Luke 5:1-11 - One day Jesus was standing by the lake and the crowds gathered around to listen to the word of God. When he saw two boats left by the water, he got into one of them, put it out a little from the shore, and then began teaching from the boat. When he had finished, he told Simon Peter, who owned the boat, to go out into deep water and let the nets down. Peter replied that they hadn’t caught anything all night, but that if Jesus says so, he would put down the nets. When he did this, he caught so many fish that the nets began to break and the boats started to sink. Peter fell to his knees and pleaded with Jesus to go away from him because he was ashamed of his own sinfulness. Jesus told him not to be afraid because from now on he would fish for people. He and his companions left everything and followed Jesus.

Luke 3:1-15 - John the Baptist went into the wilderness to preach about repentance and the forgiveness of sins. He was the one written about by the Prophet Isaiah who wrote, “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.‘“ So John preached to the crowds and many came to him to be baptized. He taught them the importance of changing their ways. Many wondered if John might be the Messiah.

Luke 2:8-20 - The angel of the Lord appeared to a group of shepherds who were living in the fields watching over their flocks at night. The shepherds were terrified, but the angel told them not to be afraid because he brings them good news: a Savior has been born and they will find him as a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Then, a great company of angels appeared praising God and declaring peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests. When the angels leave, the shepherds travel to Bethlehem to go to see the baby Jesus and praise God along with all those to whom they also spread the news.

Luke 1:46-55 - After receiving the news from the angel that she would become the mother of the long-awaited Savior, Mary sings a song of praise to God. In it, she glorifies God for the good things God has given her, expresses humility, and extols God for bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble.

John 1:1-11 - John testifies that Jesus is the Word of God, who was with God in the beginning, and who is, in fact, God. Through Jesus, the Word, everything was created. Jesus is also the life and light of humankind.

Luke 11:1-4 - Jesus taught his followers how to pray. His prayer, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, goes: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Luke 6:27-31 - Jesus teaches his followers that they must love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse them, and pray for those who mistreat them. Furthermore, if someone were to slap them on one cheek, they should turn to them the other one too, and if someone were to take their coat, they should give them their shirt too. They should give to anyone who asks and not demand back something that was taken from them. They should do to other what they would have done to them.

Luke 6:17-23 - During his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives a list of unexpected blessings — to those who are poor, who are hungry, who weep, and who are hated, excluded or insulted. These people, Jesus says, are blessed and will receive their reward in the kingdom of God.

Luke 20:45-21:4 - Jesus warned his disciples to beware of the teachers of the law who walk around in flowing robes and love being greeted with respect in the marketplace and having the most important seats in the synagogue and at banquets. These people, he said, take advantage of the poor and their religion is all for show. Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting gifts into the temple treasury as well as a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. He said to his disciples that this widow had given more than all the others, since the others gave out of their wealth but she, in her poverty, gave everything she had to live on.

Mark 10:17-31 - A rich man came to Jesus asking him about the way to get eternal life. Jesus told him to follow the commandments, to which the man replied that he had done so since he was a child. Jesus then told him that there was one thing missing, he needed to sell all that he had and give to the poor, then come follow Jesus. The man went away sad because he was very rich. Jesus turned to his disciples and told them that is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, but that with God all things are possible. Peter spoke up, saying that they had left everything to follow Jesus, and Jesus responded that they would certainly receive a hundred times as much in the present age, and in the age to come eternal life.

Matthew 13:44-46 - Jesus told a parable about the kingdom of heaven being like treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, and went and sold everything he owned in order to buy the field. Likewise, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a valuable pearl which a merchant found. He then went away, sold everything he had, and bought it.

Luke 16:19-31 - Jesus tells a parable in which there was a rich man who lived in luxury and a poor man named Lazarus who was covered in sores and begged at the rich man’s gate. Eventually, both men died, and while Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side to be comforted, the rich man was sent to a place of suffering. Although the rich man begged for relief, Abraham replied that in his lifetime he received good things while Lazarus did not. Now their roles were reversed and there was nothing that could be done about it. The rich man asked for Lazarus to be sent to his family to warn them to change their ways before it’s too late, but Abraham said that if they would not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen to him either.

Luke 16:19-31 - Jesus tells a parable in which there was a rich man who lived in luxury and a poor man named Lazarus who was covered in sores and begged at the rich man’s gate. Eventually, both men died, and while Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side to be comforted, the rich man was sent to a place of suffering. Although the rich man begged for relief, Abraham replied that in his lifetime he received good things while Lazarus did not. Now their roles were reversed and there was nothing that could be done about it. The rich man asked for Lazarus to be sent to his family to warn them to change their ways before it’s too late, but Abraham said that if they would not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen to him either.

Luke 11:5-13 - Jesus tells a parable in which someone knocks on a friend’s door late at night to ask for bread. He says that even though the friend might say no at first, if that person continues to knock and knock, the friend will finally give in and give them bread. Jesus encourages his followers to ask God for things. He compares God to a parent who knows how to give good gifts to their children. All the more will God give good gifts to those who ask.

Luke 8:1-15 - Jesus tells a parable in which a farmer scatters seed on different kinds of ground. Some fell along a path, some on rocky ground, some among thorny bushes, and some onto good soil. He then explains that the seed represents the word of God, and the different kinds of ground represent different conditions of the heart. The good soil represents a heart that hears the word and retains it. This is the kind of heart in which God’s word can grow and produce good results.

Matthew 7:13-14 - Jesus teaches his followers about two different paths in life that we can take, one is wide and leads to destruction but many enter through it, and the other is narrow and leads to life but few can find it. Here he is referring to his way and teachings as the narrow path, a challenging road to follow but which leads us to fullness of life.

Matthew 7:1-5 - Jesus taught his followers not to judge others or they would be judged by the same standard. He taught that they should focus on removing the plank in their own eyes before pointing out the speck of sawdust in someone else’s eyes, thus highlighting the hypocrisy of judging others when we ourselves are not perfect.