NORTH BUFFALO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
  • Home
    • About >
      • Sunday Services
      • Sunday Sermons
      • Church History
      • Online Giving
    • Life of the Church >
      • Ways to Join Us
      • Missions
      • Lenten Devotionals
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us

Sunday School: Called to Proclaim

1/2/2021

0 Comments

 
Good morning!
Happy New Year!

Epiphany, the end of the Christmas season in the church, is this Wednesday. According to the Presbyterian Mission Agency:

"Epiphany is the celebration of God’s manifestation or self-revelation to the world in Jesus Christ. In particular, we celebrate the revelation of God’s promise and purpose to the nations of the world, as the magi came from the East to worship to the Christ child, and God’s covenant of grace is extended to all who believe the good news of Christ Jesus. The symbolism of light is important: not only because of the star that guided the magi, but as it relates to the bright dawning of God’s self-revelation in Christ."
When we meet in person, we share our joys and concerns together. Take a moment to consider your past week, especially as we have started a new year. What joys and concerns do you have? Who do you need to pray for? Feel free to share your prayer requests with us in the comments. When you are ready, pray the prayer below:
I want to offer a word of comfort today for those who are suffering, who've had a loss, who are going through something really difficult. Those who are trying to trust God when what's happening in your life just doesn't make any sense. You know, I often say that trust requires that we have some unanswered questions, but I know that sometimes when you want answers really, really bad and there aren't any, that it is difficult. I want to encourage you not to run from God in your pain but run to Him because He is the God of all comfort. God wants to comfort you right now. He wants you to know that He loves you, that it's not too late for you to begin again. God will heal you. He will heal your wounded soul. He will comfort your emotions. God cares so much about you and His grace is available to you right now to help you. You know, many things that we go through, we cannot possibly handle them on our own. But grace enables us. It gives us the power to do what we need to do.  Amen.

This week's lesson is on Luke 4:14-22.
Jesus returned to Galilee and was in the power of the Spirit and went to Nazareth where he was bought up. He read from Isaiah:
 
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, however he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. After Jesus gave back the scroll he said, “ Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Not only did Jesus heal physical afflictions like blindness, lepers and the crippled but Jesus came to heal us spiritually   Jesus came to be a great Physician for he was sent to heal the broken-hearted, to comfort and cure afflicted conscience, to give peace to those who are troubled and humbled for sins and bring rest to the heavy laden, under the burden of guilt  and corruption. 

Messiah has come to set us free from the bondage of sin and death. The whole purpose of Christ coming was to rescue us. To do so, he had to die that he “might break the power of death -that is the devil “.   

Whoever we are, wherever we are physically or spiritually, God’s message is clear: he wants all to be rescued, he wants us to come home. The acronym COME reminds us of this fact, he wants Children, Old people, Middle-age and Everyone else to come back to him. Jesus wrapped a robe of flesh around himself and came to die to pay sin’s price to make it possible that he would prepare a place in Heaven for his disciples. 

There is a star in the northern sky that never sets.  The Phoenicians, Vikings and sailors long ago used this star to get their bearings and to help their destination. For thousands of years it has been a reliable guide for travelers. It is called the North Star. As travelers can use that star yet today to guide them, how much more is Jesus still the reliable light for our path to Heaven!  

We can find our way home only by following Jesus only. He is the light of the world to lead us all from the path of darkness into the light of the Father. Like Jesus did for his audience at Nazareth, Jesus calls us to him. 
Picture
Prayer
​Father, we thank you for sending Jesus to die for our sins, for paying sin’s price so we don’t have to. May our eyes and ears be fixed on him as we continue his mission. We pray this in Jesus name.   Amen.
Benediction
​Today's benediction is from the New International Version.
Picture
Next week's lesson will be on Luke 5:1-11.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    We are a small, rural Presbyterian church in southwestern Pennsylvania.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Kings
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    1 Thessalonians
    2 Chronicles
    2 Corinthians
    2 Kings
    2 Peter
    2 Samuel
    2 Thessalonians
    2 Timothy
    Acts
    Advent
    Bible Study
    Call In The New Testament
    Celebrating God
    Christmas
    Christmas Eve
    Colossians
    Confident Hope
    Deuteronomy
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Ephesians
    Esther
    Exodus
    Ezekiel
    Ezra
    Faithful Prophets
    From Darkness To Light
    Galatians
    Genesis
    God Frees And Redeems
    God's Exceptional Choice
    Good Friday
    Hebrews
    Holy Week
    Hosea
    Isaiah
    James
    Jeremiah
    Job
    John
    Jonah
    Joshua
    Judges
    Justice Law History
    Lament
    Lamentations
    Lent
    Leviticus
    Love
    Luke
    Malachi
    Mark
    Matthew
    Maundy Thursday
    Micah
    Nahum
    Nehemiah
    Numbers
    OT Prophets
    Palm Sunday
    Partners In A New Creation
    Pentecost
    Philemon
    Philippians
    Proverbs
    Psalms
    Revelation
    Romans
    Sunday School
    Thank Offering
    Thanksgiving Eve
    Wisdom
    Worship
    Zechariah
    Zephaniah

    RSS Feed

Home

Calendar

Contact Us

Copyright © 2017 | All Rights Reserved | Washington, PA
  • Home
    • About >
      • Sunday Services
      • Sunday Sermons
      • Church History
      • Online Giving
    • Life of the Church >
      • Ways to Join Us
      • Missions
      • Lenten Devotionals
  • Calendar
  • Contact Us