Sunday, February 28: The Judges Judges 14–16 Last week we were introduced to Samson, the child of promise. Announced by an angel and filled with the Holy Spirit at a young age. Set apart as a Nazarite from the day he was born, his movement in the world would be a proclamation of God’s deliverance. […]
Sunday, February 21: The Judges Judges 3:1–47 An angel of the Lord appears to a woman and brings good tidings of great joy: God will enable her to have a son! This child will be set apart by God as a deliverer, this child is blessed by God, and the Spirit of the Lord empowers […]
Sunday, February 14: The Judges Judges 10–12 If you could make a deal with God to secure His blessing, what would you offer Him? Money? Time? Prayer? Giving up bad habits? What is God’s blessing worth to you? What if I told you that you don’t have to make any vows? Jesus has already secured […]
Sunday, February 7: The Judges Judges 9 Over the last 2 weeks, we have been tracking with the life of Gideon—one of the most exciting judges in the whole book. Gideon’s story culminates with an offer to make him king, which he refuses. He’s a model of humility! As we read on in the story, […]
Sunday, January 31: The Judges Judges 7–8 Gideon’s victory is a flannel board certified classic in the Bible. (If you don’t know about flannel boards, ask someone born in the 80’s or earlier.) It’s often one of the earliest stories we hear, alongside David and Goliath, about how the underdog can win with God’s help. […]
Sunday, January 24: The Judges Judges 6:1–39 As the cycle of Judges continues in chapter 6, we see God’s people have once again fallen into all sorts of evil, nonsense, and general bad decision making. Among them is Gideon, a nobody from nowhere. As the people of God finally recognize their need for help […]
Sunday, January 17: The Judges Judges 4 & 5 We see, yet again, the cycle that the Israelites have fallen into after moving into the new neighborhood. This week is the same thing only different… and we get two judges to see how God interacts with His people. This is good news for us! We […]
Sunday, January 3: The Judges Judges What comes to mind when you think of a judge? We’re going to find out that our idea of what a judge is and does is different from how the bible uses the term as we explore some tough passages in the coming weeks. Like it or not, the […]
Sunday, December 27: Follow Me Mark 16:1–8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Mark 16:8 The final message in our series will end on a bit of a down note. We’ve seen in Mark that Jesus […]
Sunday, December 20: Christmas Luke 2:1–10 We gather to worship and recognize the glory that is Emmanuel. God with us! This week we focus in on the nativity! In this family-friendly message, we explore what each of the holiday decorations may have been thinking. What did the shepherds feel when they were included at this celebration? How […]
Sunday, December 6: Follow Me Mark 14:32–72 One reason I appreciate the Bible as God’s true account, is the way they deal with the “heroes” of faith. You know the men and women we look up to and think how amazing followers of God they are. Moses split the red sea… and then in a fit of […]
Sunday, November 29: Baptism Matthew 28:18–20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that […]
Sunday, November 22: Follow Me Mark 14:1–31 Mike Tyson once said, “Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” And while he’s probably not a great role model in general, there’s some definite truth to that idea. We all know how things ought to go, and we can cruise right along until something […]
Sunday, November 15: Follow Me Mark 13:1–37 What do we need to know to survive the coming Apocalypse? …would be a great example of an attention grabbing headline. When will it happen? What should I stockpile? Where should I bury my many pounds of gold bullion? In our passage today Jesus’ disciples offer a casual comment […]
Sunday, November 8: Follow Me Mark 12:1–44 Last Sunday, we saw Jesus arrive in Jerusalem and immediately cause a scene in the temple. Pressure has been building between Jesus and the religious leadership of his day, and in Mark 12 things erupt. Having prophesied the destruction of the temple, Jesus turns on the religious leaders and […]
Sunday, November 1: Follow Me Mark 11:1–33 “Dad, look what I made!” This is what greets me most days when I come home from work (it’s wonderful). Whether it’s wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs, Legos or Minecraft; drawings, music, or crafts; children love to create for their parents. I don’t know that we ever grow out of […]
Sunday, October 25: Follow Me Mark 10:17–34 As Jesus continues towards Jerusalem, teaching along the way, he encounters a man who asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Solid question, and probably one that we all have an opinion on one way or another. Our text in Mark tells us that the man is […]
Sunday, October 18: Follow Me Mark 10:1–16 As we follow Jesus in the gospel of Mark, we’ve seen a regular pattern of his concern for the vulnerable. Whether it’s vulnerable children, the hungry, or the sick, Jesus’ ministry is marked by special care for those who are most often left out. In our passage today Jesus […]
Sunday, October 11: Follow Me Mark 9:30–50 In Mark 9:30–50, Jesus and his disciples are traveling through Galilee when Jesus says to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” (Mark 9:31 ESV) […]
Sunday, October 4: Follow Me Mark 9:2–29 This Sunday we continue our study in the book of Mark. We will cover a lot of ground in half a chapter, and it will truly reflect the ups and downs of our spiritual journey. We will see a mountain top experience the disciples had, as well as a […]
Sunday, September 27: Follow Me Mark 8:31–9:1 “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34 ESV) What does that mean to you? This week we are returning to the Gospel of Mark in a series called Follow Me. In the first eight chapters of […]
Sunday, September 20: Vision Sunday 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 Do you remember the good old days? There once was a time when the air was so clean that you could even go outside. There wasn’t a pandemic. You didn’t have to worry about murder hornets. Grocery stores were stocked with toilet paper. Kids went to this place […]
Sunday, September 13: Underdogs Joshua 2:1–14 If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re the type of person who should be at church, it’s fun to read through the Bible and see what God has to say. An old racist who refused to preach to the Ninivites? Check, God can partner with a Jonah all day. Someone insignificant, […]
Sunday, September 6: Underdogs Daniel 6 Life has a way of hitting us hard. Medical crises, unemployment, and trouble with our kids are just some of the ways life can overwhelm us and remind us that we are not in control. How do we respond to these times? From where does our deliverance come? This Sunday […]
Sunday, August 30: Underdogs John 4:13–15 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal […]
Sunday, August 23: Underdogs Matthew 4:18–20 The life of Peter is a wild ride, he has some ups and downs. He’s got a solid fishing business, and he leaves it behind to follow an unknown, wandering preacher. Jesus singles Peter out as the foundation of the church in one moment, and he’s being rebuked and compared to […]
Sunday, August 16: Underdogs Esther 2:5 – 7:10 When Israel went into Babylonian captivity, the rug was pulled out from under their feet. Everything about their lives—their jobs, their government, their homes, their religion—changed. They underwent the biggest national identity crisis in their history and came out asking the question, “What does it look like to […]
Sunday, August 9: Underdogs Judges 6:1–16 Of all the action heroes who you grew up with, saw in movies, read about in books, or even knew personally, who was the greatest? The most powerful, the most compelling, who would be the one you’d call, to use the biblical term, a “Mighty man of valor?” It’s surprising […]
Sunday, August 2: Underdogs Job What makes Job an underdog? Very few people in the whole wide world have experienced more pain and loss than Job did. You might even say that the deck was completely stacked against Job, and yet he survives his trials. If there was one person who had the ability to ask […]
Sunday, July 26: Underdogs Jonah What makes Jonah an underdog? In my opinion, anyone who tries to run from God, gets tossed off a ship in the middle of storm, ends up inside the belly of fish for a three-day timeout, until he is literally barfed up on a beach, qualifies as an underdog. Everyone knows […]
Sunday, July 19: Underdogs Ruth “The providences of God are like Hebrew words: they can only be properly read backwards.” John Flavel Last Sunday we started a new summer study series called, “Underdogs.” An underdog is the opposite of a top dog. In sports, or in a competition, it refers to the team or person expected […]
Sunday, July 12: Underdogs Esther Have you ever felt like you were insignificant in the kingdom of God? Have you ever thought that maybe God is able to do great things through others, but not through you? Have you ever felt like an underdog? This week we are launching into a new sermon series called Underdogs. In it, […]
Sunday, July 5: Family of God 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Over the past month, we have seen a lot of responses to racism and injustice in America. Some of these responses have been good. Others… not so much. If we agree that racism is a problem or if we agree that injustice is an issue… what then? What is […]
Sunday, June 28: Family of God Week two of our three-week mini-series called “Family of God” continues to explore our responses to the injustices we see in the world, as followers of Jesus. Building off week one’s sermon on the imago Dei, by which humans have all been instilled with dignity, value, and worth, this week […]
Sunday, June 21: Family of God Genesis 1:26-28 In Acts 8, an Ethiopian eunuch is journeying home after worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem. We are not told the specifics of his experience in Jerusalem, but given his ethnicity and status (a eunuch), it probably would not have been good. Gentiles had limited access to worship. […]
Sunday, June 14: Joshua Joshua 24:1-33 Joshua 24 recounts the last words of Joshua to the people of Israel. This is after the many years of battle, through the conquest of Canaan, and through the varying degrees of faithfulness that the Israelites have shown to God. Through it all God has remained steadfast, just, and faithful. […]
Sunday, June 7: Joshua Joshua 13-22 In Genesis 15:18, God makes a promise to a childless old wanderer: “To your offspring I give this land.” That old man would go on to become the father of a great nation, and for over 600 years his descendants would cling to that promise. Land. Rest. In that time, […]
Sunday, May 31: Joshua Joshua 10-13:7 Israel’s decision to start from the instructions of God and to make a covenant with some of the Canaanites has some unexpected consequences this week. Not just for the Israelites, but also for the Gibeonites who have been folded into the family of God. The decision to follow after God […]
Sunday, May 24: Joshua Joshua 9 9“They said to him, “From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, 10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were […]
Sunday, May 17: Joshua Joshua 7-8 Two weeks ago, we saw God perform one of his most famous miracles in bringing down the walls of Jericho. From the outside, Jericho looked impenetrable. Fortified walls six feet thick. No one came in. No one went out. But not even that could stop God and He delivered the […]
Happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for all you do! Tune in for our Mother’s Day sermon to learn about how the family came to be and what that means for us today. Great job Gary!
Sunday, May 3: Joshua Joshua 2, 5 and 6 What’s the most famous story in the old testament book of Joshua? If you said anything but the walls of Jericho, you would be wrong! Within the story of Jericho in Joshua chapters 2, 5, and 6 we see a lot of situations that make us raise our […]
Sunday, April 26: Joshua Joshua 3-4 In Joshua 3, Israel arrives at the cusp of the Promised Land for a second time. The first time, recorded in Numbers 13, did not go well. Israel sent spies into the land who brought back a mixed report: the land was good, but also well-fortified and inhabited by giants! […]
Sunday, March 15: Son of God Mark 6:30–52 This week we continue our study series based on the Gospel of Mark. You might remember that right out of the chute, Mark told us what he’s up to: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” For six chapters Mark has been showing […]
Sunday, December 29: Bound by the Spirit Acts 28:11–31 There we found some brethren and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus, we came to Rome. Acts 28:14 There is no way to read that verse with the full emotional weight of Luke’s words. This is the climax of the book. Paul had set […]
Sunday, December 15: Bound by the Spirit Acts 27:1–44 Paul’s journey is getting close to the end, and having been dismissed by King Agrippa and his crew of bad guys, Paul sets sail for an easy cruise over to Rome. Delightful, serene… none of these words describe what Paul encounters. Instead, what should have been a […]
Sunday, December 8: Bound by the Spirit Acts 26:1–32 Paul’s persistence on his missionary journey has gotten him to the place where he can once again deliver his testimony. He’s asked to speak to the manager often enough that folks have given him an audience with King Agrippa himself. And even before he shares the particulars […]
Sunday, December 1: Bound by the Spirit Acts 25:1–27 Every person who wonders about the truth of the Christian faith should answer this question. What was it that transformed a hot-headed, self-righteous, law-keeping, Christian-killing Pharisee named Saul, into a gracious, unselfish, Christian missionary and servant of Christ named the Apostle Paul? What took place to make that happen? The short answer starts with an event recorded in Acts 9. On the […]
Sunday, November 10: Bound by the Spirit Acts 23:12–35 Have you ever been in a situation where things did not turn out the way you had planned? Maybe you scheduled a romantic getaway, only to be foiled by a sick kid. Maybe you planned a huge holiday meal for your family, but the turkey didn’t get […]
Sunday, November 3: Bound by the Spirit Acts 22:30–23:11 I recently heard a speech by Martin Luther King that some say lost him credibility. In this speech he stood for the convictions of moving from a culture that values things, to a culture that values people. At the time, some of his supporters left him. But […]
Sunday, October 27: Bound by the Spirit Acts 22 Paul’s conversion is a pretty dramatic moment, he’s on his way to hunt down some Christians and he’s hit with a light so hard it knocks him off his horse. He hears the voice of Jesus himself, and it turns out the religion that he’s been chasing […]
Sunday, October 20: Bound by the Spirit Acts 21:1–36 Paul’s not the guy to stay in the same place very long, and this week he’s dead-set on making his way to Rome. He’s going to encounter some resistance along the way though, with opposition from the bad guys and from the home team. What do you do […]
Sunday, October 13: Bound by the Spirit Acts 20:17–38 It’s easy to say goodbye to some people at times – like the neighbor who throws his grass clippings over the fence into your yard every week. It’s never easy, however, to say goodbye to people you really love and care about. The tighter the ties the […]
Sunday, October 6: Bound by the Spirit Acts 20:1–12 Sleeper, Awake! Rise from the dead And Christ will shine on you. This week we come to one of the more familiar scenes in the book of Acts. People who forget almost everything else in the book remember the story about a boy named Eutychus. Why is he famous? He […]
Sunday, September 29: Bound by the Spirit Acts 19 Preview Have you ever felt like you were not up to the task God has given you? Maybe God recently called you to move. Maybe it’s a job or career change. Maybe you have a child with a special need. Sometimes, God calls us to things that are […]
Sunday, August 25: Psalms Psalm 23 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 ESV) Is there a better verse in the whole Bible? Probably not. Psalm 23 is arguably the best-written […]
Sunday, August 18: Psalms Psalm 46 Be still and know that I am God. Some of you might remember an old song from the 60’s: He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands. Don’t try to sing it or even hum it. It can drive you crazy if you can’t get the tune out of […]
Sunday, August 11: Psalms Psalm 133 We’re going to be continuing our sermon series on the Psalms and looking at Psalm 133, a brief Psalm on the goodness of unity. There are familiar adages that say, “Two heads are better than one.” or “United we stand, divided we fall.” We get that it’s better not […]
Sunday, August 4: Psalms Psalm 40 This week we are going to take a look at Psalm 40. The overarching theme within Psalm 40 is the work of Christ in our waiting. We are called to wait on the Lord, but what does waiting on the Lord even look like? It’s one of those commonly used “christian-ese” […]
Sunday, July 28: Psalms Psalm 137 This week, we are continuing our theme of praying The Psalms. Last week, we looked at Psalm 88—a raw, emotional outpour to the LORD. This week, we are looking at another emotionally charged psalm: Psalm 137. Psalm 137:9 says, “Blessed shall be he who takes your little ones and […]
Sunday, July 21: Psalms Psalm 88 In his book, Answering God, Eugene Peterson notes that The Psalms differ from most of the Scriptures in that they are often not written about God, but rather to God. He writes:“Our habit is to talk about God, not to him. We love discussing God. The Psalms resist these […]
Sunday, July 14: Psalms Psalm 121 Psalm 121 has been called the traveler’s Psalm, or the Soldier’s Psalm, because it engages with the reality that sometimes we run into tough spots. The path gets hard, there are uncertainties, there are questions of how we’ll even make it through, and it can seem like there’s no […]
Sunday, July 7: Psalms Psalm 27 What would you say is the most common command in Scripture? Before you answer I’ll tell what it’s not. It’s not for us to be more loving. That may be at the center of God’s heart for us but that’s not his most frequent instruction. It’s also not to be less […]
Sunday, June 30: Psalms Psalm 1 The Principle of the Path by pastor and writer Andy Stanley is one of my favorite books. It’s about the many paths available to us in life that lead to various destinations. Some are good. Some are bad. Some lead to joy and others, sadly, lead to pain and heartache. The […]
Sunday, June 23: Psalms Psalm 34 We’re kicking off our Summer series in the Psalms by reading a Psalm of David in a pretty strange time of his life. He’s coming off of a pretty big military victory, he’s been honoring God with his words and with his deeds, when out of nowhere, his friends become his […]
Sunday, June 16: Baptism The other day, my daughter screeched at me, “DAD! You haven’t been listening to a word I have been saying!!!!” What a strange way to start a conversation. Be thinking of your favorite dad jokes and make sure there is propane in the barbecue, because this Sunday is Father’s Day! It’s […]
Sunday, June 9: Moses Deuteronomy 31–34 If you knew that you were coming to the end of your life, and you had one last chance to share a word of wisdom with your family, what would you say? How would you summarize your life in one lesson? Would you share a mistake you made that you […]
Sunday, May 26: Moses Numbers 20:1–13 Have you ever wondered if the decisions you make in your life actually matter? If you grew up with “Choose your own adventure” books you might remember the drastic consequences that a single wrong decision could make. Turn to page 23, and oh! Quicksand. Life or death at the […]
Sunday, May 19: Moses Numbers 16 We all have a rebellious streak resident within us. The only difference is the size of the stripe. The problem of rebellion against authority is as age old as Adam and Eve sinning in the garden. From then on, rebellion became a part of the human condition. If you […]
Sunday, May 5: Moses Numbers 13–14 Many of us are familiar with the story of Israel sending the twelve spies into the Promised Land in Numbers 13–14. When ten of the spies (all but Joshua and Caleb) report back that there is no hope for defeating the giants who live in the land, Israel loses heart […]
Sunday, April 7: Moses Exodus 17:1–7 At the start of Exodus 17 the Israelites have come a long way. God had prepared and sent them a deliverer in the person of Moses to help them escape from Egypt. Then when their backs were against the wall, with the Egyptian army behind them and the Red […]
Sunday, March 31: Moses Exodus 16 The Israelites still don’t trust God? Even after the plagues? Even after the Red Sea being split? Actually, this week in Exodus 16 we see the patient provision of a loving God. When the Israelites still grumbled, God chose to give them ‘manna’ from heaven. But they would soon […]
Sunday, March 24: Moses Exodus 13–15 Having been freed from slavery in Egypt, the Israelite people find themselves setting off in a new direction. For the first time since they were enslaved the Israelites are confronted with the immensity of the question, “What now?” Now that we don’t have to make bricks everyday, now that […]
Sunday, March 17: Moses Exodus 11–12 As God continues to make himself known to Pharaoh, Moses, and everybody in Egypt really, the ever-more dangerous plagues finally reach their crescendo in chapters 11 and 12. In the tenth plague we see the final consequences of a life lived in opposition to God, death. While the death […]
Sunday, February 10: Moses Exodus 5–11 Last week, Gary shared a quote from A.W. Tozer: “What we think about when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” There is truth to this. Your thoughts about God affect much of your life and behavior. If you think God is judgmental, you’re going […]
Sunday, March 3: Moses Exodus 3–4 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) Last week we left Moses in bare feet, standing in front of a shrub burning with the presence of God, when the Lord […]
Sunday, February 17: Moses Exodus 2:1–10 If you were to make a Mount Rushmore of Old Testament figures, who would you put on it? (One rule: you can’t say “Jesus.”)You’d probably put Abraham on it. After all, the three major western religions all trace their origins to Abraham. You might put Jacob on it. The […]
Sunday, February 3: Lord of All Acts 19:1–20 “And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:2 As the gospel message spreads, Paul and his crew reach a wider and wider audience, pick […]
Sunday, January 27: Lord of All Acts 18:1–28 “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.” Acts 18:1 We spent last Sunday with the Apostle Paul in Athens where he delivered his famous Mars Hill message. This Sunday we pick things up in the city of Corinth as he begins the last leg of […]
Sunday, January 20: Lord of All Acts 17:16–34 God is not far from each of us. Acts 17:26 This week we come to one of the most well-known scenes in the story of Acts: The Message of Paul on Mars Hill.In the middle of Acts 17 the Apostle becomes separated from his traveling companions and […]
Sunday, January 13: Lord of All Acts 17:1–15 What do we mean when we say “Jesus is Lord”? What is He lord of? A country? A people? An idea? And what about other so-called “lords”? What are they lords of? Last week’s message on Acts 16 ended with Paul leaving the Roman colony Philippi in relative peace […]
Sunday, January 6: Lord of All Acts 16:16–40 What must I do to be saved? That’s the question posed to Paul in Acts 16:16-40. It’s asked by a Philippian jailer who had no familiarity with God or with the Bible. The jailer was just a regular guy working a regular job for Rome. He guarded all kinds of […]
Sunday, December 30: Lord of All Acts 15:36–16-15 Following the clarification given by the Jerusalem council in Chapter 15, Paul sets out to strengthen and encourage the churches that he, and his missionary team, planted earlier on. The message they have is important, especially for the Gentiles who are still a little unsure of their […]
Sunday, December 9: Lord of All Acts 14:1–28 Three times in the New Testament Paul describes his life before Jesus. In each of his accounts, he uses the same word to describe his demeanor—zeal. Paul had intense passion for God and for his people, Israel.So, when he is set apart for missionary service, Paul is […]
Sunday, December 2: Lord of All Acts 13:13–52 “And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’” Acts 13:32-33 One of […]
Sunday, November 25: Lord of All Acts 13:1–13 Acts 13 opens with the Spirit of God and the church at Antioch setting apart and sending out Paul and Barnabus for what will become their first missionary journey. Together, along with an intern named John Mark, they sail to the Island of Cyprus to tell people about […]
Sunday, November 18: Lord of All Acts 12:1–24 Christmas is still a few weeks away, but I thought it might be nice to have an early Christmas message this year. It’s the story of Mary and a miracle. It’s a story where an Angel appears with a message of hope. There is a star and […]
Sunday, November 4: Lord of All Acts 10:1–48 This week we are going to look at a guy who wanted to worship God but couldn’t because he was unclean.This guy had quite a story. First, he was a slave. Somehow, he ended up in the Roman infantry, and then he so distinguished himself that he […]
Sunday, October 14: Lord of All Acts 9:1–19 Last summer we did a study based on the questions of Jesus. At the start of the series, we looked at the first recorded question of Jesus in Luke 2. As a young boy he had been left behind by Joseph and Mary in Jerusalem, and when […]
Sunday, October 7: Lord of All Acts 8:4–40 I hope you are looking forward to Sunday as much as I am. There is something special about gathering together with God’s people in corporate worship. We encounter God in many ways during the week, but corporate worship remains a category of its own. This week, we […]
Sunday, August 26: Questions of Jesus John 7:53–8:11 This week we are going to look at a fascinating story about Jesus. In John 8:1-11, a woman is caught in the act of adultery and brought to Jesus for judgment. All is not as it seems, though. John tells us that she was brought to Jesus […]
Sunday, August 19: Questions of Jesus Luke 7:36–50 In our text this week Jesus tells a little story that closes with a question. It’s a real simple story. Two people owe someone money but one person owes ten times as much as the other. When neither person can pay it back, however, both are forgiven of […]
Sunday, August 12: Questions of Jesus Mark 4:35–41 Do you remember the feeling of being afraid of the dark? As a child, if you heard the tiniest sound you knew for certain a stranger was pushing open a basement window and would be coming up the stairs any minute to kidnap you. Or, you might […]
Sunday, August 5: Questions of Jesus Luke 10:25–37 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? Luke 10:36 One of the ways that Jesus taught during his earthly ministry was with a beautifully-formed question. The sort of questions that made his listeners pause […]
Sunday, July 29: Questions of Jesus Mark 10:17–22 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” Mark 10:17-18 […]
Sunday, July 22: Questions of Jesus John 6:1–71 One of the many things I appreciate about Jesus is that he always told people the truth, even if it hurt.This week we come to a scene where Jesus needs to tell some folks the truth about themselves and it is not very pretty. In fact, rather […]
Sunday, July 15: Questions of Jesus Luke 8:43–48 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” Luke 8:45 What does it mean […]
Sunday, July 8: Questions of Jesus John 11 The Jewish historian Josephus tells the story of a first-century shepherd who rose up to become king of the Jews. There was nothing remarkable about this shepherd. He wasn’t wealthy. He wasn’t educated. He wasn’t powerful. The shepherd was humble and unassuming, but he had passion for […]
Sunday, July 1: Questions of Jesus Matthew 16:13–17 Imagine what it must have been like for the first followers of Jesus to see him in action. Healing the sick. Casting out demons. Multiplying bread and fish. Calming storms. Walking on water. Raising the dead. What would it have been like to see those things live? […]
Sunday, June 17: Baptism Happy Father’s Day! I don’t know if you have any Father’s Day traditions, but we do at church! On Father’s Day, we like to celebrate new life in Christ with baptisms. This week we are going to baptize a number of people who want to make their faith in Jesus known. […]