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How many times does something have to be explained to you before you understand? How many times do you need to see something with your own eyes before you believe it to be true? In Mark 8, we have another miraculous feeding, and Jesus uses the occasion to teach the disciples about the danger of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. The disciples don’t understand; they think Jesus is complaining about the lack of bread! But it’s not about the bread. Join us this Sunday to find out what it is and why the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod is still a danger to us today.
In Mark 7, Jesus and his disciples are confronted with an investigative team of Pharisees and scribes who have come up from Jerusalem. They ask Jesus why he and his disciples don’t keep the tradition of the elders. In reply, Jesus condemns them for following commandments of men even at the expense of keeping the law of God. This week, we “punch right” and put our own practices and cherished traditions under review: have we substituted our own good ideas for Scripture? Are we satisfied with keeping man-made laws that make us look good, even if it allows us to disobey explicit commands of God? Although it’s more comfortable to point out the sins of others; Jesus forces us to confront the dangerous deception of our own religious sins.
Three surprising things happen in succession over the course of 24 hours at the end of Mark 6. First, Jesus takes his disciples into the wilderness and performs a great miracle feeding 5,000. Then, he walks on water. Finally, he heals the sick in a region known for its prosperity and abundance. What ties these three stories together? This week, we look at the surprising places God shows up in our lives and the ways he uses both lack and abundance to help us see the need for his grace.
In the wake of tragedy, it is easy to ask: How did this happen? The cause of John’s death is clearly Herod, and Mark attributes 3 shortcomings to his character: He has misinterpreted the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has neglected his own repentance, and failed to steward the relationships and resources around him according to God’s will. In light of his sinful folly, John the Baptist is dead and his household have added “murder” to their list of sins before God. Yet even in the horror of his own sin, God’s glory emerges through Herod’s action in John’s simple refrain: “Jesus must increase, I must decrease (John 3:30).” With John’s death, his life purpose is now complete and the ministry of Jesus can take its place in human history according to the will of God.
We return this week to the Gospel of Mark. Our series title in Mark is “seeing Jesus.” And this week’s text helps us see Jesus through the eyes of people who probably thought they knew him better than almost anyone: his friends and family from his hometown of Nazareth. But, the Jesus they think they see, the Jesus they think they know, isn’t a Jesus they respect or worship. Instead they call him a derogatory name, they make fun of him, and even try to kill him. What is it about Jesus that evokes this response from those who should have been among the first to worship him?
The visit of the Magi to Jesus is one of the indelible marks of the Christmas season. Bearing their gifts, these “three kings from Orient are.” But who exactly were they and why did they travel for about a month from Babylon to Jerusalem? What did they come looking for and why is their appearance on the scene important for you and me? This Sunday, we celebrate the Epiphany of Jesus: his revelation to the gentiles and the spread of the good news down through history, enlarging God’s family to include even you and me.
Pastor Danny closes out our Christmas series with his sermon "Firstborn from the Dead."
Eschatology is a theological term that refers to beliefs about the last days, final judgment, and the new creation. What does any of that have to do with Christmas? This Sunday, we’ll turn again to John the Baptist—no longer preaching repentance in the wilderness, but now sitting in prison and wondering if Jesus is the one he was expecting. John's eschatology led to confusion about the work of Jesus. Our eschatology may also lead us to be confused about God’s work on earth. So, what does Jesus tell John (and us) that will help us glorify God as we wait for the consummation of all things?
The second Sunday of Advent traditionally brings the ministry of John the Baptist into focus. The strange figure of John—dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and honey, preaching repentance in the wilderness—seems out of place in our preparation for Christmas, but he is an “Advent” character: someone who helps the people prepare themselves for the Messiah’s coming. This greatest of the prophets (as Jesus calls him) still points the way for us today. Do you see what John sees? Join us this Sunday as we continue our special Advent series through the Gospel of Luke.
As we return to our study in 1 Samuel after a two week break, you might be surprised by what we find. The last time we saw David at the beginning of chapter 16, he had been sought out and anointed as the new king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him (some translations say, “gripped him”) from that day forward. We expect great things from this new king! But as we keep reading chapter 16, we find out that he is still with his father's sheep! And Saul is still on the throne! And when David is finally brought into the royal court, he doesn’t come as its king but as the king’s servant! David is on hold. Why does God call and empower people only to make them wait? Maybe you are waiting on God this week, wondering if and when his promises will come to pass. Join us, as we pick up the story of David and prepare ourselves for the kind of fruitful waiting that being faithful to God requires.
The anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16 is soaked in literary irony; Israel’s King was supposed to “hear” the word of the LORD and obey. Not only does Israel not hear the warning of their prophet, Samuel, against their desire for a king, making them like the other nations, but their first king suffers from selective hearing.In chapter 15, the use of “hearing” and Saul’s failure to heed the LORD’s word and the warning of His prophet contrasts with a truer king soon to be anointed in David. Samuel is also the “seer” of Israel but fails to “see” Saul rightly, choosing him as king for his appearance. All this sets up for a beautiful catastrophe cast in the opening line of chapter 16. Here, God inaugurates His own divine plan for Israel; “How long will you grieve over Saul? Fill your horn with oil, and go.” In other words, it is now the LORD’s turn to choose a king for His people. Samuel repeats his foolish choice in Eliab, who mirrors the appearance and charisma of Saul, but the LORD saves Israel from its savior (Dale Ralph Davis) and shows the reader what true sight is: “The LORD looks on the heart.” Beauty arises not externally but internally, and the Lord's “sight” discerns true beauty and true kingliness. His vision passes over all of Jesse's sons except one. David, the beloved son, the runt, the ugly duckling, the one not even invited to the sacrificial service or called by his father to be considered for kingship left to his domestic chores, is ironically the one “seen” by God as Israel’s king.Here is a continuation of the great surprise of God’s sight and the great reversal of our cultural expectations. Robert Alter compares David to the story of Cinderella. But the key is the source of David’s inner beauty. He is a shepherd of the sheep. A man of sacrifice. A man capable of tender and gentle love. A man of great courage. A man attuned to the voice of the True Shepherd. God has seen His king in David, and in this ancient fairytale, our deepest longing rises to the surface, “Does anyone see me?”
Even before the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Americans had become used to the “holy war” Islamic radicals were waging against the West. It comes as a surprise to some then when they read passages like 1 Samuel 15 where God commands his people to wage a holy war against Gentile nations, like the Amalekites. But our discomfort with the term or even the prospect that God commands it should be shaped by the purpose and place of holy war in the work of God to redeem the world. This week, we turn to the next sad chapter of Saul’s life when, because of his partial faithfulness, God rejects him fully and finally as king. That sad episode is set within a context of God’s hatred of sin and absolute determination to make a a holy people for himself. Get ready for some heavy lifting this Sunday at Redeemer.
We could make an argument that gratitude is the fundamental quality of the Christian life. In gratitude, we live in response to God. In gratitude, we love God. In gratitude, we give our ourselves to God as he has given himself for us. When it comes to our giving habits in the church, we can miss the role of gratitude in our giving, and thus wrongly communicate our affection to God. On Sunday morning, we will explore two keys regarding giving from Paul’s charge to the church in Ephesus through Timothy. Firstly, we are called to contentment, and secondly, we are to imitate God in our habits of giving, who has given us everything to enjoy. While we can face challenges in each, in practicing them, we take hold of that which is life, and avoid the trappings of a love for wealth, which can lead to ruin.
Does your religious practice look more like Saul’s or more like Jonathan’s? Do you think by making good choices and adding extra rules, you can somehow ensure God’s favor? Or, are you freely confident in God’s power, control, and love? This week, we turn to another sad chapter in the story of Saul. But the counterpoint to Saul’s superstitious religion is Jonathan’s biblical faithfulness: an example for us, for our families, and for our church.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and the brother of the famous hymn writer Charles Wesley, once said, “there is no little sin, because there is no little God to sin against.” This week, we turn to 1 Samuel 13 and a puzzling incident in the life of King Saul. It seems, at first glance, that Saul’s sin is little and that Samuel makes too much of it. But Samuel says Saul’s sin has provoked the Lord to look for a new king. How should we understand God’s expectations and God’s judgment, especially when we honestly consider our own faithlessness in big and little ways? The answer stretches from Genesis to Revelation, from King Adam to King Jesus. Join us this Sunday to discover why!
For nearly all of Samuel’s life, he has fulfilled two roles for the nation of Israel: he has been God’s prophet to the people and he has been a judge, the political and military leader that gave order to Israel’s civil society. But now that Saul has been anointed and proclaimed and made king, it is time for Samuel’s responsibilities to change. The time of the judges (stretching back Othniel in Judges 3:7) has come to an end. Now it is the time for the kings to reign. At this momentous turning point in Israel’s history, Samuel preaches to them and his sermon is frightening and accusatory. It appears that Samuel is finally getting to say all the things he wants to say to a nation he believes has treated him unfairly. But the surprise isn’t in the tone of the sermon. The surprise is found in the good news Samuel preaches to those who can’t seem to do anything but evil. Join us this Sunday as we hear the gospel from Samuel.
Last week, we returned to 1 Samuel and saw God’s hidden hand of providence bringing Saul to Samuel who told him that he would be the new king that Israel had demanded of God. This week, we go looking for the king. Where is he? Why hasn't this momentous occasion in the life of Israel made any difference? Where is the hero the people longed for, the prince who would save God’s people? Every earthly kingdom—even the one God himself ordained in Israel—is a pale reflection of the eternal King and Kingdom to which you and I belong in Christ. This week, we see how Saul (in his failure and his success) whets our appetite for a King who will finally and forever be victorious over all our enemies.
As we return to the book of First Samuel, we are introduced to one of the most intriguing characters of Scripture: King Saul. But when we meet Saul, he is not yet king. Instead, he is on a journey to find his father’s lost donkeys. Along the way, he meets the prophet Samuel whom God had told the day before that he would meet the man God had chosen to be Israel’s king. The story of Saul is more than just history, it is an example of God’s hidden hand in all of our lives: moving, directing, and even overruling events to achieve his purposes for us and for the world.
As we conclude our summer series through the books of 1st and 2nd Peter, we reach Peter’s final plea. In the last verses of his second letter, Peter asks what kind of people should we be, knowing that the Lord is coming again to remake the heavens and the earth in righteousness? The motivation for Christian living isn’t found in pragmatism (“try Jesus and your marriage will be better!); it is found in the cosmic lordship of Jesus Christ. Join us this Sunday as we conclude this sermon series with Peter pointing us to our only hope as exilic people: the Jesus who directs and guides history itself to its final, glorious, and eternal end.
Our minds are a collection of thoughts, feelings, and impulses that correspond in varying ways to the truth of the gospel. Peter identifies his purpose in this passage as "stirring up the sincere mind" of the believers he is addressing (3:1). This Sunday we will explore four ideas from our passage that stir our sincere minds in Christ. Those ideas include: remembering we are beloved people; responding to the prophets and commands of Christ; understanding the place of scoffers in the world and our relationship to them; and finally heeding the character of God as it relates to his relationship to time.
Peter’s main point in this second letter is to warn the church about false teachers. The remaining verses of chapter two contain one of the most frightening descriptions we may ever read of a person. As Peter paints the picture of the false teacher, however, we also come to see our own complicity in their destructive ministry. What hope is there if we are naturally drawn to our own damnation? Join us this week as we see not just a portrait of our sin but also, ironically, of the Savior who will rescue us.
Once, while traveling at a high speed down one of California’s freeways, my check engine light came on. I’m not what you would call a “car guy” but I knew that such lights were not good news. Within minutes, I had a massive oil leak and my engine seized. I was stranded on the side of the road. What kind of warnings does God give to a church in trouble? In our passage this Sunday, Peter turns his focus to the false teachers who are sure to arise in the church: how will we notice them, what they teach, how should we resist. Even if we’re not “theology experts” we are called to be aware of the dangers to the church. Join us this Sunday as we begin our work.
During the 20th century, objections to Christianity largely centered on the historical reliability of the New Testament and claims of unscientific evidence supportive of the acts of Jesus. Today’s objections are much more powerful, however. 21st century people are less bothered by the supernatural occurrences in the Bible and are more concerned with how the stories of ancient Israel are relevant to their lives today. Modern audiences struggle to see the significance of the Bible and its need.We can see from modern archeology how the Bible is the most historically reliable ancient document on earth, yet that often does not convince people of its truth. So, what does? How does head knowledge become heart knowledge? How does a crucified messiah get into our lives today?This week, we will look not only at the “how” of trusting the Bible but also the “why”, and “what happens”, when we do. In this section of Peter’s letter, we find the key to seeing the Bible for all it's worth, historically and experientially, is to see the One it is all about.
We’ve all heard the funny story about the struggling student who sleeps with the textbook under his head, hoping to “learn by osmosis.” Unfortunately, we sometimes approach our Christian faith with the same kind of laxity. Instead of striving to grow in Christ, fight sin, and become more deeply aware of the work and word of God, we coast in and out of church hoping that something will stick. If you’re struggling in your relationship with God, if you’re not growing as a Christian, if you feel like this Christianity thing hasn’t been working for you recently, you will be encouraged by Peter’s call to an intentional faith this Sunday as we begin a new study in Second Peter.
Imagine that you were writing to Christians under persecution in another country. What would you say to encourage them? How would you strengthen their faith under trial? What last words would you want to leave them with? For the Apostle Peter, the final words to his exiled congregation are about the power of humility. Peter’s counsel was absolutely counter cultural in his own day (no Roman had time for humility) and it’s absolutely counter cultural in our own day when even Christians seem eager to outdo their unbelieving counterparts in acquiring and exercising power. So, why does Peter counsel humility—in the church, in our own personal lives, and as a tool to combat the forces of evil?
As we near the end of Peter’s letter to the church in exile, we read Peter’s instructions for how the church should operate. His first set of instructions are to the elders in the churches. At Redeemer, we have both “teaching elders” (our pastors) and “ruling elders” our elders. Together, they comprise the leadership of the church. No one of them is more important than the other; together they exercise the spiritual authority God has given them. What do they do? How should they do it? What dangers lie in wait for those called to this sacred office?
Modern Americans have become highly adept at avoiding suffering. We can find medicines to relieve us of our pain, entertainment to relieve us of our boredom, and a solution to nearly any problem that confronts us. But optimizing our ability to avoid suffering has created a new kind of suffering: a dependence on government, family dysfunction, skyrocketing prescription drug use, and higher suicide rates (especially for men) than we’ve ever seen.Having been surprised by suffering, we’re ill-equipped to meet it the way Peter describes in his letter. The kind of suffering Peter refers to is related first and foremost to our being Christians. But the answer to suffering—of any kind—is found in the words of wisdom that he shares with his ancient congregation.Join us this Sunday as we turn to 1 Peter 4:12-19 and learn about the answer to our suffering.
Christians in Western societies today are often dismayed by the immorality and corruption that surrounds them. In this way, we are much closer to the experience of the early church than generations of Christians before us who lived in nominal Christian societies marked by outward morality. In chapter four of his letter to the early church scattered among Asia Minor, Peter tells these Christians how they should live in a pagan society. His words should be especially relevant to us as we navigate Pride month, crooked politicians, the normalization of sex outside of marriage, overwhelming greed, and the deep wounds that sin leaves behind even in our own lives. “How should we then live?”
Many of us have known many remarkable people: men and women who have loved us, who loved God, and in their love for God they have uniquely cared and comforted others through the ministry of Christ's compassion and grace. Christ, in the wonder of our salvation, is working to transform us into such people. He is forming us to be men and women defined by a new character, who have persevered and been refined through suffering and who cherish our baptism with such fervor and depth, that through the work of Christ's spirit in us, we serve the church and the world in Christ-like purity and grace. This Sunday as we worship, we will wonder at Christ's work in us, and challenge ourselves to take the next step in our spiritual growth, so that we might be more quickly conformed to Christ and bless his church through his glorious work in his people.
Pastor Danny Morgan continues our series "Letters to Exiles" with his sermon "The Power of Promise."
We return to First Peter this Sunday and jump right into a passage that is challenging for many Christians: their relationship to the broader culture, especially non-Christians in positions of authority and leadership. What should our posture be toward the authority structures God has ordained for us? Although we may be tempted to find ways around Peter’s bracing instruction, the better answer is to sit at the apostle’s feet and see through his words the example of Christ and the hope he gives believers everywhere who suffer unjustly.
On this Holy Trinity Sunday, Pastor Eric Landry preached from Acts 2:22-36-- "What Is God For?"
We break from our sermon series today to consider this passage from Ezekiel on this Day of Pentecost.
Many authors through the years have emphasized the themes of warfare in the Christian life. They’ve helped us remember the armor in Ephesians 6 doesn’t cover our backs and that the gates of hell in Matthew 16 are being attacked. They’ve quipped that the church isn’t a cruise ship but a battle ship. In this next section of Peter’s letter, we turn to the purpose and work of the gathered community of faith: what is the church and what are we called to do? In this sermon, we’ll explore that question using three key words: fortress, fight, and future.
What does Christianity look like? How do we define our faith? What shape does it take personally and corporately? As we continue our series in 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter encourages the church to "love one another from a pure heart.” He sounds a lot like Jesus who told his disciples that the world would know they belonged to him because they loved one another. But “love” is a squishy word in our culture. So, what does it mean for our faith to take the form of love? Join us this Sunday at Redeemer to find out!
The Apostle Peter is writing to Christians who are on the outside of their communities because of their faith. Their well-being and safety are at risk. They have already begun experiencing trials. Soon persecution will come their way. What counsel does Pastor Peter give to these Christians who belong to God and to one another but may feel all alone in the struggle? Peter points them to Jesus who is the ground and object of their hope. In what do you hope? Where do you turn when life gets difficult? What comforts you in times of trial? This week, we continue in our new study of First Peter by fixing our eyes on Jesus, our living hope.
The analogy that Peter gives these early Christians is that of exile: just as the ancient Jews had to live as the people of God while in exile in Babylon, so also these elect exiles must live as the people of God scattered among the towns and cities of the Roman Empire. Does this same term apply to us? If it does, how should we then live because we are not just exiles, we are pilgrims on the way to a future already ordained for us by God? And though we may be exiles now, the world through which we are passing is also, as with Abraham, our inheritance! Join us this Sunday as we begin working our way through 1st and 2nd Peter, letters to exiles.
Jesus uses a common oil-burning lamp as a “visual aid” or as a “parable” to illustrate the value of “light.” No doubt, you can think of examples in real life that demonstrate the value of light—a candle in the midst of a blackout, the light on your phone when you are trying to open the lock on your front door, or a handy flashlight to change a flat tire late at night. The Bible includes several references to “light” in both the Old and the New Testaments (see: Gen. 1:1-5; Ps. 119:105; Prov. 6:23; Lk. 2:32; Jn. 3:19-21, 8:12). These short passages show us that light is a very important concept in the Bible. It is not an accident that Jesus uses a lamp that gives off light to express something quite valuable—but what does it mean? If we conclude that the “light” in the Parable of the Lamp refers to the gospel message, then how should Christians today seek to show forth the “light” of the gospel? Both Jesus and Paul speak of Christians as the “sons of light” (Jn. 12:36; 1 Thes. 5:5). Therefore, we can be confident that whatever we might do in our life—whether it is in art, business, economics, education, family, law, politics, sports, or work—we bring the light of the gospel into it. Jesus did not intend for us to keep the light hidden, but to make it clearly known for all to see!
There were no happy expectations among the disciples on the first Easter day. Instead of lively preparations for worship, lunch, and time with family and friends, those first disciples were prepared only to deal with death and the decay of their rabbi’s broken body. But in the very place they expected to find death, they were surprised by life. Their despair turned to joy. Their lament turned to witness. Those early witnesses of the Resurrection passed down their testimony through the ages to you and me. Our faith is based in large part on whether or not they told the truth. Can we trust them? And when will our faith be turned to sight? When will we also see the resurrected Lord? Join us this Easter Sunday as we hear the first articulation of the gospel message and the difference it makes—now as we worship in faith and in the future when our faith shall be made sight.
As the tide turned during World War Two, the Allies freed Rome, Paris, Manila, and other major capitals of the world. As they marched into these newly freed cities, they were greeted with tremendous victory parades: people lined the street, they were accosted with food and gifts—even a kiss or two from a pretty girl grateful to the soldiers who now filled her street. Something similar is happening when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This week, we turn to John’s account of the Triumphal Entry to get a glimpse of the freedom Jesus wins for us—not with tanks and airplanes, but at the cost of his own blood.
Mark’s gospel raises two primary questions: What is the Kingdom of God like, and who is Jesus? In Mark 5:21-43, these two questions are answered by two unique and yet interdependent miracles: the healing of the hemorrhaging woman and the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter. In this sandwiched account of two slow-paced miracles, we see the nature of the Kingdom of God pushed to the forefront as a new contour of the identity of Jesus as the divine Messiah of Israel is revealed in a new light. As Jesus’ identity slowly unfolds through the demonstration of his power in his earthly ministry and miracles, those who encounter him are called to put their trust in him despite life's disruptive and unpredictable circumstances. Rather than providing explanations to questions about suffering, meaning, and death, Jesus is revealed as a person to put our trust in. Here, we see the disruptive nature of divine grace amid our desperation and grace that inhabits our pain and suffering, takes us by the hand, and says to us as a loving father says to their children, “Love, I know it’s hard right now, but everything is going to be OK.” The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of grace that does not conform to our own understanding but conforms us into the image of its King, the Son of God, as we are called to more deeply trust in the ultimate and final reality of this King’s victory, power, and grace.
We are nearing the end of our spring study in the Gospel of Mark, with Andrew Waller's sermon: "What Have You to Do with Me?" on Mark 5:1-20.
Have you ever yelled at God? Have you rebuked him for falling asleep on the job when the storms of life raged around you? This week, we turn to the very well-known story of Jesus and the disciples in the midst of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Facing death, the disciples rebuke Jesus. But instead of rebuking them for their impertinence, Jesus rescues them from their danger and ensures they get safely across the lake. What lessons can we draw from this story? What hope can we find kindled in our own hearts as we remember that the Lord of Creation who "gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses” (Psalm 33:7), is also the God who sees us in our need and redeems our lives from death?
As we continue in our series through the Gospel of Mark, we are brought again and again to Jesus’s favorite subject: the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God? How do we experience it? How does Jesus talk about it in ways that were both familiar to his audience and strangely uncomfortable? Join us this week, as we take a deeper look at the Kingdom of God.
We skip ahead to Mark 7 this week, with Pastor Jon Herr's sermon on the healing of a deaf man by Christ. We learn about how Jesus' gospel applies in our challenges and hardships, bringing light and hope.
As we continue in our new sermon series in the book of First Samuel, we see God answer Hannah’s prayer and Hannah respond with a new prayer (or song) of praise. The song, however, is…odd. It’s different from the kinds of thanksgiving prayers and praise we give to God when he answers our prayers. This week, we’ll look at the content of Hannah’s prayer and the lesson of Hannah’s prayer. Join us as we continue to make our way through the gospel according to Samuel!
Where is God when we are hurting? Where is God when we are suffering from the effects of our own sin or from the wounds that people inflict by sinning against us? Where is God when we feel like we are under his curse rather than his blessing? Join us this Sunday, as follow a Jewish mother to the steps of the Tabernacle where she will pour out her heart in a desperate prayer for relief, for blessing, and for salvation.
As Paul concludes his final letter to Timothy, he updates his protégé on their mutual contacts and alludes to the circumstances of his trial before the Roman courts. Despite his desertion, isolation, and betrayal, Paul reminds Timothy of the goodness of God who strengthens him, who is with him and who alone is worthy of glory. Join us this Sunday as we conclude our series on 2 Timothy and explore how God forms us amidst isolation and betrayal to draw near to him so we can proclaim: from him grace and to him- glory!
As Paul approaches death, he unpacks his ultimate and final charge to Timothy, "Preach the word! " Paul knows the success of the second generation of Christians would depend in part upon their own commitment to perpetuate the ministry of the word. This Sunday we will explore the nature and purpose of preaching as described by Paul to Timothy and discern how we can continue the ministry of preaching in our souls that we might perpetuate the ministry of the gospel today.
We welcome back to our pulpit today Rev. Greg Ward, former Redeemer associate pastor and founding pastor of our daughter church, Emmanuel Presbyterian.
In the beginning of 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul sketches a discouraging outline of humanity during the times between Christ's ascension and return. But in verses 10 through 4:8 he outlines the hope provided the world through Timothy, the Ephesian church and all who take up his letter and hear it. This Sunday we will explore the first part of the hope Christians offer the world through the lives we model and imitate by continuing in the life-giving word of God, and through enduring persecution which reveals to the world its own folly and Christ's eternal glory.
Andrew Waller continues our summer series on 2 Timothy with his sermon "A Sure Foundation in Difficult Days."
We welcomed to our pulpit Rev. Lee Wright, who serves as the Reformed University Fellowship campus minister at the University of Texas-San Antonio.
If Timothy had any uncertainties about Paul’s hope for him, the words-- "the Lord’s Servant" would dispel them all. Among titles given by God to men, none carry such honor as "the Servant of the Lord." Knowing this of himself as a servant of God, Paul unveils for Timothy the qualities that belong to his calling to both challenge and inspire him to fulfill all God has laid before him. Join us this Sunday, as we discern these qualities and discover God’s plan for developing his servants, his church, and through them-- the world.
In his closing letter to Timothy, Paul encourages his young disciple to “do his best to present himself to God as one approved” and contrasts marks of an approved workman with the conduct and examples of unapproved workmen of God. This Sunday, in light of Paul’s instructions to Timothy, we will explore how to become a workman approved by God by discerning the values that the Holy Spirit is cultivating in us so that we might live under God’s pleasure as laborers in his kingdom.
C. S. Lewis says that if you are looking to be comfortable, Christianity is not the religion for you. Christianity is a religion of denying oneself (Matt.16:24), of being crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6), and carrying our cross as we follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). Why would anyone be a Christian if all we have to look forward to is suffering and discomfort? The only real way to answer this question is if suffering and misery do not have the final say over us. In Christianity, we find the ultimate meaning and purpose for the troubles we face in this life because there is one who faced those same troubles for us. Only when we see Jesus are we able to see the meaning of suffering. In the second chapter of 2 Timothy, we see that the way to glory is first through the cross, where God not only gives us the meaning of suffering but shows us the ultimate fruit it bears. We see that the Christian life is learning to suffer for the sake of Christ’s gospel and seeing the fruit being produced within us by great trials.
Join us this Sunday as we begin a new sermon series and look at the opening verses of 2 Timothy, where we see the secure hope of the gospel grounded in God's eternal counsel and will. This eternal hope springs Christians, not into a fiery frenzy of uncontrolled emotions, but into a sober, gracious, merciful, disciplined life of warmth and courage as a witness to the Kingdom of God in a fearful and insecure world. Like a stranger wandering the cold wilderness at night, Paul exhorts Timothy to remember the faith of his mother and grandmother and the gift of pastoral ministry he has been given by the Spirit and to "fan into flame" his gift and calling so that others will see and feel the warmth and security of Christ and his gospel in a fear-driven age.
This Sunday is Pentecost, the day we remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the infant church just fifty days after Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Pentecost is God’s promise that even though Jesus has ascended into heaven where he rules and reigns at the Father’s right hand, God is still with us—even more, he is “in” us! What does the presence of God in our lives look like? Why has God poured out his Spirit on his people? Those are the questions we’ll tackle this Sunday as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday!
As we conclude our series exploring the worship of the church, we turn our attention to the Lord’s Supper (or Communion or Eucharist). Some Christian traditions only have the Lord’s Supper once per year, once per quarter, or once per month. Some traditions only allow the laity to eat the bread. Some traditions think the Supper is a time for introspection and confession. Others believe the bread and wine actually become the physical body and blood of Christ. What’s going on as we eat and drink each Sunday? Join us this Sunday as we consider the work of God for us—feeding us with the body and blood of Christ, strengthening us for the pilgrim journey ahead.
In our continuing study of worship, we turn to the act of preaching. What is preaching? What is the purpose of preaching? In a day and age of entertainment on demand, how is preaching even relevant? Join us this Sunday as we examine the word that comes to us through lips of fallible men but is by the power of the Spirit the very word of God to the church.
We are continuing our short series on worship. This week, we turn to baptism: what role does it play in our worship services and what does God do through it for you and me? If worship is meeting and being met by the living God, we know there is a reality beyond our daily lived experience. How do we participate in that spiritual reality even as we live our earthly lives? I believe that Galatians 3 (our text this week) teaches us that in baptism, we are transformed by God to become his sons. Agree? Disagree? Join us this Sunday to find out more!
Pastor Danny Morgan continues our series, Worship: Conversations with God, this week on the topic of confession and absolution in our divine services.
Whether you are new to Redeemer or have been part of its special culture of worship from the very beginning of the church’s life, I invite you to join us for the next five weeks as we give our attention to the most important thing we do as Christians—the action and activity that is at the heart of our very creation: worship.
Following the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples were in a state of complete disarray- they were fearful, confused, doubting the meaning of their lives and obstinately dictating the terms of their own belief. These are hardly the qualities one would look for to commission a new generation of leaders for any movement, let alone the kingdom of heaven. But Christ in his mercy and all his glory appeared again and again to his distraught disciples to affirming them, to prove himself among them, to commission them and to raise them from a state of complete disarray to such confidence, hope and strength that in a mere forty days neither they, nor their families, nor the authorities whom they once feared would recognize them. This Sunday we will explore the purposes of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to rediscover our hope and purpose in the risen Messiah!
The Easter story doesn’t dawn with hope and expectation. The women who gather at Jesus’ tomb have come to deal with death. But what begins as a day of sadness dawns as the first day of the new creation: a new world where death does not have the last laugh, where sin does not win, and where sinners are welcomed into God’s presence as his beloved children. Join us this Sunday—Easter Sunday!—as we celebrate the life changing, world shaking reality of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
“What goes up must come down,” the old saying goes. But the gospel turns that principle of gravity on its head: if you want to go up, you must first go down! This week, the Sunday of the Passion, we consider the humiliation of Christ—not just his suffering an ignoble death, but his very incarnation! His humiliation is the ground of our glory, because Jesus (who was made like us) continues to be human even as he rules and reigns at the Father’s right hand. And that exaltation is our hope, for where he is there will we be also. And in the meantime, we can live and serve like Jesus because he has been given to us not just as an example of behavior but as the very life we need.
Rev Wes Baker, director of Peru Mission in Trujillo, Peru, was our guest preacher this week. His sermon, "Heroic Stories for a Heroic Mission," provided insights into a familiar passage, as we considered how Jesus invites us to join in his mission of bringing the gospel to the world.
Pastor Danny concludes our current study in the book of Mark with "Lord of the Sabbath." Our series on the Gospel of Mark will resume next spring.
When people think of Christianity, do they think of the dour Pharisees or the joyful Jesus? Do they think of duty and obligation or do they think of celebration? Sometimes we can trick ourselves into thinking that God especially appreciates and wants devotion that hurts, but in Mark 2 Jesus pushes back against that idea. Join us this week as we hear Jesus tell some of his earliest parables, which give us insight into the kind of celebratory people he calls us to be.
This week, we are introduced to another of Jesus’ disciples: Levi (better known to us as Matthew). If the first four disciples of Jesus represent the common man of Israel, Levi would appear at the opposite end of the spectrum. He is one of the hated tax collectors. Can God’s grace really extend even to Levi? As we consider the expanse of God’s mercy in Mark 2, we’re also brought face to face with our own continuing need of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ. The danger for many Christians is that we become less like Levi and his fellow “sinners” and more like the self-righteous Pharisees, whom Jesus condemns.
Faith in an interesting subject for Christians. We are people of faith. We walk by faith. Our faith is in Christ, not in ourselves. Yet if we are honest with ourselves our personal faith is neither fixed nor static. It often waxes and wanes in differing seasons and circumstances. In Mark 2:1-12 Christ demonstrates his goodness by responding to the simple faith of the paralytic and his companions and the doubting faith of the scribes to produce an astonished faith by those who see him as he truly is. This Sunday we will explore these dynamics of faith, and Christ’s methods to strengthen our faith in him.
We know that something is wrong with us, our culture, and our world. As we conclude this day that we set aside for prayer and fasting, Pastor Eric helps us think about two missing ingredients: sin and forgiveness.
In Jesus’ day, leprosy was a skin disease that not only severely affected a person’s skin but was often accompanied by a life sentence of being socially outcast as an unclean entity in Israel’s ceremonial law. Lepers were not welcome to belong to the covenant community of God’s people, leaving them to perpetually await healing in order to be ritually washed and declared clean by the priesthood and restored to fellowship. Jesus’ encounter with the leper in Mark 1 connects the multi-dimensional aspect of the Gospel with modern-day “leprosy” and the alienation sinners experience, severing us from community. Jesus’ encounter with the leper reminds Christians of their own alienation from God and from community and the restorative and reconciliatory dimensions of the good news of Jesus’ substitutionary life, death, and resurrection for those who humbly plea with him to forgive them of their sins.
Jesus has just concluded a long day of ministry. It began with him teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum and it ended with his staying up late into the evening healing people outside Peter’s house. But instead of sleeping in and taking a day off, Jesus begins the new day before sunrise with prayer. Jesus prays often in the Gospels, but we don’t always know what he prays about. In this instance, however, we have a good idea because he expresses clarity and direction for his future ministry. This week, we turn to Mark 1:35-39 to get a picture of the ministry of Jesus—a ministry that he still enacts for you and me today.
Many scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark is based in large part on the Apostle Peter’s eyewitness testimony of the life and ministry of Jesus. In Acts 10:38, when Peter was preaching to the household of Cornelius, he summed up the ministry of Jesus by saying he went about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” This week, in Mark 1, we see the healing touch of Jesus in the privacy of Peter’s home and in the long lines of people brought to Jesus late into the night to be healed. What does Jesus’ healing touch communicate to you and me today? What do we do if we are suffering and in need of a healing that God doesn’t seem interested in providing? These are just some of the questions we’ll tackle this week in our continuing study of Mark’s Gospel.
The term "authority" makes us nervous in 2023. We've seen how authorities and powers can corrupt and harm. Yet Christ does not demand we recognize his authority like a vicious dictator or an evil demon. He compels us through his teaching, through his presence with us, and through the proof of his ministry. In contrast to Satan's minions, Jesus does not undermine, interrupt, exploit or force through harm, rather he speaks, heals and liberates souls leaving no doubt to all that his authority is unlike any other- greater than all teachers, all influencers, and all canons of law. He is Jesus the Christ.
Has anyone ever made you an offer you couldn’t refuse? Here, in these early verses of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus calls his disciples to follow him. More than a bucolic stroll through the Galilean hillside, this will be a call to suffer and die. They will also, in turn, call others as Jesus makes them into “fishers of men.” Although this metaphor seems pleasant at first thought, consider what happens to the fish you catch! You and I are both the recipients of Jesus’ call to follow him and the subjects of the disciples’ finishing ministry. What difference does it all make and how can we see the growth of the kingdom expressed through these actions? All that and more this Sunday as we continue in our new sermon series through the Gospel of Mark.
Pastor Danny Morgan continues our "Seeing Jesus" series with his sermon "The Good News of the Wilderness."
Our sermon series on the Gospel of Mark: Seeing Jesus, starts out "In the Beginning." Studying Mark will remind us about the identity, mission, and meaning of Jesus.
Pastor Eric closes out our Christmas season sermons with "Life After Christmas" from the last part of Luke 2.
Pastor Danny Morgan preaches an Advent sermon on Psalm 110: "One King to Rule Them All."
For those old enough to remember Johnny Carson, you’ll also fondly remember his sidekick, Ed McMahon, who would start each night’s show with his iconic introduction: “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” In Matthew 3 we have John the Baptist's introduction of King Jesus, but it’s less Ed McMahon and more Jack Nicholson in "The Shining”! John is announcing a violent overthrow of the kings and kingdoms of the earth, a violent king who will take an axe to the nation of Israel and to everyone who doesn’t bear the fruits of repentance. But the first official act of the king is to be symbolically drowned in the waters of the Jordan River. What kind of king is Jesus and how can we be members of his kingdom? Join us for the second Sunday of Advent as we hear the cry of John the Baptist still sounding to us in our own wilderness of sin and despair.
Advent is a glorious season--full of light, hope and reflection upon the goodness of God. It also can be a time of discouragement as we reflect upon the challenges of the year and strive to navigate the added busyness of our holiday schedules. But in the midst of this dynamic season, Christ invites us to taste and know the dignity and glory of belonging to him. He invites us to wake up and wonder at his glory, to put on and sense his dignity and to walk in heaven's pleasure for the glory of God and blessing of earth. Come and be filled with hope as we begin our 2022 Advent season.
Our short sermon series through the book of Ruth has now reached its end. This Sunday, we conclude with Ruth 4 and a surprising twist: although Ruth gives birth to a son, the women of Bethlehem praise God by saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” And although Boaz tells the other potential redeemer that he must redeem Ruth, it is the son born to Boaz and Ruth who is said to be a redeemer for Naomi. Did the narrator simply confuse the characters of the story as he drew it to a close? Were the townspeople mistaken? Join us this Sunday as we finish Ruth and learn more about the redeemer for Naomi.
One of the most depressing aspects of modern life is the lack of rest. We blur the lines between home and work. Our devices are always on. Our side hustles keep us grinding well into the weekend. We seldom find time to stop and rest. As we continue on in our study of Ruth, we see Naomi—previously paralyzed by bitterness—spurred into action by the prospect of finding rest for Ruth. Naomi doesn’t just want to relieve her daughter in law of the difficult work of gleaning, she wants to ensure that Ruth has a future and a hope. Join us this week, to see how Ruth’s rest will finally come through for her—even though she must face danger and toils and snares to get there.
On All Saints’ Day we remember our friends and loved ones who have died in the Lord. Although the apostle Paul tells us we should not grieve as those who have no hope in the resurrection of the dead, all of us mourn the loss death inflicts on us. We remember the presence of our friends and family, and we grieve their absence. Do you ever feel like God is also absent from your life? Do your mourn a close connection you once had? Do you wonder if perhaps your own sin has driven God away? In Exodus 3, God promises Moses that he will be with him as Moses leads the people out of slavery in Egypt and into the promised land. That gracious presence is what allows us to live boldly, love confidently, and look with hope to the resurrection of the dead and the renewal of all things.
This sermon, "The Presence and the Power," was preached at our Sunday evening service of installation and ordination for new officers and pastors as a charge to the men and to our congregation.
This Sunday is Reformation Sunday and to celebrate the work of an obscure monk in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517, we’ll turn to Luke 19 and the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector from Jericho. What does this “wee little man” have to do with the great work of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other Protestant reformers? Join us this Sunday as we see the heights and depths that grace will go to redeem the lost and restore them to God.
We live in an ultra-connected cultural moment. Our age is one of readily available information and limitless opportunities to meet and connect with others online. It seems like we can change our destinies by just signing up for the right social media or dating app. And yet, despite so much opportunity, we are growing less connected and more isolated. The simple obligation of face-to-face friendship inconveniences us, we are annoyed when someone in our neighborhood asks us for a basic favor, and many of us struggle to offer a simple smile as we pass by people while shopping at the store. The simplicity of being kind seems to be in short supply, and we are suffering for it. As we study the book of Ruth this coming Sunday, we’ll see that the simplicity of kindness can go a long way and often reveals the hidden love of God for the world as his redemptive plan unfolds in the lives of Boaz, Ruth, and Naomi.
Have you ever wished someone, “good luck!” or exclaimed, “I was so lucky!” As Christians, we know, of course, there is no such thing as chance. Instead, God is at work to bring what he ordains to pass in our lives and in the world even when we can’t see him at work. This Sunday, we turn to Ruth 2 and to the story of Ruth’s lucky day! Chance and luck, hard work and compassion all have their moment in the spotlight as Ruth finally meets Boaz and is protected and provided for in her new homeland and by her new God. Join us this Sunday for the “chance" of a lifetime!
This Sunday we return to the Book of Ruth chapter 1 and encounter three grievers- Naomi, Orpah and Ruth. As we hear their story, we are called to both sympathize as grievers with fellow grievers, and to discover how God plants "hidden graces" around grievers to demonstrate his goodness and grace. In so doing he invites us to discover him as he rebuilds us from grief into deeper, richer, more complete Christ-like people.
On this first Sunday of October, Pastor Eric Landry brings us the message: "A Life of Gratitude."
Each fall, we turn to an Old Testament text for our sermon series. Having concluded Genesis last year, we are fast-forwarding a bit in redemptive history to the book of Ruth this fall. Ruth is set after Moses led the people of Israel out of slavery and after Joshua led them into the land of promise. But instead of blessing, life has gone drastically wrong for Naomi and her family. Join us this week, as we begin a new study in Ruth with a focus on the “frowning providence of God” that hides his smiling face—in Naomi’s life and our own.
On May 1, 2022, we began our journey through the Epistle to the Hebrews. We still don’t know who wrote it or to whom it was written or from where it was written or even exactly why it was written! But I hope that over our sixteen sermons exploring this book you have come to appreciate and understand its main theme: Jesus is better. We conclude with the benediction of Hebrews 13:20-21. What exactly is a benediction? What role does it play in this epistle and in our worship? Why does the author conclude with it and how should we understand this “good word” of God in our own lives? Join us this Sunday as we conclude our study of Hebrews.
So, what exactly are you supposed to do? In light of all that God has done in Christ for you, what is your response? Last week, we saw that we were supposed to gratefully receive and in turn worship. This week, we’ll consider a number of seemingly disconnected commands that the preacher uses as applications to his congregation. Why these commands? How do they reveal a life transformed by grace? How do they point others to the Jesus? Join us this Sunday as near the end of our sermon series in the book of Hebrews.
In many ways, our text for this Sunday (Hebrews 12:18-29) can be seen as a final summary statement—a conclusion to the preacher's long argument that Jesus is better than the Mosaic system his congregation left behind. Included in this summary statement is a helpful comparison of the old covenant and new covenant, as well as an illustration of the difference being part of the new covenant makes to our worship. Join us this Sunday as we peer deeply into the mysteries of our faith and the privilege given to us to ascend to Zion to be with our God.
Every four years, the world gathers to watch the best athletes from every country compete in the Olympics. Each of us has our favorite contests to watch, but some of the most moving are the long distance races that stretch their participants physically and emotionally to the breaking point. This week, we turn to Hebrews 12 and another well-known passage from this important epistle. The author encourages his congregation to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (v1). As we consider these first verses of Hebrews 12 our focus will be on the nature of the race, the runners in the race, and the goal of the race. Join us this Sunday as we leap from the blocks at the sound of the starting gun and race toward home.
Pastor Marcus continues our summer sermon series with his message: "A Faith That Endures."
As we near the end of our summer series in the book of Hebrews, we come to the preacher’s points of application to his ancient congregation. Several in chapter 10 will be of particular interest to us, since like those ancient Christians we are sometimes also tempted to turn away from the promises of the gospel. The preacher is very direct with both his warnings and his encouragement, and it’s that plain talk that we need to hear today as we strive to follow Jesus as his faithful disciples.
As our preacher continues to make his case for the supremacy of Christ over the system of religion his congregation left behind, he makes the case that what is unseen (Christ’s mediation in the heavenly places) is better than what can be seen (the work of the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem). At first glance that seems wrong: isn’t it better to see? Isn’t it harder to believe when you can’t see, when you don’t have proof? This Sunday, we continue working our way through the central argument of Hebrews by looking at chapter 9 and the author’s insistence that what happens in heaven is superior to what can be done on earth.
After a short summer break, we’re returning to our study of Hebrews by taking up the next big section of the preacher’s argument. He’s shown his congregation that Jesus is better than the angels, better than Moses, better than Joshua, and better than the priests of the religious system they left behind when they converted to Christianity. Now, he tells them that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant. What is this new covenant and to what covenant is our preacher referring when he says the new is better than the old? What does that mean for you and me? Join us as we dig back into Hebrews with a study of chapter 8 and the supremacy of Christ’s mediation.
Austin McCann is the new campus minister at Texas A&M with Reformed University Fellowship.
In Hebrews 7, our preacher finally returns to the subject that he paused while he warned the congregation about falling away: how Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek and how that priesthood is better than the Levitical priesthood of the Mosaic covenant. It’s a mouthful! Who was Melchizedek and how does Jesus being a priest in his order rather than Aaron’s actually matter to you and me? Join us this Sunday as we’re brought before the throne of God to worship our perfect priest who always lives to make intercession for you and me.
Apostate. Just reading the word probably evokes a mix of emotions: worry for friends and family who have fallen away from the faith, personal anxiety when you think about your own seasons of doubt and apathy, confusion over how someone who once professed to believe can walk away from Christ and his church. This Sunday, we’re tackling one of the hardest passages in Scripture: the author of Hebrews warns the church that it is impossible to restore apostates to repentance. Why does he say this? About whom does he say this? What does it mean for you and me as we labor to believe and follow King Jesus through difficult trials and temptations. Join us this Sunday as we take a hard and sober look at apostasy.
After warning his congregation about failing to enter God’s rest, our author/preacher turns with comfort to one of the enduring images of this book: Jesus, our high priest, welcoming us to his throne of grace. This is the only place in the Bible that mentions God’s throne as a throne of grace. What does that mean and why is it important for needy people like us to understand? Join us this Sunday as we go before God’s throne of grace.
In the 1990s, it became popular among evangelical circles to ask the question: “what would Jesus do?” Bracelets and wristbands bearing the abbreviation, WWJD, could be seen on Christian teenagers all over the country. In Hebrews 3, our preacher is asking the congregation a variation of that popular message: “what would Moses do?” Remember, the audience is in danger of turning back toward Judaism, so our author calls forward the central figure of Judaism to help his ancient readers understand why Jesus is better than Moses. Join us this Sunday as we compare and contrast God’s servant, Moses, with Jesus, God’s Son.
Join us this Sunday as we dive into chapter 1 and uncover the main problem the book is addressing and the ways in which this important book also helps us understand our need for Christ’s supremacy in our lives.
It’s Easter! And this Sunday we’ll hear Luke’s account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When the disciples arrived at the tomb, they discovered that it was empty. What does the empty tomb really mean for you and me? Why do we—like those early disciples—still seek life in dead places? Join us as we worship our resurrected King!
Before Moses died, he sang a song for Israel. This song is captured for us in Deuteronomy 32. Moses sings of God’s faithfulness to Israel even though Israel—throughout the 40 years of desert wanderings—has been consistently unfaithful to God. We turn to this text on Palm Sunday because in it we see the work of Jesus poetically and prophetically described for us: he is the King who has mercy on his people, who vanquishes his enemies, and who establishes his rule and justice. Join us this Sunday as we consider not just the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, but also the the tremendous cost of his mercy toward all of us.
On January 7, 2018, we began our journey through the Gospel of John. 57 sermons later we have reached the end! Join us this Sunday for our final sermon in the Gospel of John series when we tackle the important question: What difference does the resurrection of Jesus make?
This week, we turn to the familiar story of Thomas—the disciple who doubted that Jesus had really risen from the dead. Thomas is a sympathetic character because all of us at some level must deal with doubt. Our confidence is never as certain as the earliest disciples who saw Jesus. We must rely on their eye-witness testimony. But sometimes the world, the flesh, and the devil all conspire to rob us of our assurance that Jesus has risen from the dead. This week, we’ll use the story of Thomas to explore the tension between our own faith and doubt and the Savior who loves us through it all.
Immediately after the Resurrection, Jesus appears to ten of his disciples. He finds them afraid and confused. They were afraid of the Jews and confused by the report from Mary Magdalen. What does Jesus say to these disciples? It is John’s version of what is often called, “The Great Commission.” Through the mission Jesus gives his disciples in John 20 we can see the depth of our own hope in Christ: peace with God, an expanding kingdom, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and spiritual power that makes a difference. Join us this Sunday as we explore each of these elements from John’s Gospel.
Christians are often pretty clear on how the various parts of Jesus’ life apply to our lives today. We understand why Jesus had to die. We understand why he needed to live a perfect life. We understand the significance of his resurrection. But what about his burial? Every Sunday we confess in the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds that we believe Jesus “was buried,” but why is that important? This Sunday we will examine John’s account of Jesus’ burial to answer that question and see how Jesus’ burial applies to our lives.
This past week was the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth. The presentation of a king or queen is marked with great pomp and ceremony, not just in the current era but also in antiquity. The first crown and royal robe Jesus wears, however, is a mockery of his royalty. Who is King Jesus? What do we see in the mockery of his coronation ceremony? What does it tell us about our own suffering? Join us this week as we turn to John 19 and the beginning of the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
The confrontation between Jesus and Pilate is not just dramatic, it is telling. It helps Christians today understand what kind of kingdom Jesus brought into being and the very real threat it poses to the world’s petty rulers. Just as we feel safe, however, from the clash between these two powers, our own kingdoms are called into question! If Jesus is who he said he is then no ruler is safe—not even you and me when we try to rule our own lives. Join us this Sunday as we continue the story of Jesus’ final hours from John 18.
It is the night of Passover, one of the most significant Jewish feasts, and Jesus has led his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. Now, the clock begins to speed up: his hour is upon him. Three surprising betrayals overtake Jesus as he heads toward the cross. This week, we’ll look at each betrayal as a way to help us understand not only our own sin but also the glory of Christ’s redeeming work. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
"A Prayer with a Purpose" continues our series on the Gospel of John with a second look at Jesus' prayer for his disciples.
Last week, we returned to the Gospel of John and examined the first five verses of the High Priestly Prayer of Christ in chapter 17. This week, we continue in chapter 17 and discover the primary petition of Christ’s prayer: that the disciples would be “kept” in the name of God. One of the great comforts of this prayer is how realistic it is: Jesus knows that the disciples will be "tempted, tried, and sometimes failing” (as the hymn “Jesus What a Friend for Sinners” says). But, Jesus prays for them and he prays for us that we might be kept in the name of God. What does it mean to be kept in the name? How can we be assured that we are kept, especially when everything around us is falling apart?
In this final sermon of the Christmas season, Pastor Marcus Serven guides us in an examination of "The Compelling Testimony of the Shepherds."