son in his arms, filled with God the Spirit. God’s Trinitarian presence all in one verse.

Over the centuries, many artists have beautifully portrayed this moment. A link to "Simeon's Moment" is below, by artist Ron DiCianni. This is a modern artist that beautifully captures this event.

http://www.tapestryproductions.com/product/simeons-moment-artwork-by-ron-dicianni/

The reality of Christmas can free us from fear. We are not alone. Love has come.

To what voices of fear are you listening? Are they voices that are filling you with fear? We need to find voices that remind us of who God is and what He has done. This will remind us who we are in Christ. This frees us from the voice of fear.

There are few people in the Scriptures as brave as Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She had every reason to give in to fear, but she chose faith and discovered Joy!