November 11 Sermon: On Our Behalf
Have you ever had someone step in for you? Maybe you have been in a situation where you things were not going your way and a friend stepped to be an advocate for you. Perhaps you were in a tough spot financially and a friend or family member helped you out of a tight bind either with financial help or by lending their name to help your cause. These are things that we do not forget and my guess is whether it was a situation on the playground where someone stepped in to defend you or whether it was someone who co-signed a loan to help you get a business started you remember that event and you are very grateful for what has been done for you.
November 4 Sermon: Blessed
Maybe you’ve never really stopped to ask this question, but my guess is that you know what it feels like. In my comings and goings, I spend time with people in interesting circumstances. At hospitals you can experience the joy of birth and the sorrow of death. You have the joy of family gathering together at baptisms and weddings, but we live with the knowledge that in a single moment that same family may have to gather together around a casket. Yet, in all of those circumstance we hear people speaking of how blessed they are. Naturally, we feel like being blessed is most tangible to us in the midst of joy but even in sorrow people will still speak of their blessings.
October 28 Sermon: Apart from Works of the Law
On October 31, 1517 the hammer of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the castle church at Wittenberg began a movement. To some it was seen as rebellion against the establishment of the church but for those who became known as the Reformers it was a just rebellion because they were reclaiming the truth and glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. At that time in history there were many problems in the church. We know many of the problems. One of the most glaring problems that we know is that their services were in Latin. The people in the churches did not know Latin and in many cases even the priests did not know the language. They were merely repeating as best they could what they had been given.
October 21 Sermon: A Great High Priest
Rest is something that is not only needed but it is something that is greatly desired. From a personal stand point we can all really relate to the need for it. Even when we believe that we can work all the time our bodies will let us know that we are delusional if we think that we can work all the time and go without rest.
As many of you know, I worked at Toys R Us as a manager for several years. From the middle of November until Christmas Eve I would work and work and work. Nearly every year my Christmas Day was miserable. I was sick or something else was wrong with me.
Bible Vocab: Holiness
Holiness is a word that I did not initially have on my list of words to feature as "Bible Vocab". I thought that it was a word that was pretty easy to understand. While I think most of us have a concept of what the word holiness means, do we really grasp it? Do we really understand the scope of it? These thoughts came to mind as I was preparing the sermon for February 19, 2017, and read Leviticus 19:2 where it says, "Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy". Preparing a sermon on this really caused me to ponder what exactly the word holiness means.
August 12 Sermon: All That the Father Gives
Recently I saw a dramatic presentation that was designed to convict the viewer of their sin and to help people see that their daily decisions often contradicted what they said they believed. It was effective in what it was trying to accomplish but the way that it ended concerned me. It leaves the viewer hanging with the idea that because of their sin somehow their status between God and Satan is somehow hanging in the balance. This was effective for convicting us of our sin but yet left us wondering whose we really are. If I choose to sin am I proving I’m really aligned with the devil? Is my salvation hanging in the balance because of the sin I commit every day?
March 20 Sermon: Crying Stones
What was the mission of Jesus? This is a question that comes to us front and center as we think about Palm Sunday and continue our journey to Easter. In both lessons this morning we see the expectation of a coming king yet we need to ask an important question. Was Jesus the type of king the people were looking for as he entered Jerusalem? That should also prompt a question within ourselves. As we embark towards Good Friday and Easter what are we expecting Jesus to be? What kind of a king are we looking for?
March 6 Sermon: New Creations
This morning we are gathered here to worship God. We have come together as his covenant people as we do each and every week. Worship is a very important part of the Christian life. We get out of bed on Sunday morning for a reason. We are responding to the grace of God and being reminded of just how much we are in need of God and his grace. In both our Old and New Testament lessons this morning we see what is that God has done for his people and we see what our response to that good news should be.
February 28 Sermon: Higher Than Your Ways
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. This is the cry of the prophet Isaiah in our Old Testament lesson this morning and it is the message we see in our gospel lesson from Luke this morning also. A common theme throughout this season of Lent is to Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful. Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. This idea of repentance is important as we journey towards the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter.
February 21 Sermon: Credited as Righteousness
What makes the Christian faith so unique is the way in which God comes to us. Instead of our ascending to God by our own effort God comes down to his creation. In his grace and mercy God does the work to set his people free and he keeps his promises to them. In our Old Testament lesson this morning we see how God came near to Abraham and made a covenant with him and how that covenant points us to the work of Jesus Christ for us.
February 7 Sermon: Astonished at the Majesty of God
Our God is a God of covenants. He comes to his people and makes a way for them to know who he is and to have access to him and his glory. These promises made by God show us His desire to be in communion with his people. In both our lessons this morning we see how God delivers his covenant to his people.
As we start out in our Old Testament lesson this morning it is important that we do a little background work. I don't believe I've mentioned the three most important rules for Biblical interpretation from the pulpit here yet, but I am certain you will hear them from me on multiple occasions.
January 31 Sermon: For His Word was with Power
Our God is a God who has the power to uproot and overthrow. He has the power to build and to plant. Just as he did at the beginning of creation he does this by the power of His word. In both our Old and New Testament lessons this morning we see how God speaks and has authority over his creation and all powers that would oppose him.
As we dig into our Old Testament lesson this morning, we see the word of the LORD coming to Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the son of a priest and was himself going to be a priest. Being a priest was a family business. He was born in the city of Anathoth, a city set aside specifically for the priestly families. We see that God has different plans for Jeremiah though.
January 24 Sermon: Fulfilled in Your Hearing
Our God is a God who rescues his people. He does not leave them on their own but instead comes to us and shows us who he is. We see this God not only in the majesty of his creation but also in his word and in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God's rescue of his people is not done from afar but instead he comes near to us and delivers us. In both of our scripture lessons this morning we see this God and the love and mercy he shows to us.
January 17 Sermon: And His Disciples Believed in Him
The grace of God is amazing. It is vast and rich but it is also surprising. The way that God shows us grace is not really what we expect. We haven't earned it. It isn't what we deserve and yet God shows up and does something new in us. In both our Old and New Testament lessons this morning we see God’s mercy and love shown to us and we see how Jesus works to bring us new life.
January 10 Sermon: Getting Wet
As the children of God, we are part of a covenant community. We have union with Christ, but we also have union with one another. This connection to our Lord and to one another is important because it reminds us that we are a called and forgiven people whose identity is not rooted in ourselves but instead rooted in who Christ proclaims us to be in the gospel. In our New Testament lesson this morning we see how Christ fulfilled all righteousness to bring us to himself.