Ken Winter

We read in Judges that the next generation of Israelites “… did evil in the LORD’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD. They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth.”

My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior. If you missed the first three episodes of the series, i invite you to go back and listen to them.

And, as always, i pray this post and my books challenge and encourage you in your walk with the Master.

This is the second of this year’s weekly Advent episodes. Those of you who have followed the podcast for more than a year know that it is my annual practice to post a weekly episode for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories have become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

Joseph was an unlikely choice to be the earthly father of Jesus . There was nothing about him on the surface that would have prompted any of us to consider him worthy. And yet, no other man in history has been charged with the tremendous responsibility he was given.

The Wilderness Tabernacle was completed exactly as the Lord specified and was erected on the first anniversary of Israel’s departure from Egypt. That day, the Lord’s glorious presence descended upon it, covering and filling it with His awesome glory. His presence, previously seen in the guiding pillar of cloud, now took residence within His dwelling place among the people.

In many ways, our world today mirrors the one to which the apostle Paul set out. We have become so post-Christian that society now resembles a pre-Christian culture. In that sense, we are not unlike the ancient city of Athens.

As Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, teaching His disciples, He told them He would one day return and that they must be on the alert for His arrival.

Jesus often used simple stories (parables) to communicate profound truths. Such is the case with the three parables recorded in Matthew chapter 13. The parables of the weeds, the mustard seed, and the yeast.

On their fifth full day in the Promised Land on the west side of the Jordan, the first Israelite walked out from camp to gather the daily portion of manna and discovered it wasn’t there!

God instructed Moses to collect the staff of each leader from the twelve ancestral tribes, along with Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi. These thirteen staffs were placed overnight in the tabernacle. God promised that the staff of the man He had chosen would sprout buds, signifying His selection.

From the day the Israelites left Egypt, the Lord gave His people a constant reminder of His presence. He sent a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night, so they could travel without losing sight of His leading.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus .

God sent an angel to Cornelius, who immediately obeyed the command to send for Peter. Though others may have been closer to Caesarea, Peter was God’s man for this assignment. Remember, Peter “held” the “keys to the Kingdom.” His obedience set in motion events that would open the door of faith to all Gentiles.  What may have seemed like a small act had a ripple effect that continues today.

It’s important to remember that the focus of John’s Gospel is to help us see, discover and know Jesus as the Son of the Living God. John wanted us to behold Jesus in the fullness of His glory as God incarnate. Jesus’ desire for His apostles—and for us—is that we would see the glory of the Father and come to know the Father through Him. Before He spoke these words of comfort,  Jesus had told t...

Pontius Pilate, the governing prefect of the region, ordered the killing of some Galileans as they were offering sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem. Eighteen people had recently died when a tower in Siloam collapsed. These two tragedies led the crowd to ask Jesus what these victims had done to deserve such a fate. Let’s explore His response.

Militarily the Canaanites held a great advantage over the Israelites. From a human perspective, the situation looked bleak. Even for a man of courage and faith like Joshua, the situation seemed dire. That’s why the LORD said to him, “Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel….”

On the eve of what could have been the greatest day of their lives, and their history as a nation—the day they were to enter God’s Promised Land—the Israelites chose to reject Him and refused to enter.

As the Israelites approached the Promised Land, the Lord instructed Moses to assemble a group of twelve men to spy out the land—each a leader from one of the twelve ancestral tribes.  These men were highly respected and trusted by their peers.

Moses called his brother, Aaron, and his brother-in-law, Hur, to join him on the top of a hill that overlooked the field of battle at Rephidim, where the descendants of Abraham—Israelite and Amalekite—would battle one another.

Imagine the surprise of the Jerusalem church when Saul, the persecutor, showed up in the city professing to be a follower of Christ. They were filled with fear and disbelief. There was no way anyone was going to accept him into their fellowship … until a believer named Barnabas took action.

The preparations for Passover were so important to Jesus that He sent His two most trusted disciples: Peter and John. Both men would have known what preparations were required under the Law. However, they wisely asked Jesus what details they should follow. We, too, would do well to ask Jesus about the details.

i believe the omission of his name is purposeful. As a part of the nameless crowd, he could be any one of us, free from any of the preconceived notions that might come with knowing his background.

On one particular day, as Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grainfield, the religious leaders accused Jesus and His disciples of an act of “Sabbath defiance.” The Pharisees accused them of “wantonly disregarding the rules” of Sabbath by plucking off the heads of grain, rubbing them between their hands, and eating the grain. Thus we see the clash—one that continues today—the religious...

The Gibeonites opted to use the weapon of deception—and they were very good at producing fake news—down to the last detail. They loaded their donkeys with patched wineskins and weathered saddlebags. They loaded their packs with dry and moldy bread. They dressed themselves in ragged clothes and worn-out, patched sandals.