In the last lesson, we heard Mattathias tell Judas to become the military leader of the revolt against the Seleucids. The transition went smoothly and Judas began to lead. Read […]
Romans 11:33-36: The Mystery of the Holy Trinity
May 26, 2013 by
How mysterious and strange is our God. Often, He makes little sense to us, and His ways often run afoul of our common sense. Think of Christ’s Incarnation. Think of […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 3: The Revolt Begins with Mattathias
May 22, 2013 by
To learn about Mattathias, we need to learn about Joarib. Joarib (spelled Jehoiarib in 1st Chronicles) was part of the 24 priestly divisions that served at the First Temple, which […]
Thinking About the Hymns We Sing
May 21, 2013 by
This is our pastor’s newsletter article for June. Hymns are strange. It’s not that hymns are strange writings put to music but that many of the hymns we like […]
Acts 2:1-21: Living in Pentecost
May 19, 2013 by
Pentecost was a feast that God told the Israelites to celebrate. The Jews celebrated Pentecost 50 days after Passover; that’s why it had the name “Pentecost.” That Old-Covenant feast was […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 2: Events Leading Up to the Maccabean Revolt
May 15, 2013 by
Historical Backdrop: 1:1-9 Read 1 Maccabees 1:1-9 These verses give the background, as a review to the reader, for the events that will follow. This book was written for Jews, […]
1st Maccabees, Lesson 1: Introduction
May 8, 2013 by
Why the Apocrypha When we consider studying a book from what we call the Apocrypha, why should we do so? After all, when we look at our Bible translations, those […]
John 16:23-30: Praying as We Ought
May 5, 2013 by
God put on the robe of human flesh, being born from the womb of Virgin Mary. As God, He knew all; as a human, He had to learn, grow, and […]
John 16:5-15: Grace Alone
April 28, 2013 by
In 418 AD, the Church held a council at Carthage, today in Tunisia, to deal with a false teaching in the Church. That teaching was called “Pelagianism.” Pelagianism taught that […]
Confession, Absolution, and the Spoken Word of Forgiveness
April 27, 2013 by
Often, Christians are confused about a Pastor speaking God’s forgiveness to others. Some (i.e., Protestants) say that only God can forgive sins. Such a statement is true, but neglects how […]
