Paul begins by asking us to re-examine what Christ's crucifixion has meant to us.  Jesus, who came to live among us, lived and preached about living a life following in the teachings and the examples shared by Jesus.  He came and even died for us as an example of His faith in experiencing life based on a faith in God's Divine Plan.  By following the directives and by modeling the examples of Jesus we should embrace our faith in Jesus the Christ, as a guide to living our lives, making our decisions and entering into relationships with others and not rely solely on manmade laws as our guide.

The reading from Chapter 1 in Luke is a reading of freedom and trust in God's promise to us.  With God in our lives we will be protected from harm and can count on God to follow through on his promises to us.  The scripture is full of examples of God "coming through" for those who believe and trust.  We need to be strong, to worship without reservation and to share our trust in God with the people in our lives.  God will give us strength and guidance, today and in the future, as He has in the past.

"And I tell you, ask and you shall receive; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  It doesn¹t get any more direct than this!!! What I love about those two lines is the mystery.  How many times have we heard someone say, "God may not give you exactly what you ask for but God does respond to your needs," or in seeking, the journey may help you find or discover something you were not even looking for.  In my life, I have knocked and the door has opened up to something totally unexpected!  What fun it is to live in mystery with God!