Reflecting the Image (by Carla Sunberg)

What will you be remembered for? Scripture: Luke 16:14   The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. 15 So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God. Observation: Yes, Jesus was teaching the disciples, but also rebuking the Pharisees. He had been talking about the management of money, and what he could entrust to others. This love of money among the Pharisees was really a distrust of God. They hated what Jesus had to say and so they ridiculed him. Then, he called them out as hypocrites. Neale says, “The Pharisees appear righteous outside, but inwardly are disloyal and dishonest” (NBBC). God sees their hearts, he sees it all! They wanted to be loved by people and appear to be righteous when, in fact, they were much more interested in pleasing the people around them, and particularly those in power, than the

Susanna Wesley was faithful with her little children, and her two sons had an impact on the entire world.  Scripture: Luke 16:10   “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Observation: This section comes right on the heels of the parable of the prodigal son, and the shrewd servant. It appears that this paragraph could serve as the conclusion to the two parables, for it compares two unique situations.  The prodigal son was willing to come home and serve his own father. He offered himself in service to receiv

Just two cute little girls hanging out with their Pa and Bagogo at the zoo. It's a joy to  experience the purity of the heart of a child.  Scripture: Luke 16:1   Then Jesus a said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 Then he as

Dinner tables in Armenia are incredibly welcoming! Scripture: Luke 15:11   Then Jesus a said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with a the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father,

Coin made for the CIS Field. XB stands for  Christ is Risen!  Scripture: Luke 15:8   “Or what woman having ten silver coins, a if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Observation: There are subtle differences here in this story and that of the lost sheep. First of all, the sheep had wandered off on its own. The emphasis is on the condition of the lost sheep. In this case, the woman who was responsible for her own coins is the person who lost one. We discover the great sorrow of the one who suffers loss. However, she does everything she can to find the coin again. She lights a lamp and looks into every nook and cranny of her home to find this coin.   What we fail to catch in t

Scripture: Luke 15:3   So he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Observation: The grumbling Pharisees and scribes needed greater clarity regarding Christ’s ministry. He was being accused of spending far too much time with sinners. He begins by speaking about sheep, for this was certainly an understandable scenario. Neale tells us, “Saving livestock was a universal responsibility within an agricultural community (14:5). How much more so, runs the argument, is it the respon