by Susan Barnes | 3 Apr 2023 | Short Devotion
“‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” John 2:4-5 Mary was familiar with the Old Testament. It’s significant that her words to the servants, upon discovering there was...
by Susan Barnes | 8 Dec 2022 | Articles
In the few weeks that lead up to Christmas, we often try to tell the whole Christmas story, which is quite a long story. From the angel’s visit to Mary telling her she would give birth to Jesus, until the family’s flight to Egypt, covers a period of two, maybe three...
by Susan Barnes | 7 Dec 2021 | Women in the Bible
Recently I wrote this article for Christian Today. A church advertised their Christmas production with the tagline, “My fiancé is pregnant and I’m not the father.” We don’t often think about the apparently scandalous nature of the Christmas story. We’ve...
by Susan Barnes | 27 Sep 2020 | Short Devotion
Read more of my short devotions on this blog or on Pinterest. “The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to...
by Susan Barnes | 23 Jun 2019 | Short Devotion
Read more of my short devotions on this blog or on Pinterest. “Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.” Matthew 1:16 Matthew makes a point of not calling Joseph the father of Jesus,...
by Susan Barnes | 19 Feb 2019 | Women in the Bible
Mary, Jesus’ mother, had a great background. She was from the royal tribe of Judah, which makes us realize again the impact of Tamar’s actions. And Mary, like Tamar, was another woman who put her reputation on the line. She said to the angel, “I am the Lord’s servant....
