He is Risen!
“As the sun, by rising out of darkness and from under the earth, raises the whole world with him, raises mankind out of their beds, and by his light, as it were, renews all things and fetches them up out of darkness, so Christ, rising from the grave and from a state of death, he, […]
And He got on a colt…
“Now when they drew near to Jerusalem…they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it.” Mark 11 6 of Mark’s 16 chapters describe the last week of Jesus’ life. Almost 40% of his entire gospel is taken up with this one singular event! Think of the press […]
The Lord of the Storm
“‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing!?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear […]
Weeds and the Power of Sin
Nehemiah 13 This week we come to the final chapter of Nehemiah. The people have finally finished rebuilding the wall, dedicated it, and renewed their broken relationship with their God. So why do we need another chapter? What more can there be!? We get chapter 13 because sin is so complex, powerful, and devious. The […]
The BBD
“We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God; for the showbread, the regular grain offering, the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for […]
Who are we, really?
Nehemiah 9 A friend of mine recently helped me to see that I don’t understand repentance at all. Which, ironically, I was surprised to discover since many of my friends tell me that I’m one of the most honest people they know when it comes to confessing my sin. In confessing my sin I […]
Joy in the Lord
“Then all my servile works were done, a righteousness to raise Now freely chosen in the Son, I freely choose His ways.” Why do we work? In this culture and this economy, it almost seems selfish to complain about work because so many people don’t have jobs. At times, work can feel like we are […]
Sticks and Stones
Nehemiah 4 – Sticks and Stones As believers we are continually bombarded by voices, and what those voices tell us and what we choose to do with what we hear can be of great importance in our lives. We often hear people telling us that our faith is hopeless and that we should give […]
Malchijah the Goldsmith
Nehemiah 2:9-3:32 So I figured this week we should play some classic Bible trivia, ya know, to sharpen our Presbyterian senses. What do Eliashib the high priest, the sons of Hassenaah, Meshullam the Son of Besodeiah, Hananiah the goldsmith, the inhabitants of Zanoah, Benjamin, and Malchijah the goldsmith have in common? Absolutely nothing, of course. […]
Weep…Then go to Work
“I said to the king, ‘Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my father’s graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire? If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send […]
Resurrection, a Puritan’s Prayer
A prayer from an old puritan… O God of my Exodus, Great was the joy of Israel’s sons, when Egypt died upon the shore, Far greater the joy when the Redeemer’s foe lay crushed in the dust. Jesus strides forth as the victor, conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing might; He bursts the bands […]
Mumford and the Resurrection
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to […]
Sermon Reflection? Well, not exactly…
“Twas the night of the nativity, and all through the grounds, not a creature was stirring, not even the cows…” Well, not exactly. If you made it to church early on the Sunday of the nativity, you may or may not have noticed a cow running around through Israel, Canaan, and Bethlehem. Somehow he got […]
Refuge in a Recliner?
“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore, He exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.” Isaiah 30:18 Kyle and I live in a quaint apartment downtown. We enjoy our personal space and particularly […]
From Beasts and Bulls to Humble Love
“Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you poeple of Gomorrah! What is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of […]
Thriving Community
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles…” Acts 2:42-43 What a picture we have here of the beginning of the church! I have this picture painted […]
United to Christ
I love Thanksgiving. Mostly I love it because it is my family’s greatest holiday. We have had 20 something family gatherings in a row, at the same house, with the same people (although we’re growing!), with the same afternoon football game by the lake. Tradition abounds in my family during the holidays. We also have […]
Money: A Window Into Our Hearts
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Matthew 6:24 If you’ve been in the church for a long time, perhaps you know this to be true. Let […]
The Claw Marks on Our Idols
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” — Romans 1:25 Tim Keller somewhere has offered that if you live in America, you are most likely a materialist. Even those of us who seem to have very little, still feel the pull of the […]
Two Ways to Avoid the Gospel
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them…” — Luke 15:1-32 There are two ways I (and perhaps you too) avoid the gospel. Having just sinned, usually carnally, in tangible ways that weigh on my […]