How should Christians worship? Many are the wounds over this issue within our lifetimes. Long before that, however, even 700 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah points us in the right way. Our Old-Testament reading for today comes right before the prophet speaks of the Messiah’s coming and His kingdom of peace and righteousness. People […]
Our Lord’s Final Words From the Cross: Matthew 27:45-59: Abandoned and Forsaken
March 2, 2016 by
Jesus now speaks His word from the cross, not to Mary, not to John, but to God the Father. He cries out in abandonment in the God-forsakenness of our sin. Jesus prays in His native Aramaic: “My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?” These are words surfacing from the depths of His soul. […]
Luke 13:1-9: Repent or you, too, will perish
February 28, 2016 by
How should you respond to tragedy or disaster? I ask you to consider this, not as an American citizen, but as a Christian. How should you react—as a Christian—to suffering, persecution, or mass murder? One way is to repent. In Old-Testament Hebrew, repent is “shuv”: turn back, turn around. “Metanoia,” rethink, come […]
Our Lord’s Final Words from the Cross: John 19:25-27: Sons and Mother
February 24, 2016 by
Perhaps, you’ve been there. Few events stamp themselves into your memory with such force. To be present when a loved one dies is a powerful experience. When grief grabs you in such a holy moment, it defies description. Your throat constricts, your chest tightens, and breathing becomes a labor. Even when death […]
Deuteronomy 26:1-11: Remember!
February 23, 2016 by
Church was cancelled because of weather on February 14. Not wanting to skip the first Sunday in Lent, we observed that Sunday on Feb 21. However, our pastor was away, preaching for another congregation to help them celebrate an anniversary. This is what our pastor would have preached, were he here. ——— Memories are […]
Our Lord’s Final Words from the Cross: Thirst
February 17, 2016 by
The first one home is a thief. For Jesus told him, “I assure you: Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus spoke those words—not to a devout man, or to a fine, respectable citizen, or to one of His disciples—but to a convicted criminal, found guilty of a capital crime. No doubt, Jesus […]
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 4: Job’s Redeemer—and Ours!
February 13, 2016 by
Intro and Recap Last week, we explored what God works through the suffering we experience, realizing that at suffering’s deepest root is sin. Nonetheless, God will work what we suffer for our eternal good, just as He worked our salvation through His Son’s suffering on the cross (Romans 8:28, John 3:16). Through faith, then, the […]
Suffering Through the Lenses of Job, Lesson 3: Counsel from Job’s Friends
February 13, 2016 by
Intro We now explore the counsel of three friends of Job. As a backdrop, realizing that Job comes to us in to form of poetry, and also as a story, we should ask, “Why are three friends, not two or four, giving their counsel to Job?” If we look at job as “history,” we would […]
Luke 23:33-34: Father, Forgive Them, For They Don’t Know What They are Doing
February 10, 2016 by
Epitaphs: carved into stone, whittled in wood, burnished into bronze. They’re a message for someone to read, long after the bodies below them are dust and ash, and the memories are faded and no longer shine. Gravestones may read: Loving Mother and Faithful Wife; He Gave His Life Defending His Country; Beloved Daughter. In […]
Our Focus During Lent: Final Words From the Cross
February 8, 2016 by
This year, our midweek Lenten services and sermons will have this focus: Jesus’ Final Words from the Cross. Each “word” (sentence) will shape each midweek service, although every service will have a traditional, liturgical form. Here are the Scripture readings and focus for each service: February 10: Ash Wednesday: “Forgive”: OT: Joel 2:12-19; Ep: 1 Jn 1:4-9; Gos: […]
