Mary was pregnant at a time when the mood of the Jewish people was low. Israel was no longer a sovereign state and the Roman occupiers were not exactly kind to their subjects. Mary was also directly affected by all of this. She was well along in her pregnancy when she...
The past year 2020 was characterised by the coronavirus pandemic. There is one thing that this crisis has not been able to take from us: our trust in God! He is and remains our heavenly Father, who wants only the best for His children. This faith is also to define our...
In our latitudes we have quite a specific idea of how Christmas and the Advent season preceding it should look. It is the dark time of the year, and thus there are many lights that shine during Advent. The light of a candle in particular really helps set the mood for...
Many a saddened teacher has perhaps secretly had this thought about a student. All efforts to help equip him for life seemed to have been in vain. The teacher’s joy is all the greater when he later learns that something has become of the student after all, and that...
Dear brothers and sisters, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). Whenever I read this Bible passage, I think about all of you. We each lead our own lives. We live through our ups and...
In today’s media and social networks, we are constantly bombarded with false information that has been deliberately spread, a phenomenon that has come to be known as fake news. Reports are completely fictitious, many speculations are made, and facts are often mixed...
There are many reasons for attending a divine service: the desire to experience the nearness of God, to hear His word, to praise and glorify Him, and to enjoy fellowship with our brethren, as well as the longing for forgiveness of sins and Holy Communion. However,...
In situations of urgent need when human beings are confronted with seemingly insurmountable problems, they call out to a mighty God. “Lord, help!” - Such is the content of their prayers in uncertain times. I am reminded of a Bible passage from Exodus 14:14 that really...
Often we find our way into circumstances over which we have no control or influence. We might suddenly fall ill, or perhaps become involved in an accident through no fault of our own. We might unexpectedly receive notice that we are about to lose our job or our place...
You go to the refrigerator, take out a jar that you opened not too long ago, and happen to notice that there is a little bit of mould near the rim! It is only a tiny amount—you can barely see it. It isn’t any bigger than the head of a pin. You are tempted to think:...
Dear brothers and sisters, Our greatest wish is to have fellowship with God and with one another forever. Jesus Christ has created the conditions required for this. His life and death, His resurrection, ascension, and return are geared toward precisely this purpose....
No matter whether it is in a gourmet restaurant or in the company cafeteria, the preparation of a meal plan is a challenge for any cook who wants to offer his guests a rich variety of delicious fare. Sometimes a meal plan is not so easy to implement because, for...
“Everything will be all right”—there is likely no other turn of phrase that attempts to calm and comfort in such simple words as this. How often were we comforted by these words as a child - even when we quietly suspected that things were going to be anything but all...