Christ Church Jerusalem: Recent Episodes
Christ Church Jerusalem
Sermons, lectures and teachings from Christ Church Jerusalem, founded 1849 as a center of prayer for all nations with worship reflecting the Jewish context of the gospel.
God is already the Almighty King. But what does His kingdom look like on this oft rebellious earth? Drawing on the imagery of Ezekiel, Jesus reveals a kingdom that begins in humility, transforms the world, is worth more than every earthly treasure, and will one day bring both salvation and judgment
The kingdom of heaven isn't just some future paradise. God already reigns, but there are many who oppose Him. Why doesn't He subjugate everything to His will now? He is patient beyond our own understanding.
Soil can turn good or bad, based on the care it is given, and so it is with our hearts. A good beginning does not necessarily means a good outcome. We can turn bad soil into a richly producing one with good care, time and God’s blessing. But that is only a start. There are other soils - hearts that are producing, and in the end, God’s plan is for the multitudes as we can see in nature. In our endeavour to cultivate ourselves we’re going to face enemies, and the chief ones are condemnation, and our own flesh. Our Lord dealt with one, and we are to deal with the other.
In his only self-descriptive phrase Jesus gives us a key to his ability to carry the burdens given by his Father. His yoke is easy only as and when we humbly accept our lot in life. Yes, under God’s caring hand, but nevertheless, a life full of challenges, and trials, not of our choice. Will we accept them willingly, as Jesus did?
Is it wrong to expect divine recompense for obedience? Over the centuries many have been perplexed by the binding/sacrifice of Isaac. No matter how this event is understood, it is clear that there is reward for Abraham’s obedience. We tend to think that rewards are given in return for great acts of faith, but Jesus teaches something essential about God’s economy: even the smallest act of hospitality brings blessing. The reward can be in this life, in the life of our descendants, or in the World to Come. The key is that while we can expect recompense from God, it comes in His time and His way.
In our readings today the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, along with that of Jesus calling his disciples, give us much to ponder. Because of that nagging (and all too natural) anxiety of committing our lives to God, we too, often circumvent His best for us. Although fear and the deceit of self-preservation can overwhelm us, God has provided a way to enable us to live faithfully.
God is a king who expects His subjects to have compassion and care for those who are sick and those who are wandering. In our hubris, we often do not completely subject ourselves before the almighty Lord and King. We may even think that the servant is above the master. God acts even when we don’t, caring for His sheep as well as bringing judgment on those who condemn and exploit those who are wandering and sick. But in Matthew 10, Jesus once again sends out shepherds with His authority to care for the sick and the wandering.There are those who will still oppose God (may we not be counted among them) and will battle against Him. If we truly are a subject of God, we may be hated—hard pressed and persecuted—but God has already won the battle.
The Lord has torn us, but after three days he will heal us", so declare the people of Israel in the book of Hosea. This hope is a good beginning for looking at the healing ministry of Jesus and the overlapping realities of impurity, repentance, and the rewards of a persistent faith.
Since the rebellion in the Garden, the human family has been afflicted by the sins of fear and pride. In rejecting what it means to be created in God’s image, we enter the AI age with fears of uncertainty and mortality, and along with the desire to be like gods we find ourselves on a dangerous precipice. We must respond by rejecting the false promises of technology and its dehumanization. The majesty of man is restored when we model our lives on King Jesus and put his teaching into practice.
While the Spirit of God is given freely to all who come to faith, being regularly filled with His Spirit is another matter. Like water that always flows to the lowest place, the Holy Spirit keeps a home in those who live humbly, practice forgiveness, and strive for unity with their brothers and sisters. In today’s readings we see in the life of Moses (and more) the extraordinary power that these characteristics will bring in a believer’s life.
The command to love God with a whole heart raises some questions: How can love be commanded? Can love be without emotion? When we understand this love as more than a theological concept, how is it expressed? Not surprisingly, in the Scriptures we find a common thread of thought and practice stretching from Deuteronomy to the Gospel of John and beyond: Love motivates obedience, leading to intimacy, and brings Joy – which leads to more love, obedience, intimacy and a Joy that overflows. Praise the Lord !!!
The shepherd imagery of Psalm 23 is well known and loved by many. What is not so well known is that this psalm is set in the barren Judean wilderness, not on the lush, green hills usually imagined. Yet God is able to provide abundantly despite scarcity and danger. And like this psalm, Isaiah 25 assures us that one day God will rescue and provide a feast for all peoples to celebrate His victory over this world’s enemies.
We often find ourselves trusting in our own strength and zeal to live for God, only to end up unsuccessful. However, it is a trustworthy statement that when man fails, God does not.How do we become overcomers? How do we live completely sold out for Jesus? Living for God—and in some cases, dying for Him—comes through the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we also can be confused and disappointed in how God is working through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But we can learn from the questions asked by the people on the day of Pentecost: What does this mean? What should we do? And we can rediscover that sense of wonder experienced by the disciples when meeting the risen Lord.
In some churches the second Sunday of the Easter season is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. When reading John’s account of Jesus' appearance with His disciples we see His divine mercy take concrete form. Like the disciples, we are invited to meet the Risen Jesus with all of our senses. And like them, it is in repentance and trust in Him that we can respond with joy in a world full of fear and doubts, because our salvation is not based on theology, but in meeting the Person of Jesus Himself.
To better appreciate the unique way that Matthew tells of Jesus’ resurrection, we need to remember the themes in his narrative of Jesus’ birth – fear, _im-anu-el,_ intrigue, worship, deception and death, all of which come to prominence in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The worship of _Im-anu-el_ allows us to move beyond fear and weakness to having the joy and courage to obey His command, “Go and make disciples.”
After weeping over the city He loves, Jesus enters Jerusalem and cleanses the Temple. All four gospels record this event, but only Matthew recalls that the lame and blind come to Him and are healed. In highlighting God's love for the ignored and neglected, Matthew reveals the essential nature of Jesus' identity and the redemption He offers, not only to Jerusalem but to all who come to Him today.
The scriptures appointed for this week, and a close encounter with mortality prompted this sermon's reflection on death. The fear of death is the work of the devil and its denial and trivialization are symptoms of our inability to come to terms with our mortality. The pairing of Psalm 130 with the raising of Lazarus in John's gospel reveals the patch to liberation from such fears and distortions.
The rich symbolism and connection to the Hebrew Bible in the story of Jesus' encounter with a blind man (John 9) gives us deeper insight into God's grace and our calling to be a light in the world.
Jesus went where the Holy Spirit led and did the will of God - evenwhen it was difficult. But what of His disciples? Did they go out into every town and preach the Kingdom of God or did they only do so when they felt they had been specifically told to do so?
Summery: The faithfulness and obedience of Jesus, as the second Adam, is in striking contrast to the action of the first Adam. Jesus based his life here fully on the God’s words, thus securing victory for all of us. He made us righteous but also gave us tools how to overcome temptations and carry on that victorious lives with prayer and fasting.
On the Mount of Transfiguration, God declared, "This is my beloved son." This was not the first time God declared this, He also declared it at Jesus' baptism. But even before that, Peter writes that God spoke these words through David almost a thousand years earlier in Psalm 2. Peter, who physically heard God repeat what He had spoken so long ago writes: "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
God’s light shines in the darkness, opening the eyes of the blinds and releasing the prisoner. He gathers sons and daughters to Himself. But He then calls us be a light in the darkness. What a responsibility… and what a great privilege.
Many Christians traditionally celebrate the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, forty days after Christmas. In Luke’s gospel, we are told five times that Joseph and Mary acted in accordance with the law of the Lord. In an age of increasing anti-Semitism and the rush to deny the Jewishness of Jesus, this passage serves as a powerful reminder of the Jewish identity and mission of the Messiah and the urgent need to stand against those who use the New Testament as a weapon against the Jewish people.
Ancient Israel was thrown into despair and hopelessness in 722 BC when Assyria conquered much of its land in the north (Zebulun and Naphtali). Yet the prophet Isaiah could foresee a time when gloom would turn to joy because “a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” In many societies today we find ourselves in such darkness that gloom, fear, and despondency cover our lands. The Good News is that the Son and His invitation have been given: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
In the first chapter of John we encounter three questions: Who is Jesus? What do you want? Where are you staying? These questions are just as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago, challenging us to set our desires in order and to abide with Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River is commonly thought to be the same rite that is practiced by Christians today. But there are significant differences and much for Christians today to consider carefully in that account – especially John’s call to repentance, hearing the voice of God, and the need to "fulfill all righteousness.” When understood in the context of Matthew’s Gospel, this phrase helps us focus on what is important and not end up majoring on minors.
The Season of Epiphany or of the Revelation of the Messiah begins with the Journey of the Magi, priests of the Zoroastrian faith from the Medo-Persian empire, who set out on a journey to find the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. In this message Michael N. takes us on a journey through history, geography and the prophets, to a promised prophetic highway that will be a blessing on the Earth (Isaiah 19). It’s fulfillment is part of the good news of the Kingdom that brings Jews and Gentiles together in Messiah that has implications on how we live our lives in this present evil age as we long for HIs appearing.
This line from a popular Buffalo Springfield song sums up well the life of King Herod the Great. His insecurity and fear drove him to rule with a cruel hand, killing members of his own family and slaughtering the innocents in Bethlehem. This is not just First Century history; it is also a tale of our times. The worrisome rise of uncertainty and paranoia is causing many to look for scapegoats (anti-Semitism) and to demand an immediate fix for our problems. But it's the expanding rule and reign of King Jesus that is the best response to such recklessness, which, if left unchecked, will bring disaster upon us all.
In this Christmas Day message, Rev. Tom Burden, Director of CMJ Israel, talks about Luke 2:1-20 and how God reached down into the real world to live for us.
John the Baptist grew up hearing the promises of the Messiah foretold through the prophets. He also would have heard of his own miraculous birth—and that of Jesus. The prophecies regarding John were not all ancient, his parents knew prophecies and prophesied. John was also a prophet who bore witness to the Messiah and prepared the way for Him in the wilderness. But in a time of trial, faithful John was still confused and questioning what he knew to be true—not because he wasn’t faithful but because trials can be very difficult to go through.James tells us that we are to be patient in times of trials until the coming of the Lord. But God will come and judge. So we must prepare ourselves for His coming.
The season of Advent calls us to repentance, humility, and spiritual readiness and directs us to align our lives with God’s purposes even in these times of uncertainty and conflict. Biblical hope enables us to trust and remain faithful while looking forward to the fulfilment of God’s redemptive work in Jesus the Messiah.
Jesus teaches us to watch and prepare for His return. Yet that teaching is relevant for more than just the Last Days. It prepares us for the unexpected and helps us remain faithful in the face of disappointment, misfortune, or disaster. And it enables us not to miss the day of God's visitation.
Archbishop Foley Beach’s sermon “How to Persevere in Good Times and Bad” encourages believers to stay faithful and grounded in Christ no matter their circumstances. He teaches that perseverance is not based on whether life is easy or difficult, but on trusting God’s unchanging character, maintaining spiritual discipline, and guarding against both complacency in good times and despair in hard times. Ultimately, he calls listeners to anchor their hope and identity in Christ so they can remain steady, obedient, and spiritually resilient through every season.
When reading prophetic passages we often overlook that they have something to teach us today. Paul, when warning the Thessalonians not to be deceived about the Lord’s coming, highlights the need to love the truth and adhere to the tradition that he handed down to the church. This will also help us to stand firm in difficult times and enable us to resist the deception and lawlessness and in our midst.
The first chapter of Ephesians is one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament and has inspired uncountable sermons and commentaries. But if we overlook its Jewish context, we miss the full riches of what Paul is teaching about our identity in the Messiah of Israel.
The parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee may not be as simple and straightforward as it appears. One Jewish theologian has suggested that Jesus set a trap for his listeners in order to expose the ever present self-righteousness and hypocrisy of the human heart. But we just don't hear how shocking this story is unless we understand its social and historical context
Luke 18:1-8 presents a parable, alternately named the parable of the Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow. Jesus deliberately parodies the reality of God as a faithful judge. While we might doubt earthly authority, God has always been faithful and remains faithful. Nonetheless, we often lose hope. We look at the world and don’t see justice, righteousness, or faithfulness or we forget that God is faithful and so we do whatever is right in our own eyes. Until the day of the Lord comes, we must not lose hope and become faithless.
After Jesus healed the ten lepers only one came back to express his gratitude. This story in Luke’s gospel teaches us that our worship cannot be separated from gratitude for what God has done for us. His instructions for celebrating during Succot highlight the ways we should rejoice and also avoid the pitfalls that keep us from expressing heartfelt thankfulness.
When the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, what are they requesting? A related passage in Habbakuk reads, “The just shall live by his faith (Heb.emunah). This word has a cluster of meanings: trust, belief, persistence, fidelity or faithfulness. By examining the times in which Habbakuk lived (not much different from ours) we can come to a better understanding of what it means for us to live by His faithfulness.
The Feast of Michael and All Angels draws our attention to the nature of spiritual warfare and the battle that intensified with satan’s rage at Jesus’ enthronement. This Feast Day highlights an aspect of the gospel which is more than receiving our great salvation by faith. It gives us our marching orders as agents of King Jesus, calling us to advance His influence and authority over the enemy. Although we’re caught up in the hostilities, the Book of Revelation assures us that despite any causalities along the way, our resilience and testimony will overcome.
The story of Abraham, especially the binding of Isaac, has become closely associated with the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah. Abraham was promised great blessing, yet his life was full of challenges and hardships from start to finish. At the beginning, God asked him to give up his past and go to a foreign land … somewhere. Even towards the end of his life the testing wasn’t over. Abraham was asked to give up his future–his beloved son, Isaac. After undergoing so much why did God continue to test him? Why does the Lord continue to test us? And what’s the connection with the blowing of the shofar?
As we approach the season of repentance and intercession in the biblical/Jewish calendar, we turn our focus to mercy and justice and to God who is both. In the discourse on Mt. Sinai, Moses did not relent from interceding before God for a sinful people revealing some essential truths about the cost and the power of intercession.
We often find ourselves in messy entanglements in our families, work, and more, that seem to be beyond our control. These situations often confuse and immobilize us from living the way that God desires. Today’s readings (highlighting Moses, Jesus, and Paul) shed light on how we can live faithfully in the midst of life’s complications.
In our readings today, the message of Jeremiah could not be more timely. Too often we ignore His refreshing, flowing water and build our own leaky cisterns. So in repentance we are called to reject these forms of idolatry (anything we treasure and depend upon more than Him) and return to a joyful relationship with our Father, our Sustainer. Let us pray that He will bring to light those things, even the most subtle, that keep us from drawing near to be forgiven, cleansed and transformed by His Holy Spirit.
When we read about Jesus confronting a rural, unlearned synagogue official over Sabbath observance we can easily misunderstand Jesus’ teaching about the 7th day of the week and also His teaching on the Torah in general. This incident raises questions on how we Christians should approach the Sabbath. Does it have more value for us than simply a day of rest? Our communities can gain invaluable insights from some of the great Jewish theologians of the past. These insights are not only biblical but point to a deeper understanding that can take us beyond the usual Sabbath controversies.
Jesus warns us that judgment will come. We cannot expect peace when we continue to run from God's peace. Declaring that we have peace where there is none will never bring us closer to peace. But in the warning of judgment, there is hope for peace.
Jesus commands us, “Do not be afraid!” and He gives the very best reason – the Father has given us the Kingdom. This reality enables us to deal with our fears that grow out of past experiences and a worry that God or others are keeping something good from us. Yet the teaching of Jesus is not a naive irresponsibility but a transformation of these fears. Using examples from the lives of Jewish scholar David Flusser and Pope John Paul II, we illustrate how to deal with fear – both big and small.
The latest round of wars in the Middle East (Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemin and Syria) has produced international outrage and has led to a dangerous rise in anti-Semitism around the world. Many in the Church are largely indifferent, while in other parts of the Christian community a huge amount of energy is being expended either criticizing or supporting Israel. Yet one thing seems to be lacking. There is little genuine lament as modeled for us by the Psalms and other books in the Bible. On this very day that Israel mourns the destruction of the two temples, we ask what the Book of Lamentations can teach us today.
The God of Abraham rules over all things, and yet He tells us to pray. Why? If everything is just fate or happenstance that would be a good question.
In a time when people often live into their seventies rather than die from banditry, dysentery, or heatstroke we have lost the meaning of hospitality. Hospitality can be the difference between life and death. We know that God gives all good things and preserves our lives. And we know that we are called to follow His example. Today we look at both our inheritance of God and the examples we have of true hospitality.
Jesus calls us to love God and love our neighbors. In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus shows who we are called to love as our neighbor. He also shows us what that love should look like---self sacrificial and full of compassion. But none of that matters if we don't actually practice the love of God. This is why Jesus said, "Go, thou, and do likewise."
Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples to heal and demonstrate the Kingdom of God. Like those followers who rejoiced at overcoming the demonic, we too may have misguided priorities and a limited understanding of the Kingdom. Along with the name of Jesus, they overcame evil through obedience, humility and a dependence on the hospitality of others. These values not only allow God to rule in our lives but lead to a peace which brings about the crushing of Satan under the feet of the church.
We are easily anesthetized by the routine and mundane. When disaster strikes in the form of war, earthquakes, civil unrest, etc., we take ourselves off autopilot and come alive, and we often (and secretly) find life more meaningful for a while. Something similar can happen with Bible prophecy. The recent events in the Middle East has excited some in an unhealthy way. Yet as Jesus made his way to Jerusalem he challenged us to find our purpose and meaning in the responsibilities and blessings of attaching ourselves to Him and participating in His life. This we will find more purposeful (and challenging) than the “thrill” of any disaster or future speculation.
Sometimes life is amazing; And sometimes we must take up our cross and follow Jesus. Our Lectionary brings us the story of men who chose to turn to God even when their neighbours didn’t listen, even when the people around them persecuted them and oppressed them, even when turning to God meant a long, difficult journey that would result in more pain and suffering. But they still walked after God.
The Trinity is one of the hardest doctrines to define and understand. What is not hard to understand is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit work together in unity and they share a love for one another from eternity. Jesus doesn’t ask us to be able to define the Trinity, although it’s important to know that He is God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But He does ask us to love one another. He does ask us to earnestly seek peace—to be unified. He asks us to follow His example and serve another
We are now in the Pentecost season and we’re celebrating the very Person who creates, sustains, and renews all of life. Sadly, many of us think of the Holy Spirit as an abstract power largely there for our blessing or equipping. But more than just being the source of gifts, it is through that Spirit that we are given the indwelling Presence of divine (eternal) life that we share with the Father and the Son. When Jesus talks about this indwelling He connects this reality to love, preventing us from treating our relationship with Him and with one another as something for our own benefit. And just as the Holy Spirit continually renews the creation He will continually renew us. Our readings today point the way to respond to that invitation.
The festival of Shavuot (Pentecost, lit. weeks) celebrates one of the most glorious events in Scripture – God’s revelation at Sinai. Once we grasp that glory is the tangible manifestation of God’s presence and goodness, we gain a deeper understanding of Jesus’ teachings in John’s gospel, where he promises to share His glory with us. This is not a mystical experience that falls out of the sky but it comes when we imitate Him in love and unity.
There is an unceasing human longing to return to Eden, and in virtually every generation since our expulsion we have hoped to regain a paradise lost. Yet our ultimate destination is not a garden, but a city – the New Jerusalem. The imagery of this place where God will finally dwell with his people is of a garden-city, dazzling with precious jewels, healing trees, and a crystal clear river flowing over pure gold. We may be tempted to think of this like a fairy-tale, except that Paul reminds us of all that we’ve already received in the Holy Spirit – and it’s just a downpayment of glorious things to come. (Eph. 1)
Secular historian Tom Holland has shown how the Christian revolution and its concept of sacrificial love has changed our world – so much so that we tend to take it for granted. Yet while love remains central to our lives and culture, it is often misunderstood and distorted. Jesus commands his friends to love one another as he loved them, and in John's gospel we see how it's practical and concrete: Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman; his provision at the wedding at Cana; how he deals with Judas, and more ... Passages in Deuteronomy help us understand Jesus’ biblical concept of love and reject the way our modern culture distorts and practices “love."
Love for Jesus as a prerequisite for a life of peace and serenity and as the basis for service in the kingdom of God that is acceptable to God.
Peter and Paul stand as shocking examples of grace—one denied Christ, the other persecuted Him. Yet Jesus comes to both not with condemnation, but with a call: “Follow me.” Peter is restored with a meal and a mission: “Feed my sheep.” Saul, struck blind, is given new sight and sent to proclaim the very name he tried to destroy.Their stories remind us: God doesn't call the worthy—He calls the willing. And following Jesus means not escaping suffering, but sharing in it for the sake of the gospel.
Peter’s sermon at Caesarea proclaimed the reality of the Resurrection that should shape culture, politics and everyday life. That message is just as relevant for us today as we face many of the same issues. We have a high calling to live in the light and power of the Resurrection and carry the Good News of God to the world.
Luke is the only Gospel that reports Jesus weeping over Jerusalem upon his triumphal entry. In that account, Jesus warns that the city he loves is rushing towards a self-inflicted disaster. Often we assume Jerusalem was judged because of Jesus’ crucifixion. But Jesus explains that Jerusalem not only failed to recognize the “time of God’s visitation”, but also did not know what made for peace – putting his teachings into practice. For much of Church history we have vilified the Jewish people for “rejecting Jesus” without asking if we, in essence, do the same. Do we fail to take the words of Jesus seriously? Do we fail to notice when God comes to us in renewal or judgment? We also need to remember that the same Jesus who wept when he foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem also prophesied that a day of restoration was coming!
Joshua meets a person outside the walls of Jericho. This person has him remove sandals and bow. In this message we look at who this is and why his holiness changes us.
On God’s pathway we take one step of obedience at a time and only after reaching the destination are we able to look back and see how it all was connected. A burning bush (a call) was God’s response to a cry for deliverance. God’s plan involved the man Moses who had learned key lessons while shepherding in the desert for 40 years. There is no time wasted in God’s kingdom- long waiting is essential for transformation and preparation. Sometimes God will send us deliverance in unusual ways when we cry out and we need to be watchful and discerning so we don’t miss it or reject it.
Abraham receives a blessing to be a blessing. He answers a call and then gets cold feet and needs assurance that God can fulfill the dream that God gave him. God then gives him a promise, a contract and a covenant, to help him trust.
When God gives Jesus Identity as Gods son and significance as being pleasing, Satan sets about questioning Jesus identity and earning his significance.
The Transfiguration is not only about seeing Jesus changed but how we become changed when we truly see him. Luke shows us why and how this happens to Peter and to us.
in the face of darkness and despair, Paul gives us a message of hope by talking about Death’s defeat and how through this truth we can face anything!
Our Gospel passage highlights the role of the Spirit in the ministry of Jesus in both prophetic utterance and the working of miracles. These Scriptures challenge us to examine the true nature of prophecy and the dangers to those who exercise the gifts of the Spirit while ignoring Jesus’ teaching.
The Creator of the universe and King who reigns eternally on the throne is the Lord of angelic armies. But He asks sinners to be His witness here on earth. Throughout history, God has worked through the humble. We should acknowledge our sin before a holy God. But throughout history, God has also redeemed those who are sinners. He calls us, for we are some of those sinners, to be His disciples and then to go out and be a witness to the world.
When Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the Temple they meet Simeon and Anna who reveal the identity and mission of the Messiah. That this revelation took place in the Temple is not incidental. What the Temple continues to teach us about worship, holiness, and the character of God are still significant today. This sermon is dedicated to Dwight Pryor, a teacher, mentor and inspiration to many.
HULDAH & THE REIGN OF JOSIAH | 2 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 34 with John Arnold by Christ Church Jerusalem
Jesus’ inaugural sermon in his home town synagogue frames his ministry in the words and context of the Jubilee redemption. According to Leviticus, the release of all debts and slaves, and returning land to its original owner is to happen every 49 years - a Jubilee on Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. Jesus’ offer of salvation for the World to Come (forgiveness of our sins/debts) and for salvation in this present age (healing and deliverance) along with the necessity of repentance should no longer be abstract or mysterious to us. “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Attending a wedding at Cana was Jesus' first public event recorded in the Gospel of John. His presence at an ordinary occasion and the miracle of making a huge amount of wine sets the tone for this Gospel – Jesus is more than sufficient for any human need. At this event we get our first glimpse of discipleship. Before any of the Twelve began to believe and follow him, Jesus’ mother emerges as the first disciple and one that we should emulate. Discipleship based on her model of faith and loyalty always points to Jesus, "Do what he says”, and not to Mary herself.
The immersion of Jesus is remembered every year in liturgical churches, yet it can be confusing for Christians if we don’t understand the Jewish context of that important event. That context includes the call to radical repentance, the role of the Spirit in anointing Jesus for prophetic utterance, and the heavenly voice that affirms His identity – and ours as believers as well.
ZECHARIAH, MARY, ANNA AND SIMEON | Luke 1-2 with David Pileggi by Christ Church Jerusalem
NATHAN AND GAD | 1 Samuel 22-24, 2 Samuel 7-12 with John Arnold by Christ Church Jerusalem
Epiphany celebrates that not only is God present with us, his presence illimuminates the world so that we can see things as they truly are. The story of the magi illustrates for us why need need this Epiphany, and how to receive the gift of spiritual sight.
In this sermon on John chapter 1, the Gospel author’s use of words becomes pivotal in understanding what is being said about Jesus and how people respond to him. After grasping what John intended to say, the sermon concludes by explaining how verse 14 answers those who reject God.
Christmas evokes feelings of coziness and family for many. However, the story of Luke 2 is anything but cozy. Amidst the difficulties of the story, Luke points the reader to Jesus and his power to overcome these trials back then and even today
Christmas is the season that we rightly associate with joy because joy comes when we are in the Presence of the Lord. However, false expectations and our refusal to take God’s Word seriously robs us of both. God wants to so transform us that we will be able to live in joy despite our disappointments, hurts and sorrows.
The Day of the Lord is often described as a terrible day, a day of great fear and terror. And it will be a day of judgment. But instead of constantly watching the times Jesus told His disciples to watch themselves. It isn't the signs in the world we should fear but the one who will judge. We should also be grateful that He will come to redeem us. That is, if we are walking in his ways.
"My kingdom is not of this world.” So Jesus stated when He stood before Pilate, the Roman governor. The reality of God’s kingship and sovereignty in the world is best understood by taking into account the Jewish thinking of Jesus’ day. This will help every Christian come to a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God as proclaimed, illustrated and demonstrated by Jesus of Nazareth. “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43)
[11/13/24, 10:21:58 AM] John Arnold: The readings today should remind us of true generosity. However, if we aspire to be hospitable and generous, both in our thanksgiving to God and our love towards our neighbours, we must also understand our own hypocrisy.[11/13/24, 10:22:11 AM] John Arnold: Maybe?
In a day and age when sainthood seems impossible we must not lose sight of our ongoing relationships with those faithful Christians who have gone before us. While we do not venerate or pray to saints, those who died in Christ are still very much alive and their faithfulness continues to show us how it is possible to finish the race that is set before each one of us. This reality is strengthened when we remember that when the Church gathers we join them as they continually worship around God’s throne.
The road of recovery, whether personal or corporate, is not easy. Yet, the end result is well worth the sacrifice and the hardships we endure.
Many of us think of joy as a spontaneous emotion, and perhaps some of us recognize that it’s the mature fruit of the Spirit. Yet God commands all His people to be joyful during the Feast of Tabernacles as they remember His provision in the wilderness. Psychologists and therapists now recognize that joy comes to the grateful, something the Hebrew Bible has been teaching for millennia in the most practical of ways, showing us what it means to be made in God’s image.
The encounter between Jesus and a rich young man often causes Christians a good deal of distress. Over the centuries we have found ways to interpret this text so that it doesn’t apply to us. Whether we are rich, not so rich, or poor, the words of Jesus are a warning about those things that would hinder us from entering the Kingdom of God. Just as Jesus honestly but lovingly spoke to that young man, we also must allow Him to address us in the same way so that we can truly repent and fully enter that place where God can rule and reign over us.
The Feast of Michael and All Angels highlights the spiritual warfare that Satan continues to wage upon the earth. His goal is not only to create chaos in “the world” but also among the saints. Never before in history have we been so bombarded by lies, fake news and deception that even we can become confused, demoralized and inactive. Let us not fall for this trickery but remember that God has given us all we need to resist the devil, live the truth, and bring Him glory.
More than any other gospel writer Mark writes that Jesus was a teacher, yet unlike the others he records very little teaching. But what Jesus was teaching and how He taught can be recovered once we begin to understand the principles that guided First Century Jewish discipleship. That context is more than just historically interesting and remains relevant for Jesus followers today.
IF YOU OBEY | Isaiah 49:14-51:3 with Aaron Eime and John Arnold by Christ Church Jerusalem
"The Church on Earth," otherwise known as "The Church Militant," is the historic idea of God's own people, spiritually prepared and armed, who will resist and eventually overcome evil. We find early instructions for Israel to live this reality in Moses' parting speech in Deuteronomy 4. Ephesians sees righteous living as a manifestation of these same promises for God to empower His people against demonic forces of evil. And Jesus Himself embodies that power that routinely overcomes evil through His healing ministry as well as His Passion. For us today facing these same forces of evil, there is nothing stronger than offering prayer in the Spirit with fervor and faith. May we find these examples and exhortations encouraging in our lifelong struggle against evil.Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1-9; Psalm 15; Ephesians 6:10-20; Mark 7:1-23
Not to be confused with the biblical book, this haftarah pairs with the parasha of Torah known as Shoftim//Judges. This haftarah of consolation is a window into the world of those who receive hope when they need it most.
Belief, in modern minds, can be relegated to the realm of simple thought. But when Jesus commands belief, He means obedience–a kind of holistic behavior that reveals underlying belief. So when self-professed "believers" in Jesus pick and choose when to obey Him, they stir up in themselves the beginnings of eventual treachery. Even Judas' infamous betrayal of Jesus began as nothing more than a simple turning away from Jesus. May we ever prepare our hearts to repent of our own budding treacheries.Readings: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18; Psalm 34:15-22; John 6:56-71
Christians believe that the Kingdom of God–which the prophets envision and proclaim in their own writings–is both already here and also not-yet here among us. We feel this tension in Isaiah's comfort over Jerusalem and discuss the tension we feel in our own hearts between the Already and the Not-Yet.
Is it comforting to consider the vast differences between our fallen nature and God's perfection? Sometimes it can be, other times, it isn't. This week, we look at the blessed role of comfort in the lives of those who would willingly see their imperfections against the light of God's perfect love.
What do we do when even the most heartfelt repentance won't spare us the natural consequences of our sin? Is it possible to truly repent while also preoccupied with avoiding punishment? This week, we look at Isaiah's condemnation of Israel and Judah amidst the seemingly unstoppable punishment coming from the nations of Assyria and Babylon.
Greek has two common words for “life.” Day-to-day, living organisms all exhibit “bios” (where we get the words “biology” and “biography”). But humans especially were made to experience something more fulfilling–a rich and unending kind of life that Jesus calls “Zoē” (later adapted as a common girl’s name). The “life” that Jesus offers us is the latter kind, and good it is for us to find it in his own self-giving love!Readings: Psalm 34:9-14; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58
The speech of Jesus in John 6 contains many shocking statements, including the perplexing promise and warning: "No one can come to me unless the Father first draws him" (6:44).No one likes to be told they can’t, and yet that’s Jesus’ response to the grumbling crowd. However as we move past what appears at first to be insulting we find in his words the love, grace and sheer beauty of God our Saviour.Readings: Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25–5:2; John 6:35, 41–51
Our gospel portion this week shares just a snippet of a conversation–one that will infamously end with many of Jesus' disciples abandoning him in the Galilee. What led to this eventual split was not a simple misunderstanding of his words, or fears over cannibalism, but an intentional rejection of the concept that Jesus Himself could be better than the gifts He gives.Readings: Exodus 16:2–15; Psalm 78:14-26; John 6:24-35
Contrary to God’s will the people of Israel clamored for a king. They were desperate for security, especially from the Philistines, but were forewarned by Samuel the prophet that the burden of kingship would be crushing. Even David, the most ideal of rulers ended up abusing his power as seen in rape and murder (Bathsheba/Uriah). And when Jesus feeds the 5.000 the people want to seize him and make him king. Yet the kingship of Jesus is radically different from what many of us understand, and in our craving for security and provision we should be mindful of whom we ask to rule over us. The lessons of Jesus’ miraculous provision are important for the perilous times we find ourselves in now.Readings: 2 Samuel 11:1-15; 2 Kings 4:42-44; John 6:1-21
Instead of connecting thematically to the Parashah this week, our Haftarah begins the first of 3 weeks of "Affliction," commemorating the period of fasting between 17 Tammuz and 9 of Av in the Hebrew calendar. Marked as the saddest part of the Jewish year, we commiserate with the "weeping prophet," Jeremiah.
In one of the Old Testaments most famous stories of rebellion and destruction, we investigate the particular sin of Korah and see how the prophet Samuel (himself a descendent of Korah) would have seen his own history intertwined with his ancestor's sin.
"Is there a God in Heaven?" Many of us are quick to answer, "Yes!" and wait expectantly to see our God face to face when we join Him there. But another question presses our day-to-day faith: "Is there a God on Earth?" This second question forces us to remember that we cannot (re)create God in our own image. Clearly, His sovereignty defies our expectations and demands that we earnestly look for His hand at work in the world around us.Readings: Isaiah 57:14-21; Psalm 22:23-31; Mark 6:30-44, 51b-56
Like clouds and waves at sea, doubts often leave us disoriented, unsure of where to go or whether we even began going the right way. Rather than avoid them with shame, we can embrace them as defining moments: opportunities to rid ourselves of false assurances and better engage reality as it is. As Christians, we can always look to the living example of Jesus in those moments, and entrust our future selves with Him–like wayward sailors who set a course and trust that their boat will arrive back on shore.Readings: Psalm 73, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29
Spying and lying may seem counterintuitive for the people of God, but the story of Rahab requires a context more complicated than some modern paradigms of morality. There is a righteousness to her behavior, and this week we discuss what that is.
The rejection of Jesus at Nazareth is not inherently a Jewish rejection of the Messiah's teachings–his followers would go on to other Jewish towns that received that same message. The call of discipleship is holistic and thus it demands a humble approach to the one in whose pattern a disciple would be molded. Where that humility (otherwise seen in action as faith) was absent in Nazareth, it abounded elsewhere in the Galilee.Readings: Psalm 48; Mark 6:1-13
The Menorah is the most ancient and unique symbol of the Jewish people, and it is central to Zechariah's (puzzling) vision detailed in chapters 2–4. This week, we look at the symbolism and significance of the Menorah in early Israelite worship to see Zechariah's own messianic hope on full display.
In Mark 5, we are faced with two accounts of healing: that of a woman with an emission of blood, and the raising of a young girl from the dead. Both are examples of life-restoration. The latter story is more obvious, but the former story also deals directly with death (as "the life is in the blood," Leviticus 17:11). Jesus, then, is God-at-war with death–rescuing us from the inevitable consequence of our sinful, fractured world. We, too, wage war on death as we embolden one another further into faith, by which we invite God's rule and reign over our lives to rid us of death itself.Readings: Lamentations 3:22-33; Psalm 130; Mark 5:21-43
When thinking and speaking about the Kingdom of Heaven, we often imagine it as unimaginable–totally alien to this broken world. But Jesus' many parables help us to consider it in familiar terms. And something about it–a Kingdom we have yet to experience in its fullness–begins to feel like home.Readings: Ezekiel 31:1–14; Psalm 92; 2 Corinthians 5:1–10; Mark 4:26–34
The story of Jesus silencing the storm not only tells us something essential about Jesus but also about his disciples - both ancient and modern. Like the disciples in the boat, our faith can be overcome by fear and can fail us during times of upheaval and uncertainty. At such times we can become offended by what we consider to be God’s lack of concern for us, just like those disciples being swamped by the waves. "Don’t You care? A failure to deal with those fears will keep us from becoming partners with God, being obedient and taking the risks to perform the mission that God has for each one of us.Readings: Job 38:1-18; Psalm 107:1-32; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Mark 4:35-5:20
The Nazirite vow is a bewildering tradition in Torah, seemingly appropriated by the era of the Judges in many odd ways. The foretold birth of Samson in Judges 13:2-25 gives us some clues as to how traditions had changed in the era without a prophet or king to guide Israelites in Torah-living.
The world is filled with terrors—disease, disasters, violence, and death, reminiscent of the trials faced since Adam and Eve. Psalm 116 acknowledges these fears but expresses unwavering trust in God’s deliverance. Paul, in II Corinthians 4:12-5:1, echoes this faith amidst persecution, driven by his belief in the resurrection of Jesus.Both the Psalmist and Paul remind us that our earthly struggles are temporary. Our bodies, like tents, will be replaced by eternal, heavenly dwellings. Despite the world’s terrors, God’s grace and mercy promise salvation and eternal life. Embracing this eternal perspective helps us face fears with confidence, knowing future glory far outweighs present trials.Readings: Genesis 3:1-21; Psalm 116; II Corinthians 4:13-5:5; Mark 3:20-35
As the evangelical world rediscovers the Jewishness of Jesus, we enrich our understanding of His full human identity. But it can be difficult to understand his "Jewishness" in contrast to his contemporaries, most notably among the Pharisees. When we find him accused of breaking Torah (Mark 2), and when he criticizes Pharisaical practices in turn, we are thrown into the same confusing debate alongside his disciples: what kind of Jewish rabbi is Jesus?Readings: Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Psalm 81:1-10; Mark 2:23-3:6
The celebration of Trinity Sunday gives us the opportunity to deepen our understanding of God and His saving work. It is so much more than the forgiveness of sin and justification. It also means healing and transformation, enabling us to put away our harmful individualism and self-interest and become the children of God, living with one another in a way that displays that holy life our Father shares with the Son and Spirit.Readings: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17
Amidst some of the highest praise and evident joy in all of his writings, Paul in Romans chapter 8 guides us through Gospel resources in the face of suffering. He posits that our suffering is felt alongside Creation, and that the Holy Spirit Himself knows this suffering well and communicates it on our behalf to the Father.Readings: John 16:4-15; Romans 8:18-27
The Year of Jubilee is like a great reset for the children of Israel. Every 50 years, at the culmination of 7 cycles of the "Shabbat year," all land reverts back to its earliest family ownership. Debts are cleared, indentured servants are freed, and countless families' connection to their land is reestablished.Jeremiah relied on this teaching in Torah when he chose to purchase land from his cousin ("redeeming" it, i.e. keeping it in the family) even though everyone expected that land to be conquered soon anyway. Why would Jeremiah waste money on a purchase soon to be rendered fruitless? "For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land." (Jeremiah 32:15)
The Levites are a unique group within the children of Israel. They are a 13th tribe not allotted any territory and yet chosen to render eternal priestly service on behalf of their brethren. Ezekiel, Isaiah, and other prophets all envision the Levites persisting even into the New Creation and maintaining their unique identity in it. Who are they to us today?
Holiness is not built by good behaviors, but itself characterizes those who obey God's commands. Holiness, then, is not bought with righteous behavior; but without righteous behavior, there is no evidence of holiness, even where there should be. This is what Ezekiel sees and condemns.
The Ascension of our Lord is not an act of abandonment, but of commission. In John's Gospel, we are told that only after Christ's Ascension can we receive His promised Holy Spirit, Who empowers us to live out the calling he gave us. "Just as the Father sent me," Jesus says, "so I am sending you." May we ever seek to find Him present among us in Spirit, until the day we will see Him face to face.Readings: Acts 1:15-17,21-26; Psalm 68:1-20; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19
Many people, even some Christians, think that the Old Testament is only about Law and the New Testament is Love. But the ancient revelation was not changed by Jesus or Paul, although our ignorance of the Hebrew Bible, and perhaps even some anti-Semitism prevents us from seeing the connection. God’s election of the people of Israel was an unmerited act of grace and love, and only then is Israel commanded to love God by keeping his commandments (one of which is to love the marginalized. Deut.10:19). In today’s readings we see that Christians are also chosen by God and we abide with Him by keeping His commandments and loving one another. One well respected biblical scholar of the Old Testament has summarized this overarching theme of the Bible by saying: For God so loved the world … that he chose the people of Israel.Readings: Acts 10:44-48; Deuteronomy 10:12-24; John 15:9-17
Ezekiel is doubtless one of the harshest books of scripture, and this week's Haftara pairs with one of the harshest rituals in Torah: the double-sacrifice of a live goat and a scapegoat. This sacrifice on the Day of Atonement cleanses the people of both ritual and moral impurities. In it, we see the ancient connection between obedience and life; we also see the connection between disobedience and death, which Ezekiel so harshly comments on.
From the Fifth Sunday of Easter, this sermon draws parallels between Deuteronomy 4:32-40, John 15:1-8, and 1 John 4:7-21, emphasizing the profound significance of history and love in the context of faith in action–or faithfulness. Through Moses's words, listeners are urged to reflect on the unparalleled actions of God throughout history, contrasting His active involvement with the inactivity of false gods. The passage in John calls believers to abide in God's love, producing fruit that glorifies Him. Furthermore, 1 John stresses that love is the defining characteristic of a true disciple, intertwining with obedience to God's commandments. We should examine ourselves whether we truly abide in Him. Without love, we prove we aren’t truly among God’s disciples. But through God’s love acting in the world through us, we can show God to those around us.Readings: Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8
At the very heart of the gospel is the story of Passover: that final night in Egypt when God completed His judgments against the rebellious Pharaoh and called His own people out into freedom. We often think of Christ's death through the lens of atonement for sins, but its coinciding with Passover tells us something else about the gospel–namely, that we are shielded from wrath and invited into peace with God if we participate in obedience to His command. Redemption, repentance, and the gospel itself are participatory and inclusive. So when we share the gospel with our neighbors, we invite them to participate in our same redemption, living out the story of Passover every day.Readings: Exodus 12:1-13; Acts 3:12-19; Luke 24:36-48
The image of shepherds and shepherding in the biblical text stands in sharp contrast to the romantic pictures of fat sheep on luxuriant, green hillsides that we see in popular Christian culture. The biblical image, best reflected in Psalm 23, is set in the dangerous Judean wilderness with wild animals, “the valley of the shadow of death”; sporadic grass and rain which (even today) can suddenly turn to perilous flash floods, "green pastures … still waters." When the Bible describes God as Shepherd, His sheep can say, “I shall not want” in this precarious world, and in the world to come, “I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus also describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who provides in this world (John 7-9) and for eternity. “I give them eternal life and they shall never perish.” (10)Readings: Ezekiel 34:1-16; Psalm 23; John 10:11
Our current age, like all others that came before, is one full of trauma and death. And though both are such common realities, neither of them feel "normal" to us. They can render us illogical and reveal significant gaps in our faith. We see this well in the story of Thomas.The same Thomas who had claimed readiness to die with Jesus (John 11:16) would later reject that Jesus had been raised from the dead (20:24). And yet, Jesus honors Thomas' need for assurance, and empowers him to more fully believe. This belief would eventually be carried to the shores of India, where Thomas died in faith. We, "who have not seen and yet believed," (20:29) count our faith a blessing, and yet should learn from Thomas that the Lord will meet us in the gaps of our faith, to strengthen it. Our challenge as disciples is to develop faith that strengthens us in the face of trauma and a resolute hope in the transitory nature of death for those who trust in Jesus.If you so choose, prayerfully fill out this self-assessment of your faith and see where you need the Lord to meet you. https://forms.gle/JAc3dnFP9CWhqm5F6 Readings: 1 John 1:1-2:3; Psalm 133; John 20:19-31
Of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus' Resurrection, Mark's is the most shocking. His "shorter ending" (Mark 16:1-8) does not end in an appearance of the risen Jesus, but only a proclamation of His Resurrection to the faithful women who went to his tomb. Still, their initial act is to withhold this message out of fear and confusion. Throughout Mark's gospel the reader is being called into the same challenges that faced those women at the tomb: will we choose faith over fear and allow the reality of the resurrection to conquer the things we most fear and turn our paralysis to faithfulness.Acts 10:34-43; Isaiah 25:6-9; Mark 16:1-8.---Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/
How do lepers relate to their former and future communities? Leviticus 14 makes ample provision for declaring a leper clean, giving them a way to rejoin the people. 2 Kings 7 shows us the remarkable role that 4 lepers of Samaria played in saving the city. In a moment of conviction and charity, they chose to share good news of the LORD's miraculous salvation to a community that they themselves could not (yet) rejoin. Perhaps with this in mind, Luke 17 notices a key detail about the one grateful leper who came back praising God for his healing–he too was a leper of Samaria.
Purity in Leviticus finds its opposite most starkly in death itself, and leprosy is the disease most closely resembling death and decay. For this, stringent laws are given on how to handle leprosy, and to receive miraculous healing of it is exceptionally meaningful. This makes Naaman's healing in 2 Kings 5 all the more potent, as his turning from the gods of Rimmon to rather worship the LORD is just as much a life-saving act.
Holiness, for all its many benefits and credits, can be deadly. The sons of Aaron, Abihu and Nadab, would learn this firsthand after offering strange fire to the LORD. So would King David, seeing Uzzah die for reaching out to steady the Ark of the Covenant. This week, we review the importance of holiness in both extreme and (seemingly) mundane examples.
What is the purpose of sacrifice in the Bible? Leviticus makes it clear that there are actually very many purposes behind sacrifice, and understanding them is equally as important as giving them.
Readers and hearers of Leviticus will often come away confused about purity. On its face, purity seems to be a prerequisite for communion with God, one that we accomplish on our part before attempting to worship Him. But chapter 8 tells us something counterintuitive: purity itself is also a gift of God, given to us in anticipation of our communion with Him. Ezekiel 36 makes this quite clear, as God informs His people in exile that He Himself will purify them and bless them–not solely out of concern for them, but out of concern for His holy name that had been profaned among them.If God chooses to purify us before we even want to meet with Him, how might this change our response to His good grace? For Ezekiel, it ought to convict us of sin and exhort us to turn from it.
What do a colt and palm branches have to do with a King? The cries of Hosanna heard around the world today started, not on Palm Sunday, but long before–from Israel’s oppression in Egypt and on through the Psalms and Prophets. The colt of a donkey and palm branches tell the story of a ruler who is both righteous and victorious. The expectations of Israel and the expectations of the church and the world are not to be disdained, particularly when we turn to God and worship Him–calling out for His salvation. However, our expectations might not always match what God has planned.Jesus, the son of David and ruler of the nations; Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, given authority and power; Jesus, the very form (the same nature) of God and our saviour and Lord… Jesus who humbled Himself (knowing the reality of what He was about to do) and became obedient, accomplished exactly what the people had asked for–“Hosanna”, save us!Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Philippians 2:5-11; Mark 11:1-11
Does God merely acknowledge holy spaces, or does He consecrate them Himself? Whether Sinai, Shiloh, Zion, or Moriah, holiness seems to be imprinted on these places based on God's dealings with His people at each of them. Between the end of Exodus's description of the Tabernacle and 1 Kings 7-8's description of the Temple we find a key similarity: God consecrates both with His own glory, manifest in both light and darkness. This week's discussion focuses on those parallel accounts.
In Jeremiah 31, God promises to establish a covenant with the people of Israel AND Judah, reconciling them both to each other as much as to Himself. This promise would find itself fulfilled in the person of Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel and High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5). And not only would His saving work reconcile His fellow Israelites, it would include God-fearing Greeks (John 12) who sought to practice the way of life He taught. In this Lenten season, may our practices be rooted in the promise of God, modeled after the person of Yeshua.READINGS: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:1-10; John 12:20-36
Paul's letter to the Ephesians bears a number of striking resemblances to John's Gospel: stark contrasts of light and dark, life and death, children whose works reveal which family they belong to. Themes like these help us understand the gospel message for all its severity: we were not merely sick, but dead in our transgressions–and likewise now made alive in Christ. How did we come to this new standing? By looking upon Him, lifted up, like the bronze snake in the wilderness. And not only lifted up in His crucifixion, but also in His glory, where we too will be raised to dwell with him forever.
Why is money so difficult to talk about in churches? With no shortage of financial scandals in the Church, plus a history of global inflation, the modern world feels split between loud charlatans who raise too much and timid ministers who raise too little. Add to this our instinct to give toward a vision–sometimes rather than toward a need–and it's no wonder that articulating a "theology of money" feels like navigating a minefield. But we have biblical precedents–both good and bad examples–to help us better learn to relate to money in more healthy and charitable ways.
When Jesus cleanses the Temple, he utters a confusing prophecy: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in 3 days" (John 2:19). This saying made little sense to his hearers at the time; but after his death, burial and resurrection, his disciples remembered it in light of his body. What lessons can we learn today from this prophetic act? The early Church would go on to see itself as embodying a Temple for the Lord (Eph 2:21–22), but have we perhaps taken that honor too lightly? If Jesus cleansed his Father's house for the sake of its holiness, how much more must He make us a fitting space for God to dwell? This Lenten season, may we seek holiness through remembrance of our Messiah's passion–both for his Father's house, and for his Body.
Elijah, Moses, and Jesus all bear a striking resemblance to one another in several ways. They also differ drastically in others. From similar mountaintop experiences–including a shared one at Jesus's transfiguration–we see the role of the biblical prophet hitting key milestones in each of their stories. And we find, at these milestones, divine confirmation of their unique roles in God's plan of redemption.
During the season of Lent, we often choose to forego something that gives earthly pleasure to serve God. Many, however, do not have a choice in persecution and famine–or they have one choice–to follow God or deny Him. David, in Psalm 22, summarizes a question that will likely come up at least once in our lives, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning." Jesus Himself quoted David while on the cross. And yet, He chose to go to the cross. In going to the cross Jesus saved many!Jesus' reward in His obedience to God is to rejoice when we turn to God and intercede for us when we are persecuted or troubled. We too, in taking up our cross and following in His example, have a reward–and what a reward it is!_______Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16Psalm 22:23-31Mark 8:31-38
Mark provides us a unique lens through which to see the mission and trials of Jesus: one of war. For He has come not only to teach us a new way to live, but to wholly and decisively destroy the works of the Evil One. In preparation for this, Jesus is tested in the wilderness by the devil, an endeavor not too dissimilar from the tests that other biblical heroes undergo. Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, even the nation of Israel itself, all find themselves tested in the wilderness. As we willingly subject ourselves to the disciplines of Lent in this difficult season of many kinds of battles, we pray to our Father that He will not lead us into unbearably hard-testing, but that He would deliver us from the Evil One.
The event on the Mt. of Transfiguration is understood more fully when we consider Moses’ encounter with God on Mt. Sinai. With the glory of God upon him, Moses reminds the people that they saw His mighty works of deliverance in Egypt, are in covenant/reciprocal agreement with Him, and now must listen to Him. When the disciples go up the mountain with Jesus and they see Him glorified, they also are commanded to listen to Him. It when we behold God’s glory and obey Him that we too can be transformed (from glory to glory) into the people that He wants us to be.
Hope with Me in the Coming of the King | Rev. Yoel Ben David by Christ Church Jerusalem
Have you ever wondered about the purpose of studying the Bible? This sermon delves into the importance of understanding who God is and avoiding the pitfalls of creating Him in our own image. Psalm 111-112 uses rich Hebraic poetry to reveal the enduring greatness of God's works. By crafting such beautiful liturgical prayers, not only does the author worship God, but they also delve into, and reveal, their theological belief–exploring the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom. Understanding the majestic glory and grace of God, they must challenge believers to imitate God's attributes. Through these ancient and beautiful Psalms, discover the timeless relevance of imitating God's actions, reflecting His character, and ensuring that our righteousness will endure forever.
The stories of Jonah and John both invite us to communal repentance–a central act for followers of the Messiah. If we find in ourselves an aversion to repentance–or to giving others the chance to repent–may Almighty God remove that from within us and invite us to His table of forgiveness.
Nathaniel’s first encounter with the Messiah is arguably one of the most important passages in the Gospel of John. It is an invitation to “come and see” who it is that calls us into fellowship with Him. He is not only the Rabbi who calls us to follow him; He is the one who comes down from heaven and gives us permanent access to God and his divine nature.
AND HE APPROACHED | Ezekiel 37:15-28 with Phil Morrow & Aaron Eime by Christ Church Jerusalem
For centuries the baptism of Jesus has mystified readers of the New Testament. Since Jesus was the sinless Son of Adam/Man, why would He need to heed John’s call to be immersed for the forgiveness of sins? As we survey John’s activities and his call for repentance as a necessary step for national redemption, we come to a better understanding of how this event fits into the wider picture of the Gospels. It also teaches us something about the role of the Holy Spirit and how Jesus’ humility and His identification with the people of Israel can help us pray for our families, churches and nations.
The Gospel of Mark jumps straight into the profound significance of the wilderness in Biblical prophecy and narrative. He does so intentionally to demonstrate that we are at war with the powers and principalities of this world. The war is ongoing, even though the outcome is certain. We can find joy and hope in God's mighty victory, but we should acknowledge the balance between desiring God to come quickly and recognizing the patience that God exhibits so that many, including us, can prepare through repentance, obedience, and continuous faithfulness.
Fearful? Apathetic? Fatalistic? Or just pre-occupied with personal issues? This is how we may be tempted to respond to the chaos and distress in which we live today. But Jesus’ teaching about the End of the Age can help us. While warning us of tribulation and persecution, He calls us to action – watch, pray, preach the Gospel and be found faithful. This teaching will not only prepare us for the End, but also for the struggles we find ourselves in today.
Fear to Folly In the short story, The Parable of the Talents, Jesus warns us about being too fearful and cautious in using our gifts and resources in a creative, even risky way to advance His kingdom. He tells us that when we stand before the Judgement Seat we will have to give an account, not only of our deeds, but also of the things we failed to do. The Second Sunday Before Advent • Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 • Matthew 25:14-30Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Rev. David PileggiReadings: Third Sunday Before AdventAmos 5:18-24, Psalm 78:1-8Matthew 25:1-13Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Love in a Time of Crisis Loving God and our neighbor can appear to be insufficient in a time of chaos, fear and death. “Surely," we tell ourselves, "we must do something more.” Yet it is by putting this teaching of Jesus into practice that we demonstrate our confidence in His redemptive Kingship. This is how the world will see our hope that God has not abandoned us even in our darkest hour. In Romans 12, Paul spells this out for us practically: Love must be sincere; hate what is evil, cling to what is good … as far as possible live in peace with everyone … overcome evil with good.Readings: Matthew 22:34-46; Leviticus 19:1-18Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Unless You Go With Us On Mount Sinai Moses asks God, 'Who will accompany us on the way to the Promised Land?' God says He will send an angel but Moses insists that the Lord must go with them. He argues that only He Himself, dwelling in the midst of Israel, will distinguish them from all the other nations. It is the same for us. It is not theology, traditions, or politics that make us distinctive in the eyes of the world. But that the reality of Immanuel/God With Us, is seen to be amongst us in the person of His Son, Jesus the Messiah. ReadingsExodus 33:12-23 • Isaiah 45:1-7 and • Matthew 22:15-22---Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
IN THE BEGINNING | 1 Samuel 20.18–42 & Isaiah 42.5–21 with Aaron Eime by Christ Church Jerusalem
The Treason of Indifference |Rev. David PileggiToday, when so many events in the Middle East are being seen as the fulfillment of prophecy it can create a fatalism and passivity that stops many from intercession. The story of the Golden Calf powerfully highlights the character of God, the true nature of prophecy and the cost of effective intercession. Along with the events of unfaithfulness at Sinai we consider Jesus’ parable about those who rejected the king’s invitation to the wedding of his son - both nothing less than an act of treason.Readings for Sunday Exodus 32:1-14Isaiah 25:1-9Matthew 22:1-14Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
This week, all across Israel, families have been gathering in their Sukkas which are small booths, in order to mark the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. We hear of this festival in Leviticus 23, where it not only tells Israel to build booths, but to also gather plants. The four plants are Palm, Myrtle, Willow and an Etrog (a Yellow Citrus). The text however doesn't tell us why we gather these plants, or what to do with them. We can learn from Jewish tradition that God asks us to worship him with all our senses. And over the years Jewish people have noticed that these four plants have either a taste or a smell, but not both. That is except for the Etrog. An interpretation was added to this observation showing how each of these different plants represented a type of disciple. In his sermon, Aaron takes us through from Sukkot, to the Parable of the Two Sons, and challenges us... what type of disciple are we? Do we smell AND taste like a follower of Jesus?Readings:Exodus 17:1-17Psalm 72 Matthew 21:23-32Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donateThis sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
This week, our usual Sunday evening service coincided with the beginning of Yom Kippur, the biblical Day of Atonement. On this day, people across the Jewish world read from the Scroll of Jonah, reminding themselves of the centrality of repentance in their walk with God. This centrality of repentance is not only tangible throughout the BIble but echoes throughout the New Testament. However, how often are we told by the world that forgiveness is contemptible? CS Lewis famously remarked, "it is not that people think this too high and difficult a virtue: it is that they think it hateful and contemptible."Turning to our Gospel reading in Matthew about the Unfaithful Servant, it is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. In this week's sermon, John Arnold highlights the stark difference between the world's view of forgiveness and that of God's view, linking it back to demonstrate how we can see the fingerprints of this dichotomy in the traditional Jonah readings for Yom Kippur.Readings: Leviticus 23:26-32 •Isaiah 57:14-58:14 • Matthew 18:21-35👉🏼 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ 👉🏼 This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
The parable of the rich farmer wanting to build bigger barns and Jesus’ teaching on worry and possessions resonates with one of the the main themes found in the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh HaShana holiday: God’s Kingship and the confrontation with idolatry. Surely, the idols of our age are the search for personal prosperity, peace and security. And when these become our primary goals we are tested in the very things that we crave. Such testing should be welcomed as it enables us to deepen our discipleship and model Jesus' alternative to the world’s well meaning, desire for the good life.Readings: Numbers 29:1-6 • Deuteronomy 8:7-18 • Luke 12:16-30.👉🏼 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ 👉🏼 This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Forgiveness and discipline might seem to be somewhat contradictory but they should both be a result of our love and care for one another. If we avoid warning people of their behavior we are not giving them the opportunity to feel the joy and relief of confession and the forgiveness God promises–forgiveness we are also called to give as God forgives us.Readings: Ezekiel 33:1-11 • Psalm 119:33-40 • Matthew 18:15-20.👉🏼 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ 👉🏼 This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Suffering is something few of us want, too many of us boast about and, perhaps, not enough Christians are willing to face. Rather than grumbling and complaining over every difficult thing we face, Christians are called to be blameless and innocent–a light in a dark world. Jesus gives an example and call to his disciples to take up their cross and follow after him while Paul will tell us what our sacrifice should look like.
Readings: Romans 12:9-21 • Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45 • Matthew 16:13-28.
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Jesus will challenge us to confess who He is in a very dark and confused pagan environment, and declare that His kingdom will not be stopped, not even by Hell.
Readings: Exodus 1:8-2:10 • Isaiah 51:1-6 • Matthew 16:13-20.
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Many times in scripture God is revealed to us as full of compassion, plenteous in mercy and slow to anger. And while we are never able to earn His favor or repay His goodness, we are expected to respond aright. Too often, in receiving God’s mercy, many become proud and cheapen God’s overwhelming gift. Instead, as we see in today’s readings, our trust in and response to God’s character and providence requires patience, humility and mercy extended to others.
Readings: Genesis 45:1-15; Romans 11:1-2a, 25-36; Matthew 15:21-28.
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We are all called by God, He knows those He calls and He knows we can do it, so go do it!
Readings: Jonah 2:1-10; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33.
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The miraculous provision of food for the 5,000 (recorded in all four gospels) teaches us something critical about Jesus and what it means to be his disciple. This miracle highlights how his ministry follows and yet expands the pattern set by Moses and Elijah. Further, the manner in which Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it foreshadows his redeeming death and the gift of the Eucharist which has nourished believers down through the ages. Being overwhelmed by so many people needing food, the disciples were challenged by Jesus when he told them "You give them something to eat”. This command is still relevant for us as Jesus invites us to put away all passivity, discouragement and defeatism and actively partner with him in the work that he is doing in our world today.
Readings: Romans 9:1-5; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21; Matthew 14:13-21.
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We are encouraged to seek first the kingdom of God and to thirst after His righteousness. That’s not always easy and do we need to do that after we have become followers of Jesus?
Readings: 1 Kings 3:3-14; Romans 8: 26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52.
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The Ancient of Days and Son of Man are on their thrones. But the kingdom of God has an enemy. Throughout our life we will meet many false prophets and many false teachers that are scattered within the Church by Satan. The mockery these people make of God, His teachings, and the church can often make us sad, anxious, and angry–even to the point of sinning ourselves. But while we must be careful not to fall victim or support them, perhaps we should remind ourselves that God Himself is patient. God is patient because He cares for all people but especially His children.
Readings: Genesis 29:15-28; 1 Kings 3:3-14; Matthew 13:32-33, 44-52.
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The parable of the sower describes the heart of the disciples who hear the Word of God and choose to respond to God's invitation. His invitation is free but does require a response!
Readings: Genesis 25:19-34; Isaiah 55; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23.
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There is a time to hear the message of the King and that time is now. But having ears to hear includes submitting ourselves to follow the message of the King. In the end, we will submit to the message of a king, a god. The question that we should ask ourselves is do we want to submit to the gods we make or to the God that made us. When we submit to the gods we make, even though it is because we are seeking our own benefit, our own lusts, and our own selfishness it will only burden us and make us like those gods we make–vain, self-righteous, self-absorbed. Submitting to the God who made us does mean that we look to serve–serve the orphan, the widow, our neighbour, and all those who God loves (which includes those who would be his enemies). But even so, this burden is well worth bearing, for it is not wearisome and following His commands is true rest for our souls.
Readings: Genesis 25:19-34; Isaiah 55; Matthew 13:1-9,18-23.
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Jesus ends his challenging discourse on discipleship (Matthew 10) by assuring us that we will be rewarded for even the smallest act of kindness (cup of cold water) to another disciple. We often miss the challenges in what we consider to be “easy" acts of obedience. Yet what appears to be relatively simple commands that come with little personal cost may be just as challenging as facing persecution or taking up our cross. Equally, we often fail to see the benefits and blessings that come by doing seemingly small and insignificant acts of hospitality and loving kindness.
Readings: Genesis 22:1-19; Galatians 6:1-10; Matthew 10:40-42.
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The essence of discipleship is attachment, and discipleship to Jesus involves transferring our primary loyalty from family, ethnic group or nation to Jesus Himself. Such changes can be difficult and costly as we see clearly in the life of Abraham. He was called to surrender his past and was prepared to give up his future (sacrifice of Isaac) and struggled in the present while waiting for God to fulfill his promises. Tempted by his fears, Abraham took short cuts that had long-lasting repercussions. Despite his many difficulties Abraham matured and his story should encourage us to address our own fears and lack of faith that hinders our allegiance to Jesus.
Readings: Genesis 21:8-21; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39. 👉🏼 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ 👉🏼 This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Paul concludes his instructions on how to Walk Worthy of the Lord by focusing on three things. First, Paul urges the Colossians to be watchful in prayer and in thanksgiving. While others may be vulnerable you should be praying for them and keep the watch in the night. Secondly, Paul urges his readers to pray for the opportunity to speak the mystery of Christ. And when those opportunities come, to be found walking in wisdom and speaking graciously but also "seasoned with salt", knowing how to speak to each person we meet. Finally, to walk worthy of the Lord, we do not walk alone.
Today compassion is considered to be a fundamental value in our society yet it is often confused with doing symbolic acts that cost us little. In contrast, the ministry of Jesus was motivated by a costly compassion which he expected his disciples to emulate. Jesus not only models the compassion that God has for his fallen creation but surely learned from the example of his earthly father Joseph. When sending out the Twelve Apostles, Jesus gives them authority to bring his redemptive presence into the lives of the sick, oppressed, ostracized and those without direction. The Twelve learn empathy and compassion by living with and depending on those to whom they are sent to help.
Readings: Ezekiel 34:1-16; Mathew 9:35-10:23.
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Paul encourages the Colossians to “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus”. Does this give us permission to do as we like, as long as it is in the name of Jesus? Drive out the infidels! … in the name of Jesus. Do as I say, woman! … in the name of Jesus. Absolutely not, we are to be compassionate, kind, humble, meek and patient. Wives and Husbands, children and parents, even bond-servants and masters are all to bear with one another, love one another, forgive one another, even as–and this is where it gets difficult to do things in the name of, or in the authority of Jesus–even as the Lord has forgiven you. If we truly want our families and societies to thrive, perhaps we should start by following these commands.
The word believe also means trust in Hebrew. We are all called to trust the Lord and take courage to walk that calling in faithfulness. Faith is more than believing in something, it’s also something you do.
Readings: Genesis 12:1-9; Psalm 33:1-12; Matthew 9:9-13,18-26.
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If we are alive in the Messiah, we should walk worthy of our Lord. This means putting away things that are wrong, such as sexual immorality, greed, and covetousness. It also means living a life worthy of the Lord in our mind, heart, and tongue, even when it comes to our neighbours who are culturally, economically, politically, or socially different from us.
In the time of Paul, the Colossians were no different from much of the Greek world. They did not follow the same moral rules and laws that God declared to be right and good. But, as the Colossians saw God treat all people the same, they were all called to walk in the same way, worthy of the Lord–whether Greek or Jew; slave or free; male or female.
The command to go and make disciples provides the perfect end to Matthew's gospel. The 1st Century context of Matthew's story includes the Jewish practice of discipleship. More than a set of doctrines or practicing spiritual disciplines, discipleship is attachment to a person. As Paul reminds us, a good way to become a disciple of Jesus is by imitating others who model His life for us. All who seek to make disciples must first be discipled themselves
Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Daniel 7:9-13; Matthew 28:16-20.
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Walk in the Lord! There are many paths to walk in this world but so many are empty. It is the Messiah who was raised from the dead. It is the Messiah who triumphed, who is God, who is above all and is head of the Church. And it is through the Messiah that we can be full, not full of ourselves, mind you, but full of life (as we also have been raised from the dead of our trespasses). And yet, too often, we go back to what is empty.
This week, Reuven Doron leads us from Genesis through Revelation. While Pentecost is the day we remember God fulfilling His promise of the giving of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is, and always has been, God. And the whole breadth of Scripture declares that the Holy Spirit has been, and will always be, involved with God’s creation and people.
Readings: Acts 2:1-21; Numbers 11:24-30; John 7:37-39.
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Paul continues to speak of the Colossians' inclusion in the Saints and asks them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. He turns their attention to the head of the Church–Jesus. Jesus, the creator of all, reconciled the Colossians to God. They were reconciled not because of their greatness or piety, but because of Jesus' blood. Through Jesus, they can be presented to God as holy and blameless.The Colossians were not taught by the great apostles or disciples of Jesus. Neither were they rich or pious. Paul, an Apostle, became a deacon for the Colossians. He shared what he could and encouraged them but it was God who called them and Jesus was their head. Although it mustn’t be forgotten that through a relatively unknown man, Epaphras, they heard the gospel preached and turned to God.
The ascension of the Lord is the majorly transitional point in the human story. Jesus has done all His work and now it is up to the Church to take the good news from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Daniel 7:9-14; Luke 24:44-53.Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
The Epistles are generally written to address an issue in a Church. The Epistle of Colossians never directly addresses what Paul is may be trying to correct, but as we study Colossians we might be able to deduce something of the problem he is addressing. Meanwhile, Paul is grateful that the gospel going around the world has resulted in bearing fruit. Faith has brought results that are visible and tangible, for in the Hebraic context faith is something you can see, not something locked inside your head. In keeping with this metaphor of ‘bearing fruit’ Paul urges his readers to be filled with the knowledge of the will of God as well as to possess wisdom and spiritual understanding. Gaining these attributes: knowledge, wisdom and understanding, which appear to be on the surface as aspects of the academic realm, actually prompt the believer to a ‘walk worthy of the Lord’ producing good work. Knowledge (etc) leads to changed lives.
A Place For You | Rev. David PileggJesus told his disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you." We have a tendency to spiritualize these words, so we assume that Jesus is only talking about the world to come. Yet throughout the Hebrew Bible we see God’s provision of a place for His people that we only enter through love and obedience. Jesus invites us to that place where we can fully participate in the relationship He has with Father - – a.k.a. eternal life.Readings:SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTERI John 3: 1-3, 11-24 Psalm 116John 14:15-21Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
The Way, the Truth and the Life | Martin LiferReadings: Acts 7: 55-60; Psalm 31; John 14:1-14Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Salvation & Abundant Life | Rev. David PileggiToday our Gospel reading is John 10, Jesus the Good Shepherd. The context is John 9, the account of a blind man who was thrown out of the community, a victim of crude theology (which some of us may retain in part). It was in this situation that Jesus responded, “I am the Good Shepherd … I came to give life to the full.” The benefits of salvation are found in the flock that Jesus shepherds, in His community. (Acts 2: 42-47).Readings: Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 23, John 10:1-10Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos Chapter 9 Judgment and compassion, exile and restoration. We so often focus on a single subject, but the prophets so often mention hope when speaking of God’s punishment as well as obedience and judgment when speaking of promise. While Amos 9 might seem to be divided into two different subjects, it’s good to hear the whole of God’s promises.
Third Sunday of Easter The Big Why! | Rev. Sandra MatthewsIn this podcast we hear Rev'd Sandra expounding the dialogue between the two disciples leaving Jerusalem (for Emmaus) and Jesus. She reminds us that Jesus seeks the lost and confused and His desire is to answer our questions of WHY — but we need to be open to listen, hear, and receive Him.Third Sunday of Easter Psalm 116:1-4, 12-191 Peter 1:17-23Luke 24:13-35Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Holy Week 2023 DevotionalsGod told Israel to tell their children of the night of their redemption, when God spared all who put blood on their doorposts. But Israel hadn’t yet put blood on their doorposts. To tell of their redemption Israel had to actually obey God.Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Holy Week 2023 Devotional | The God that suffersGod isn't simply with us when we suffer, although He is with us. God doesn't simply see our affliction and save us from it, although He both see us and redeems us. God also suffers, He knows suffering, grief, pain. And by His stripes we are healed. Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Holy Week 2023 Devotional | Redeemer And RedemptionPassover is the celebration of the founding of a holy people through an act of redemption. Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.2. Holy Week 2023 Devotional | Redeemer And RedemptionPassover is the celebration of the founding of a holy people through an act of redemption.3. Holy Week 2023 Devotional | Teach Your Children; But First Do!God told Israel to tell their children of the night of their redemption, when God spared all who put blood on their doorposts. But Israel hadn’t yet put blood on their doorposts. To tell of their redemption Israel had to actually obey God.4. Holy Week 2023 Devotional | Saved by The God We Did Not KnowExodus is the story of identity. God reveals who He is, a nation is formed in the act of redemption and the response to Gods generosity is our obedience. Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos 8: Seek the Word of the Lord.Amos has shown how proud and full of self-interest Israel has been and continued to be.. They seek riches above charity, self above God. Amos declares that one day Israel will desperately seek after God but they will not hear God. For they will look to gods that do not live and live in disobedience to the Lord God in preference for their own lifestyles; and God will not forget their crooked and corrupt actions.
The Community of Forgiveness Following the resurrection, Jesus instructs His followers to reflect on the redemptive image of God and be participants in the activity of forgiveness. The new community of God will be a forgiving one and will share God's forgiveness to the broken world.Readings for 2nd Sunday of EasterActs 2:14a & 22-32, Psalm 16, John 20: 19-31Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
It’s an Earthquake | Rev. David PileggiHas the resurrection of Jesus become an abstract doctrine for us, or something that we only mention at a funeral? Like Matthew’s earth-shattering account, let us refuse to domesticate that most important event, and let’s ensure that it shapes our lives and sends us fearlessly out into the world to make disciples.Readings: Resurrection SundayJeremiah 31:1-6 Acts 10: 34-43Matthew 28:1-10Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Resurrection Sunday. Reuven DoronHe is Risen! Who raised Jesus from the dead and why?Readings:Jeremiah 31:1-6, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 28:1-8Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Palm Sunday - The Tale of Two Processions | Rev. David PileggiChrist Church Jerusalem sits directly on the site of Herod’s palace where Pontius Pilate stationed himself every Passover. He came with his entourage of pomp and military power from the West to ensure that order would be kept when the Jewish passion for liberation was at its height, during this Feast of Freedom. Coming into Jerusalem from the East along the pilgrim’s route (up from the Jordan Valley) was Jesus of Nazareth who stopped on the top of the Mt. of Olives and wept when he saw the city. Which procession will we join? It might not be as obvious as we think.Readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 & Matthew 21:1-11Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos, seeing the judgment of God, begged God to relent. And God did! Twice Amos begged for forgiveness and the relenting of God's judgment. But, as he sees God's judgment for the third time, the very people he is pleading for accuse him of fomenting rebellion.Why would they accuse him? Perhaps it is because he is being effective? Even though many didn't listen to him, and it was these that stood in opposition to him, perhaps some actually listened and heard the word of God. There are always people who will listen, and it is for these that we should pray and intercede--but also for those who do not listen, for it truly is the enemies of God that need him. And judgment will come.
I am the resurrection The gospel can be summed up in one sentence; Jesus rose from the dead. The resurrection is more than an event, the resurrection is also a person. To know Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him is to know and experience resurrected new life.Readings: 5th Sunday in LentEzekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos tells us to seek God and live but so often we simply seek to live [in ease]. We live in nice houses, we eat nice food and enjoy our time of leisure and, in seeking to live, we forget to actually seek God. Now, there isn’t anything wrong with boisterous singing or sleeping in a nice bed, but Amos asks several hard questions of us: Are we forgetting that God will judge?Are we exploiting and harming those we oversee?Are we actually acting self-righteously, ignoring the injustice around us?
When The Good Shepherd seeks a shepherd after His own Heart.When the first king of Israel fails to obey the Lord fully, God seeks for a king after His own heart.David was anointed as a boy but needed to be raised up to be king. Through many trials David learned how to trust in the Lord and to Shepherd the flock of God. The great lesson in life is to become more like Jesus who is the Good Shepherd.Readings: Fourth Sunday in Lent1 Samuel 16:1-13Psalm 23Acts 20:26-31Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Gospel Change | Yoel Ben DavidIn this talk Yoel explains what Gospel change is and how we can be transformed by it. As he goes through John 4, we discover the breadth, process, and power of Gospel change as well as how Jesus reaches down to the very bottom of our hearts.Readings: Third Sunday in Lent Ps 73:21-28, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos declared that the Day of the Lord would be terrifying. We’ve seen that Israel had turned from God to seek their own wealth, their own pleasure, and their own religion. Because they sought their own at the expense of those who were poor, the slaves, and the widows, God would bring His own justice upon Israel.So what should we do? Instead of waiting for the day of the Lord, seek Him now. Seek good and not evil, establish justice. What is good and what is justice? First of all, they are actions. If you can’t find God in your world, show Him to your world. Seek good and not evil and the Lord God Almighty will be with you. Seek justice and righteousness and God may even have mercy on us.
Born Again. Been There, Done That?The call of Abraham and his growing faithfulness provides the perfect context for the encounter that Nicodemus had with Jesus. This gives us a wider perspective about Jesus’ teaching on being born again and what it means to have eternal life.Readings: SECOND SUNDAY IN LENTGenesis 12:1-9 • Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 • John 3:1-17Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
26th February 2023. The Duel in the Desert | Rev. David PileggiWe see in the lectionary readings today that the testing of Jesus in the wilderness echoes the Garden experience and Israel’s 40 year sojourn in the desert. Although there are a number differences in these three accounts, the similarities are striking. We are attacked by the devil and seduced by our own human nature not only in our identity, fears and places of weakness, but also in the way we hear and understand the life-giving nature of Scripture. Today we learn and must remember that God allows us to be tested "so that it will go well with you.” (Deuteronomy 8:16)Readings: FIRST SUNDAY IN LENTGenesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7Deuteronomy 8Matthew 4:1-1Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Transfiguration SundayTitleThe Ineffective Knowledge of Jesus’ majesty | John ArnoldDuring Epiphany we journey along with the disciples as they witness Jesus’ ministry. The first Sunday of Epiphany, Jesus comes to John the Baptist to be baptized and we have two major statements. “Behold the Lamb of God.” and “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” The final Sunday of Epiphany we look at the transfiguration of Jesus. Once again, God declares, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” But God then adds, “Listen to Him.” Peter was one of three disciples who witnessed God’s declaration and saw Jesus’ transformation. As he approached his own final days on earth, he wrote those he loved and explained what it meant to “Listen to God.” All disciples can hear the Word of God through Scriptures, but to be productive and effective Peter delves into what it means to actually hear God.Readings Exodus 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos, The Burden of the LordChapter 3, God is never without a witness. Israel can see the natural ways of the world. Certain truths are known, “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet?” So why is it so hard for them, and us, to see what God is doing? He has revealed the truth, both in history and in Scripture through the prophets. History shows both the evil and the good. We can see the faults of those who came before us and we can see those who stood out in history and stood for what was right. The God of the Bible is also the God of history–His actions declare who He is. And while God is a God of mercy, His actions also show that His roaring is not in vain. God will act powerfully in righteousness and justice! Perhaps we should consider how we stand out in history.
Too Radical? Not Practical? Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is somewhat puzzling as it seems too radical and not practical for everyday life. Yet when we look at its First Century Jewish and Biblical context its meaning becomes more understandable. God’s Torah (guidance and instruction) is brought to the forefront by Jesus when he claims that He is not misinterpreting God’s Word but is giving its right interpretation. We can only appreciate his teaching when we overcome a certain Christian misunderstanding of Torah and see its intimate relationship to the Beatitudes.Readings: Fifth Sunday after the EpiphanyIsaiah 58:1-9-12Psalm 119:33-40Matthew 5:13-20Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos, The Burden of the Lord Chapter 2, A nation like every other nation. Israel was called to be holy, set apart from the darkness of the the world to bring light to the nations. Instead they followed the road of temporary gain--economics, politics, even family and religion above obedience to the God different than every other god. Disobedience to God isn't simply breaking a few laws, it is turning from all that is good and leads down a path of misery. Misery for those we persecute and eventual judgment from God for us. Who is this God? Learn about the instructions and statutes He set forth and look at the things He has done -- the mercy, redemption, and judgment He showed in those actions. He has revealed Himself to us, but we must seek after Him.
The Community We All Long ForThe rebellion in the Garden not only affected our relationship with God but also our relationships with one another. Part of Jesus’ ministry is to restore relationships and re-establish community as God intended from the beginning. At times Jesus called this community the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the Gospel of Matthew we learn that it is comprised of the poor in spirit - those disciples who have made Jesus King. Relationships grounded in the Beatitudes are a witness to a world longing for community.Readings: Fourth Sunday after Epiphany Micah 6:1-8Psalm 15Matthew 5:1-12Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Amos: The Lord Roars From Zion Chapter 1, The Lord roars from Zion. Throughout Israel there are schools of prophets. But God chose a shepherd breeder to see the vision of what God was going to do. Was the message something Israel wanted to hear? In his first vision, Amos saw that God would pour out his wrath on those nations that disobeyed. Perhaps at first this would be pleasing to hear for the people of God, but they will soon learn that they have also disobeyed and will not forever escape God's wrath. Perhaps before we rejoice that the day of God's anger will come, we should consider ourselves and repent lest it is you and I that will suffer the wrath of God.
Location, Location, Location We usually don’t think too much about the geography of the Bible, but often it has an important theological message. Quoting from Isaiah, Matthew explains why the Son of God began his ministry in rural, insignificant Galilee. Isaiah tells us that the northern kingdom of Israel was dismantled by the Assyrians and the people were left in darkness, hopelessness and exile. It is no coincidence that Jesus’ message and ministry began there. Restoration and healing is found when we heed Jesus’ urgent call to repent and we leave the darkness to follow him.Readings: Third Sunday After the Epiphany Isaiah 9:1-4, Psalm 27:1, 4-9, Matthew 4:12-23Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Behold the Lamb of God.How does a John the Baptist know to call Jesus the Lamb of God? And what should our response and our desire be to this declaration of truth?Readings for 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Isaiah 49:1-7Psalm 40:1-11John 1:29-42Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Love and SacrificeWe learn from the biblical sacrificial system that love and intimacy with God are bound up with sacrifice. In the “Binding of Issac” God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son whom he loves. On the banks of the Jordan river, God presents His beloved Son to Israel, and the Father so loves the world that he gave his only begotten Son. We also, as beloved sons and daughters adopted into God’s family, are called to live sacrificially. Although we live in an age of narcissism and self-absorption, His Holy Spirit can give us the courage and faith to believe that abundant life comes through self-giving.BAPTISM OF THE LORD: Isaiah 42:1-9Acts 10:34-43Matthew 3:13-17Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
The Circumcision and the Naming of the Lord. The King of heaven possesses a Hebrew lineage and a Hebrew name, yet He is The King of all nations.
Christmas Day How much is the lamb related to Jesus and His birth? Bethlehem was the town where the Royal Lambs were raining shed and prepared for the Passover sacrifice. Jesus was our Passover spotless lamb who would shoulder the sins of the world. It was remarkable the similarities between Jesus and the lamb.Readings: Titus 2:11-14 Psalm 96 Luke 2:1-14-20Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
A Very Messy Christmas | Rev. David PileggiOften It’s been noted that the story of Jesus’ birth begins with a genealogy of some ancestors who were “less than perfect” – liars, cheats, idol worshipers, and prostitutes – sinners who made a mess of their lives and the lives of others. The birth of Jesus can only be fully understood in the context of this story. “Fear not,” the angel said at His birth, “I bring good news of great joy for you and all people. A Saviour, the Messiah is born unto you.” Like all of us, Jesus was born into and lived amidst messy and painful circumstances. Yet this obedient Son would save us from our sins and bring us back into an intimate relationship with the Father. He is Immanuel, God with us – whatever the circumstances we may find ourselves in today. And that is Good News.Readings: Fourth Sunday in Advent - Isaiah 7:10-16, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-25Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Take No Offense | Rev. David Pileggi On this third Sunday of Advent we recall the doubts that John the Baptist had about the Messiah-ship of Jesus. While recognizing Jesus as the Anointed One, John couldn't accept Jesus’ messianic agenda or the redemptive nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. In response, Jesus said “Blessed is the one not offended in me.” How many of us, like John the Baptist, have expectations of Jesus that lead to disappointment which can corrode our faith and ultimately our relationship with God?Readings - Third Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:4-9, Matthew 11:2-11Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
A Lifestyle of RepentanceJohn the Baptist is one of the most enigmatic figures in the New Testament. The lack of detail often clouds his mission - which is more than just announcing the coming of Messiah. As foretold by the prophets – Isaiah in particular – it is that God will return to Zion with his people in glory to bring redemption to both Israel and the nations in an unprecedented way. Yet before this can happen the people must cleanse themselves with repentance. This message is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago: a lifestyle of repentance is the key to redemption.Readings: Second Sunday of AdventIsaiah 11:1-10, Romans 15:4-13, Matthew 3:1-12
Getting ready.This week we talk about what Jesus’ return means to us and how that might change our lives forever. We discuss how some things in our lives distract us from adding meaning to our lives and how finally even the suffering we encounter along the way will be turned in joy at his return.Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44.Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalemListen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
The Character of our King
This Sunday is often referred to as “Christ the King” Sunday because of its theme of the reign of Christ. Instead of the more common subject of the “kingdom” Rev Neville Jones takes a different tack and looks at the character of the King. Using a number of bible passages he summarises the promises and prophecies for this divinely anointed ruler, and how Jesus is careful to not inflame any misplaced expectations that many had about this “coming king”. In several well-known passages he then looks at how Jesus reveals his true character, the effect it had on those involved and how we in turn should respond. Quote (from the sermon) The Lord’s response could be summarised this way: “Thanks David for the offer of a house, but I tell you what, I’ll build you a house” … and when God says he will build a house it, it stays built.
Readings: Jeremiah 23: 1-6, Colossians 1: 11-20, Luke 23: 33-43
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Warning! When the disciples were marveling about the temple Jesus took that moment to warn them. It would soon be destroyed. Are we like them? Do we think our nation -economy-culture-education-family is too great to fail? His warnings to them are relevant for us today. In particular we examine the dangers of deception and how we can prevent falling prey to self deception and being led astray by others.
Readings: Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost - Remembrance Sunday Isaiah 65:17-25, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19
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Rev. David Pileggi | Their Days, Our Days and the End Days
Paul's words of instruction and comfort to the church of Thessalonika have special relevance for us and the times in which we live. First, Paul thanks God for their faith and steadfastness in the midst of suffering, but he also warns them not to be deceived or get too excited or be deceived about the coming of the Lord. That will not happen until the man of lawlessness is revealed and proclaim himself to be God - even though the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Surely this teaches us to avoid foolish speculation about the end times which has only brought confusion and embarrassment to the church.
Readings: Haggai 1:15-2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Luke 20:27-38
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Title - All Saints Day Description - If we live we live to the Lord, if we die we die to the Lord, so whether we live or die we are the Lords, how then shall we live?
Readings: Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Psalm 149 Luke 6:20-31
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23 August 2022 | The Good Folks and the Sinners
Our passage today is the story of Jesus calling to the tax collector in a sycamore tree while He was passing though Jericho. This story should be read along side the parable of the 2 men who went up to the temple to pray - a religious man (Pharisee) and a sinner (tax-collector). In both accounts we are not only confronted with the issue of self-righteousness, but also with those good people (the religious man and the crowd) who seem to think that God’s mercy is beyond the sinner. The shocking ending to both accounts reminds us that we all stand in need of God’s mercy, and that humility and repentance is the right response to God’s overwhelming grace to us all. When reading these stories, it is easy to condemn the callous crowd and the Pharisee, but let's be aware that these faults are alive and well in the church - and in us.
Readings: Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22 Psalm 84:1-7 Luke 18:9-14 & 19:1-10
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We Have Profaned Succot (Tabernacles) is not just a time for God’s people to rejoice, but is a holiday for all the nations. God desires to redeem the nations, not just individuals, but they are bound up in disobedience with idolatry is its chief expression. The people of God should be a "light to the nations” and model a clear alternative to idolatry. Holiness is not only a separation from evil, but to attach to Goodness. But so often our attachments and dependence upon created things and not our Creator has desecrated His name among the nations and brought us nothing but chaos and more. The rejection of all forms of idolatry must begin in the house of God and then will we be able to call the nations to repentance.
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A Table in the Wilderness?
Succot, or Tabernacles, is a holy day where God’s people are commanded to rejoice. But when we look around at the situation in the world today, how can we celebrate? It will be helpful, in our anxiety and fear of what the future might bring, to look at the context of time and place of this holiday. First, it comes right after Yom Kippur when there has been repentance and reconciliation with God and our neighbors. Secondly, it recalls God’s provision in the wilderness – a place of scarcity and danger. This is God’s prescription: when we come into right relationship with Him, we will be able to trust Him despite the circumstances. We can be grateful that He has and will indeed provide a table in the wilderness.
Readings: Feast of Tabernacles. Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Deuteronomy 16:13-17 - Leviticus 23:33 -43 - Luke 17:11-19
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Relationships and Wraiths. In this sermon we look at how Jesus communicates the enormity and practice of Forgiveness
Readings: 17th Sunday after Pentecost - Lamentations 3:19-26 - Psalm 137 - Luke 17:3-10
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Love, the sacrifice we have to give away | Rev. Aaron Eime
Our current western generation has been given everything except a reason to get up in the morning. We have a great reason, the immeasurable love of the Lord and the obligation to share that love unconditionally.
Readings : 16th Sunday after Pentecost. Genesis 22:1-19 - 1 Timothy 6:6-19 - Luke 16:19-31
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Risky Living | Rev. David Pileggi
For centuries the Parable of the Dishonest Steward has puzzled Bible readers and commentators alike. But in light of contemporary Jewish sources we learn that this parable contains two technical terms used by the Essenes, “mammon of unrighteousness” and “sons of light.” It would seem that Jesus is critiquing the way this group attempted to protect their community from the evils of the world by separatism and hatred of outsiders. This parable is a timely reminder that although we must be careful and not become assimilated into the world, we must also be willing to take risks in relationship with those outside the church in order to be salt and light.
Readings: Jeremiah 8:18 - 9:1 - 1 Timothy 2:1-7 - Luke 16: 1-13
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Sunday 11th September 2022
The Path To Repentance And God's Faithfulness To Bring Us Back | Matthew
David was a man after God's own heart. However, he sinned by committing adultery with Bethsheba and having Uriah killed. Nonetheless, when Man fails God does not. He's faithful to leave the 99 and go after the one lost sheep.
Readings: Psalm 51:1-10, Hebrews 12: 1-8, Luke 15: 1-10
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4th September 2022 13th Sunday after Pentecost.
When considering discipleship we often fail to take into account the Jewish context of this practice. Young men would attach, or apprentice themselves to a teacher in order to be mentored in the ways of Torah. The goal was obedience leading to holiness. In the New Testament holiness comes through such apprenticeship to Jesus. But as attractive as holiness might be, we often find ourselves facing challenges from our families or culture, and many of us are just tired and it seems too hard. I would like to remind us that Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me … my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11) And despite the challenges along the way we do have the Holy Spirit to help us.
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 - Psalm 1 - Luke 14:25-33
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28 August 2022 - 12th Sunday after Pentecost - For the third time in Luke, Jesus dined with the Pharisees and while there he healed a man and used the opportunity to teach. His instruction on how to behave at such events was not just good social advice for the times, but more essentially it's a challenge for his followers to live in such a way that reveals God’s generous nature with the undeserving. He also reminds us that it is not wrong to expect a reward but that compensation will come from God Himself and not those who benefit from our generosity.
Readings: Jeremiah 2:4-13 - Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 - Luke 14:1, 7-14
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On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus healed a crippled women on the Sabbath which resulted in a clash with a synagogue official. At first glance this might seem to be just another encounter between Jesus and the religious authorities. Yet when viewed in its historic context, this incident may have more to do with human nature than just a theological issue and it demonstrates the subtle danger of letting our personalities, traditions politics or current culture, obstruct God's redemptive kingship.
Aaron Eime and the gang discuss Leviticus 27 and wrap up the study.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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7 August 2022 - Ninth Sunday After Pentecost - Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, points to a kingdom and a different way of living. Rev. Yoel Ben David discusses how a future becomes part of our lives and changes our lives now.
Readings: Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 33:12-22; Luke 12:32-40
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Aaron Eime and the study group look at the end of chapter 26, where the LORD warns Israel of the consequences of rebellion but promises that he will always remember the covenant, for the patriarchs' sake.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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31 July 2022 - Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
Readings: Psalm 49:1-12; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21
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Aaron Eime and the study group start chapter 26, where the Lord proclaims the blessings that flow from obedience
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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24 July 2022 - Seventh Sunday After Pentecost - Prayer is more than simply talking to God. Prayer in Hebrew is a reflexive verb meaning that prayer has a very real effect on us. It is a dialogue with the divine in which God speaks to us as much as we speak to Him.
Readings: Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Luke 11:1-13
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Aaron Eime and the study group discuss the Year of Jubilee and its links to the coming of Messiah and the Kingdom of God.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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17 July 2022 - Sixth Sunday After Pentecost - What are the Lord’s provisions for His people during the global famine for His living and abiding word?
Readings: Amos 8:1-12; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
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Aaron Eime and the study group discuss the command of shmita -- sabbath for the land -- and the year of Jubilee.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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10 July 2022 - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - Loving Your Neighbor - The Good Samaritan
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Psalm 25:1-9; Luke 10:25-37
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Aaron Eime and the study group cover a lot of ground, touching on the showbread, blasphemy, and corporeal punishment.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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3 July 2022 - 4th Sunday after Pentecost - In our Gospel passage today, Jesus was aware that the national situation was desperate and people were growing frustrated and fearful, some even panicking and turning to extremism as they looked for the answer. In this context, Jesus sent out the 70 with urgent instructions to heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God, and not to become diverted along the way. This passage surely speaks to us today. It is a powerful reminder that in our frustrations with our societies and churches, we cannot be tempted to look for instant, non-biblical solutions. The work of a disciple must rest upon Jesus’ assurance that God’s kingship will continue to expand despite political and cultural obstacles. Thus, Rev. David Pileggi tells us, our response must be urgent and Kingdom-centered but never one of despair or panic.
Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-14; Acts 12:19b-24; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
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Aaron Eime and the study group walk through Leviticus 23 and discuss the Sabbath connection between all the Feasts of the LORD and their relevance for followers of Yeshua today.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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26 June 2022 - 3rd Sunday after Pentecost - As part of our calling to follow the Lord, Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us we are challenged by Jesus to check the fruit of the Spirit in our everyday life.
Readings: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
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In looking at Leviticus 22, Aaron Eime and the study group discuss the profaning the name of the LORD.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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19 June 2022 - 2nd Sunday after Pentecost - The enemy is like a roaring lion seeking prey to devour. His raging can stir fear in our hearts and minds. Deacon Rosemary Saunders -- through the stories of Elijah and the demoniac Legion -- shows us how God defends us and ministers to our broken places.
Readings: 1 Kings 19:1-15; Psalm 27; Luke 8:26-29
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12 June 2022 - Trinty Sunday - In today's world, truth has become personalized and relative. It is no longer acceptable to speak of “the truth” but can say only “my truth” and “your truth.” In John’s Gospel, Jesus often speaks of “the truth" – which is a correct understanding of who He is, along with right living (doing the truth). Both are necessary to maintain that gift of divine life that we share with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.
Readings: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
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Aaron Eime and the study group discuss the holiness requirements of the Cohanim and how they might apply to New Testament believers.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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5 June 2022 - Pentecost - The day of Pentecost was a truly memorable day, especially for those disciples that received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Deacon Neville Jones looks at the context of when and where this happened – its relationship to Easter and where the disciples were gathered – as well as its significance for the spread of the gospel. Using Ezekiel’s vision of the river of God, he offers a final reflection on the power and effect of the Holy Spirit and our calling to be part of it.
Readings: Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:8-17
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Rev. Aaron Eime and friends finish Leviticus 20 by discussing God's standards of sexual behavior.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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Music credit: Reaching The Sky 2020 by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5865-reaching-the-sky-2020 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
29 May 2022 - Seventh Sunday of Easter - The Ascension is a neglected event in Jesus' life, says Rev. David Pileggi. When we think of what saves us, many of us think of Jesus' death and resurrection. However, every aspect of Jesus' life ministers salvation to us -- from his birth all the way to the ascension, from his continuing ministry of intercession before the Father all the way to his coming return.
Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53
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Music credit: Reaching The Sky 2020 by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5865-reaching-the-sky-2020 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Rev. Aaron Eime and the gang continue Leviticus 20 and discuss the holiness of God, his call for his people to be holy, and our part in matter.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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Music credit: Reaching The Sky 2020 by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5865-reaching-the-sky-2020 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
22 May 2022 - Sixth Sunday of Easter - Our three scripture passages today are about Home. We all have a desire for the security, well-being and blessing that a home gives us. And no matter how good or how dysfunctional our childhood home was, we all know what the ideal home should be. But where can we find it? The biblical understanding is that home is in our relationship with God. It’s a gift that’s on offer, one that we don’t have to earn. We enter solely by grace. It’s a phenomenal promise, but our residency there depends upon maintaining the relationship. Our readings today teach us what is essential towards that end.
Readings: Deuteronomy 11:1-12; Revelation 21:10-22:5; John 14:23-29
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Music credit: Reaching The Sky 2020 by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5865-reaching-the-sky-2020 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Rev. Aaron Eime and the gang start Leviticus 20 and discuss the idol Molech and some of the idolatry that plagues our societies today.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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Music credit: Imagefilm 002 by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/46-imagefilm-002 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
15 May 2022 - Fifth Sunday of Easter - Jesus commands us to love as He has loved. Jesus loved us, not from a place of comfort but from a place of risk. Sermon by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Readings: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
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Music credit: Imagefilm 002 by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/46-imagefilm-002 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
8 May 2022 - On the fourth Sunday of the Easter season, known as Good Shepherd Sunday in Anglican and other church traditions, we look at the imagery of the shepherd (both good and wicked) found in Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. The shepherd of Psalm 23, Jesus the Good Shepherd, and the shepherd who leads to living water in the book of Revelation encourage us to listen and to follow Him to meet our most fundamental human needs.
Readings: Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 23; John 10:22-30
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Music credit: Imagefilm 002 by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/46-imagefilm-002 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Aaron Eime and the Bible study group discuss the end of Leviticus 19, including not seeking out mediums or necromancers and honoring elders.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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Music credit: Imagefilm 002 by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/46-imagefilm-002 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
1 May 2022 - Third Sunday of Easter - In the Gospel of John, the resurrected Jesus again reveals himself, tenderly providing to a group of weary and wavering disciples a miraculous catch of fish. He also supplies them with breakfast, assurance, restored relationship with Himself, and the call to steadfastly follow Him in caring for His flock and expanding His kingdom. Peter, near the end of his life of faithfully following Jesus even to martyrdom, reflects on this event and its importance for us in our weariness and wavering. Rev. John Howanstine reminds us how Peter concludes his first epistle with this encouragement: "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."
Readings: Acts 9:1-20; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
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For more on the Poland Study tour, visit narrowbridgetour.com.
Music credit: Imagefilm 002 by Sascha Ende® Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/46-imagefilm-002 License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The Bible study group discusses the commandments to not mix animal species, plant different crops together nor sow different fabrics together. They also discuss the statute about a man having sexual relations with a slave woman. Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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24 April 2022 - At the Crossroads 2022 - In 2016, Andrew Brunson was arrested by the Turkish government on false charges and imprisoned for more than two years. Andrew connects his imprisonment to a prayer he began praying in 2007: "Father God, draw me so close to your heart that you will trust me with the authority to start waves." While Andrew believes his arrest was a satanic attack, he also believes God used it to test him and refine him. Andrew says not hearing God's voice or sensing his presence in prison broke him. Yet the deep-rooted love nurtured over years of pursuing the heart of God sustained Andrew through his dark night of the soul and drew him into an intimacy known only by God's battle-tested saints.
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24 April 2022 - Second Sunday of Easter - History records accounts of Jewish disciples standing by and dying with their martyred rabbis. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that most of Jesus' students abandoned their teacher at his death. Were they hiding from Jesus in the upper room? After the resurrection, Jesus enters their locked room -- not with justified anger -- but with words of peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls us from our locked rooms to trust in the relationship we have with him and courageously imitate our holy God.
Readings: Acts 5:27-32; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31
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We continue in Leviticus 19, the pinnacle of this middle book of the Torah. We consider how God expects us to love our neighbor.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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17 April 2022 - Resurrection Sunday - God created the world out of love. He always wished to dwell among his created people. Even after Adam and Eve fall, God comes in search of his people. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that God chose Abraham and freed Israel from Egypt to establish a community to live among. After the resurrection, Jesus goes out searching for his hopeless disciples so they can encounter him, regather into community, and multiply into a people of healing and redemption.
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17 April 2022 - Resurrection Sunday - The crucified Messiah is risen! Hallelujah! Jesus is not just resurrected. He is Resurrection itself. Marcel Rebiai, founder of the Community of Reconciliation in Jerusalem, tells us that we cannot know or understand Resurrection until we allow ourselves to be broken at the cross. All of us have to come to the realization that we have nothing good in ourselves and that without God's mercy, we are utterly lost. While the world obsesses about power and knowledge, Jesus reveals the heart of God by humbling himself even unto death. When we imitate the humility of the Messiah, he transforms our heart. A heart that reflects humility of Yeshua is what Satan fears, because that is what defeated the powers of darkness.
Readings: Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 114; Luke 24:13-49
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We reach Leviticus 19, the pinnacle of this middle book of the Torah. "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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The call to be holy is not limited to impacting our prayer life or improving the quality of our daily devotions. The principle of holiness is to impact every aspect of our lives, families and communities. Chapter 18 declares the holiness code of conduct in regards to sexual behaviour and how Israel is to act differently from the pagan nations.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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10 April 2022 - Palm Sunday - At Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, the people rejoiced and praise God when they saw Jesus because of the miracles they had seen. “Blessed is the King!” But as He continued down the mountain and approached Jerusalem, Jesus wept over the city, knowing that destruction was coming. "If only you knew what makes for peace.” What happened to Jerusalem should alarm us. We would be foolish, says Rev. David Pileggi, to not recognize God’s visitation in our day - and respond appropriately. Do we love and weep over our cities like Jesus? Do we care enough to pray for renewal and restoration?
Readings: Readings: Psalm 118, Psalm 122, Luke 19:28-40
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3 April 2022 - Fifth Sunday in Lent - As we approach Passover and Holy Week, Isaiah has us look back at the Exodus while also calling our attention to God's new thing. We look back not in nostalgia, says Rev. Alex Jacob, but to remember God's faithfulness, a faithfulness that we can count on going forward. We find here a tension between contentment in our circumstance and ambition for God's future. As we search our hearts for holy balance, Mary of Bethany models for us devoted, Jesus-centered worship. How pure is our motivation to follow and worship Jesus?
Readings: Isaiah 43:16-20; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8
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Aaron and the gang begin discussing the sexual laws of Leviticus 18. Listener discretion is advised.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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27 March 2022 - Fourth Sunday in Lent - Luke 15 includes what’s often called “The parable of the prodigal son” as well as two other “lost and found” parables, but all three stories are, in fact, a single parable. Rev. Neville Jones takes a detailed look at the chapter and shows how Jesus has carefully constructed a story that is full of surprises for his hearers as well as being very revealing about two groups of people in the crowd – the tax collectors and sinners on one hand and the scribes and Pharisees on the other.
Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Psalm 32; Luke 15
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Aaron and the gang discuss the treatment of animals and why God values the blood of animals and humans so much.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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20 March 2022 - Third Sunday in Lent - God is not the god of karma; he is the God of grace, says Rev. Aaron Eime. In challenging some of our false assumptions at how the world works, Jesus calls us to show the fruit of repentance.
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
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Aaron and the gang finish Leviticus 16 and the statutes for the Day of Atonement.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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Living Beyond Our Fears | Rev. David Pileggi
13 March 2022 - Second Sunday in Lent - Psalm 27 and our Gospel passage today are tied together by the theme of fear. In this psalm, we discover that biblical worship – where we behold God’s beauty, express joy, and offer sacrifice – is the best place to lose our fears and anxieties. The trust and obedience of Jesus, as He refuses to let anything stop him from doing God’s will and walking the way of the cross, also enables us to live beyond our fears by faithful obedience to him, the one who conquered death itself. Sermon by Rev. David Pileggi.
Readings: Philippians 3:17-4:1; Psalm 27; Luke 13:31-35
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We continue digging into Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement and instructions for the scapegoat.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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6 March 2022 - First Sunday in Lent - In this world, we will face testing and trials. It is at these times, says Rev. David Pileggi, that we need to hear the voice of the Lord - not only for encouragement to remain faithful but to strengthen our identity in Him. We should not be surprised when trials come our way, we must be prepared.
Readings: Deuteronomy 8; Luke 4:1-13
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Moses had acted as priest for one week, demonstrating to Aaron and his sons how to serve appropriately in the presence of God (Lev 8-9). On the eighth day, Aaron had assumed his role as the High Priest and now receives instructions on how to enter the Holy of Holies to meet with the Lord.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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27 February 2022 - Transfiguration Sunday - The story of the Transfiguration brings the season of Epiphany to a close. As with the Baptism of Jesus at the beginning of Epiphany, a voice from heaven is the highlight of the Transfiguration passage. The voice of God connects the life and ministry of Jesus with the entire Hebrew Bible and commands Jesus’ disciples to listen to him in a biblical context. Sermon by Rev. David Pileggi.
Readings: Genesis 3:1-24; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43a
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Aaron and the gang look at the Day of Atonement as laid out in Leviticus 16. This leads to a discussion on the scapegoat and Azazel.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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20 February 2022 - Seventh Sunday of Epiphany - In just a few verses Luke records an occasion when Jesus taught his disciples how to live transformed lives, both as a community and individuals. The heart of this is summed up in three words: Love your enemies. Deacon Neville Jones walks us through several of Jesus' examples of how we should respond when subjected to insults, physical aggression and injustice. And more than that, how through forgiveness and generosity we can reflect the character of our merciful Father in heaven.
Readings: Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Psalm 37-1-11, 39-40; Luke 6:27-38
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Reading Leviticus 15 leads to a discussion on the view of sex within Jewish and Christian contexts. The group also revisits the difference between sinfulness and uncleanness.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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13 February 2022 - Sixth Sunday of Epiphany - In an age of social media when so many of us are concerned with appearances and what others think of us, we should heed the words of Jesus, “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you.” This saying and others in the Lukan account of the Sermon on the Mount uncovers a spiritual reality that reveals the blessings of poverty, desperation, and even persecution.
Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-20; Psalm 1; Luke 6:17-26
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6 February 2022 - Fifth Sunday of Epiphany - The ancient calling of Jesus to discipleship and to represent the good news of God is irrevocable. Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us that the call of discipleship extends to us today. We should answer Jesus' call with all humility and courage.
Readings: Isaiah 6:1-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
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Leviticus 14 deals with the cleansing of lepers and infected homes, and the group continues to grapple with the implications for disciples of Jesus.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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Gospel Lessons from a Nazareth Synagogue | Rev. David Pileggi
30 January 2022 - Fourth Sunday of Epiphany - Luke’s account of Jesus’ sermon in Nazareth is rich in detail of Jewish religious life in the first century. It also defines the mission of Jesus and, even further, the very nature of the Father who sent Him. The strong reaction of the townsfolk, says Rev. David Pileggi, is instructive for us in addressing our own current issues. This sermon is dedicated to the memory of Dwight A. Pryor.
Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Luke 4:21-30
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The passage giving instructions for dealing with leprosy leads to a discussion whether there is a connection between sin and sickness.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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23 January 2022 - Third Sunday of Epiphany - Jesus begins his ministry in Luke’s gospel by declaring that his mission is a continuation of God’s desire to rescue (redeem) what rightfully belongs to Him. We can only fully understand the depth of God’s love and compassion, says Rev. David Pileggi, when we see this incident in the light of his dealings with Israel. And redemption is always accompanied by humility and repentance.
Readings: Leviticus 25:8-15, 39-50; Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 4:14-21
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The group looks at the offerings required of a woman after childbirth and discusses whether there is some sin a woman commits in childbirth and continues to touch on the definition of atonement.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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16 January 2022 - Second Sunday of Epiphany - That Jesus miraculously turned water into wine has made the story of the wedding at Cana in Galilee well known. John calls the transformation a "sign" as it's much more than just a miracle. Rev. Neville Jones walks us through details of the story as well as how Jesus refers to weddings in his teachings. He will then show us the significance and prophetic nature of this sign, the first of seven signs in Jesus' ministry.
Readings: Isaiah 63:1-5; Psalm 36:5-10; John 2:1-11
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A passage on clean and unclean animals stokes discussion on what kosher laws mean to the followers of Jesus the Messiah.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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9 January 2022 - First Sunday of Epiphany - Although we may struggle with some questions that the baptism of Jesus raises, his experience at the Jordan River does have an obvious and powerful life-giving message. Our obsessive search for meaning and identity today is often done in the most harmful ways imaginable. Instead, each one of us needs to hear our Father's voice saying, “You are my beloved child,” and then respond.
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-7, 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
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The account of the death of Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu leads to a discussion of God's holiness and his expectations for worship.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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2 January 2022 - Second Sunday After Christmas - The joyous season of Christmas is interrupted by the commemoration of Herod’s murder of the boys of Bethlehem. The story is an essential reminder that a non-stop war has been waged from the beginning -- by the devil, fallen humanity, our culture, and our political systems -- that seeks to promote chaos and destroy life. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that to glorify God means to no longer be bystanders. We should not be afraid of being unpopular but rather take a stand for life in any way possible. After the sermon, two members of the church talk about their work today in local ministries that support life in a world that prefers the convenience of death.
Readings: Revelation 21:1-7; Psalm 8; Matthew 2:1-18
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At the end of Leviticus 9, we see the fruit of obeying God's requirements for Israel's worship -- the manifest presence of God.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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26 December 2021 - First Sunday After Christmas - Deacon Rosemary Saunders challenges us to stop and experience the day Jesus the Messiah was born. What do we see? What do we hear and smell? In the midst of stinky animals and boisterous shepherds, perhaps we see a mother and child at risk. God's ways are not our ways. God takes a risk to become one of us. He loves us and longs to dwell with us. Let us be risk-takers with God.
Readings: Psalm 84; Luke 2
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A pause in the verse-by-verse study in Leviticus to engage in a broader discussion about sacrifices.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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19 December 2021 - Fourth Sunday of Advent - The life of the mother of Jesus has been ignored in many Christian traditions. Yet Mary’s extraordinary trust and obedience should be an inspiration for us today. It is posited that she was Jesus' first disciple and -- in contradiction to the pop song -- she really does show us wisdom. Perhaps her most important contribution was to give an example for her son Jesus, who like his mother, was called upon to say “Yes” to the will of God.
Readings: Micah 5:2-5a; Psalm 80:1-7; Luke 1:39-55
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The discussion from Leviticus 8 focuses on the ordination of Aaron and his sons, priestly garb as well as the ongoing discussion on what is atonement.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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12 December 2021 - Third Sunday of Advent - After no Israelite prophets for more than 400 years, John the Baptist's appearance heralded the coming of the Messiah. Many went out to the wilderness to drink in John's words and be baptized by him, but John called out those who came with selfish and shallow intensions. Rev. Kevin Cable, the rector of the Anglican Church of St. Peter in Jaffa, echoes John's message and reminds us that salvation is not inherited, baptism isn't a divine insurance policy, and we prove our repentance by our good works.
Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Psalm 85; Luke 3:7-18
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This week, we have a special Hanukkah lecture by Aaron Eime. Hanukkah is not quite a biblical holiday, yet it has become a very visible Jewish holiday around the world. The events that Hanukkah commemorates are recorded in the four Books of the Maccabees, none of which enter either the Jewish or Protestant Christian canons. Yet, we find the theology of the Maccabees in the New Testament, underpinning the theology of the early Church.
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5 December 2021 - Second Sunday of Advent - This second week of Advent, we turn to the message of the prophets and John the Baptist and their call to prepare the way of the Lord. Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us that the ancient prophetic message is still relevant to us today. John was the voice in the desert, and we are the voices today that must speak to the world the message of preparation and hope. We must also nurture a community living in expectation of Jesus' return.
Readings: Malachi 3:1-5; Luke 1:68-79; Psalm 126; Luke 3:1-6
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Music credit: Melodic Interlude Two by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6394-melodic-interlude-two License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The study group discusses the guilt offering and the fellowship offering. A technical problem cuts the meeting short.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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28 November 2021 - First Sunday of Advent - During this first week of Advent, the beginning of the Church's liturgical year, Rev. Aaron Eime turns our focus towards the return of the Messiah. The coming of the Lord brings both redemption and judgment, a time when everything hidden in darkness will be revealed by the light of God. Jesus and the prophets depict a world in chaos at the end of time, and the Day of Lord can look terrifying for some but be an obsession for others. Jesus admonishes us to not be burdened by fear nor weighted down by the anxieties of the world. Instead, we are encouraged to have a posture of hope and confidence. Our response to the return of Jesus is to be vigilant and on guard against the temptations of life.
Readings: Zechariah 14:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36
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Why is the sin offering eating by the worshiper? Why is the fire on the altar to be ever burning? What should we wear when we stand before God? Listen in as the group considers these questions.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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21 November 2021 - Feast of Christ the King - Who is God? Do we really know him? Can we really trust him? Deacon Rosemary Saunders encourages us to ask God the tough questions, the questions that cause us to grope for God. The eternal King will answer, perhaps not in a way we want, but in a way to reminds us that he is for us and not against us.
Readings: Daniel 7:1-9; Psalm 93; Revelation 1:4-8; John 18:33-38
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What should we give back when we have stolen or broken something that does not belong to us? We look at the instructions in Leviticus and compare them to Exodus and the New Testament.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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14 November 2021 - 25th Sunday After Pentecost - Hannah, wife of Elkanah, had no children. She faced the pressures of her culture's expectations by going before the Lord. She was real before the Lord, and he was faithful! Deacon Dana Mix encourages us to follow Hannah's example, go before the Lord in prayer, be real and rejoice in who God is.
Readings: 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-8
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Discussion about guilt offerings brings up questions of how atonement works.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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7 November 2021 - 24th Sunday After Pentecost - Deacon Neville Jones look at the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in the Old Testament, and, in the New Testament, the story of the widow who put just two small coins into the temple treasury. Jesus uses both these women to teach his disciples some unexpected and important truths about the character of God. Their circumstances were very different, but they both showed that God is faithful like no other. Psalm 146 picks up this theme to show that we too can trust him in any and all situations.
Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44
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31 October 2021 - All Saints Day - Upon the celebration of All Saints Day, we consider why it is essential for us to honor and keep before us the millions of followers of Jesus who have given their lives in rejecting idolatry and remained loyal witnesses of Jesus the Messiah. Surely we should live in such a way that honors their sacrifice.
Readings: Revelation 7:1–17; Psalm 145:3-13; Luke 6:20–31
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In Leviticus 5, the first verse about not speaking up about a public charge sparks a discussion that ranges from social-media-related voyeurism and how Leviticus 5:1 comes into play at Jesus' trial recorded in the Gospels.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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24 October 2021 - 22nd Sunday after Pentecost - Bartimaeus is unique in the the Gospel of Mark. Ironically, although blind, he is one of the few who sees who Jesus claims to be. What can we, as modern disciples, learn from him? His faith is a bold faith, desperate to receive from Jesus. Unlike the rich young ruler, nothing, not even his cloak hinders him from following Jesus.
Readings: Hebrews 11:1-6; Psalm 34; Mark 10:46-52
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17 October 2021 - 21st Sunday after Pentecost - Asking questions and seeking answers from God is not disrespectful nor inherently a wrong thing if done with the right intention. God is not unaware of our personal situations, and he knows us intimately. He is present during our dark times, and he hears our cries and questions about suffering and evil. It's from the storm and the chaos of the world that God’s voice can still be heard. When everything seems out of control, the reality is that God is actually in total control. God has shared our weakness in the person of Jesus, who is now elevated to be our eternal high priest. Jesus continues to speak to the people of God, so let us hear again the Good News when we need it the most.
Readings: Job 38:1-7, 34-41; Hebrews 5:1-10; Mark 10:35-45
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Finishing Leviticus 4, the discussion about intentional and unintentional sins continues.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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10 October 2021 - 20th Sunday after Pentecost - The lie of the Devil is that we can have the good life without God. Jesus exposed this lie by his faithful obedience. Rev. David Pileggi tells us that we also expose Satan's lie when we live like Jesus. Jesus called us to give to the poor and needy. When we do, we not only combat the Devil but we proclaim the merciful, generous character of God. We also invest in our eternal future. Jesus called the Rich Young Ruler to radically trust God with his wealth, but he was unwilling. Are we ready to trust God with our money?
Readings: Amos 5:6-7,10-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31
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Moses introduces the first sacrifice for sin; these sins are unintentional or committed in ignorance. This chapter details mandatory atonement for unintentional sins, confession of sins, forgiveness of sins, and cleansing from defilement. The chapter details four types of people who bring a sacrifice for sin: the priest, elders of the community, those in leadership positions, and the common people. We note again that these sins are unintentional and the later prophets of Israel argue against turning this ritual around to mean intentional sins and thus think they can fool the Lord by sinning, sacrificing, and getting away with it. The sin is against any of the commandments of the Lord, no matter the size of sin nor commandment broken. This is very similar to James 2:10 where it says, if you stumble on one point of the Law you break all of it.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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3 Oct 2021 - 19th Sunday after Pentecost - In the beginning God created couples: Heaven and Earth, Light and Darkness, Male and Female. Each of these couples is in a relationship and it is difficult to understand one without the other. Marriage is also a relationship, but not all relationships are a marriage. We are all in relationships of one sort or another. We are in relationships with each other and with the Living God. All relationships need work and broken ones even more so. God never gives up on a broken relationship; He loves us too much. All things can be redeemed and that includes broken relationships.
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In Leviticus 3, the peace offering.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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26 Sept 2021 - 18th Sunday after Pentecost - Sukkot - As we celebrate the Feast of Michael and All the Angels, we reconsider the fundamental nature of the spiritual conflict that believers face. The devil is first and foremost a deceiver and has convinced many in our generation that God is nothing more than a pious myth and that the message of Jesus is irrelevant. By holding to the "testimony of Jesus", we expose such lies not only by our words but also through committed discipleship that emphasizes keeping God’s commandments, loving our enemies, and supporting others in the community of faith.
Readings: Revelation 12:7-17; Romans 9-21; Mark 38-50
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Listen to this sermon and more on our podcast. Search for Christ Church Jerusalem in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.
Icon by Daniel Mitsui.
Leviticus 2 talks about a bloodless grain offering given as an option for the poor. Only this offering has a portion called "most holy." The LORD makes a way for all -- rich or poor -- to have relationship with him, and God highly values the poor among us.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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19 Sept 2021 - 17th Sunday after Pentecost - Sukkot - In Leviticus 23, God commanded the people of Israel to live in booths for one week every year in order that they may “know” that I brought them out of Egypt. How does enacting a ritual lead to the knowledge of the Lord? Rev. David Pileggi tell us that, among other important lessons, Sukkot teaches us the importance of making sure that our rituals are based on truth.
Readings: Leviticus 23/Deuteronomy 16; Zechariah 14:16-19; Revelation 7:9-17
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We continue our study on the ordinances and rules surrounding the ‘olah’, the sacrifice known as the burnt offering. The first recorded ‘olah’ in the Bible is Noah in Genesis following the flood. The ‘olah’ is burnt entirely on the altar We recall that the ‘olah’ has a freewill component implied by the conditional question ‘if ’. God does not compel obedience nor worship. Leviticus is a calling and we can choose to answer that call and partake in a relationship with the Lord.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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12 Sept 2021 - 16th Sunday after Pentecost - As the Day of Atonement approaches, religious Jews around the world will exchange the greeting “Gmar Chatima Tova", “…may your name be inscribed”, that is may your name be written and sealed in the Book of Life. In the Hebrew calendar, we are currently in the Days of Awe, a time of reflection, repentance, and making amends before the great fast day of Yom Kippur. The purpose of this period is not unlike that of Christian Lent, but the intensity and the outcome are very different. Jewish people hope for a year of blessing if their repentance has been adequate and accepted. Disciples of Jesus understand repentance, coupled with spiritual maturity, to be the way of life that leads to eternal life in the presence of the Lord. Canon Daryl Fenton discusses the great difficulty people today have with spiritual judgement and accountability and explores the practical ways the apostle James offers to ensure one’s name is inscribed.
Readings: Proverbs 1:20-33, Psalm 19:7-14, James 1:2-12; Mark 8:27-38
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Recording includes cover of "The Law Of The Lord Is Perfect" by Ed Grugor.
We begin a new study through the book of Leviticus.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/leviticus-and-god-called/
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5 Sept 2021 - Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Rosh Hashana - The biblical Feast of Trumpets, which occurs just before Yom Kippur and Sukkot, has evolved into a two-day holiday called Rosh HaShana, that is New Year. It is a time when the shofar is blown 100 times as a wake-up call before Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Rev. David Pileggi looks at three biblical uses of blowing the ram’s horn -- as a warning, a celebration, and at a king’s coronation -- and practical implications for us today.
Readings: Leviticus 23:23–25; Numbers 29:1–6; Psalm 98; Luke 1:46-55
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
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We finish up our Galatians study with a look at the variant readings of Galatians 6:13 and consider the identity of the agitators pushing circumcision in the Galatian community.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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29 August 2021 - Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Our tongues have the power to change the world and to defile us. Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us that we should use our tongues to love God and one another. God is ever calling to us, and our attention should be fixed on him. We must know the voice of the Beloved so we can respond to him and so understand what it is we are to do and what to say.
Readings: Song of Solomon 2:8-13; James 1:17-29; Mark 7:1-23
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A Bright Star In The Sky by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8093-a-bright-star-in-the-sky License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Freedom in Christ does not mean that you can do whatever you want. Freedom is not and never will be a state of lawlessness. In the next few verses, Paul presents some practical instructions on walking out our ‘freedom in Christ’. Walking out our freedom, essentially Christian halacha, is described by Paul as those who are living by the Spirit. Paul instructs the community to restore gently those found in unnamed sin. The tone is not judgmental; being overtaken by sin does not imply that the person does not have the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by King David. The Greek word for ‘restore’ has many uses in both New Testament and extra-biblical Greek literature. It can refer to the mending of bones in the human body as well as the mending of nets of fishermen, such as the disciples of Jesus in the Gospels. Something has been broken, in this case, the ‘walk in the Spirit’, and it is in need of restoration.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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22 August 2021 - Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost - The purpose of the Temple was to eat, drink and rejoice, says Rev. David Pileggi. God builds relationship with his people through food, much as we build friendship, family and culture around the meals we share. Food creates identity and tells us who we are. Jesus invites us to abide in him, to know and commit to him, lest we die.
Readings: Psalm 78:1-8 & 17-30; John 6:56-69
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
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A Bright Star In The Sky by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8093-a-bright-star-in-the-sky License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
We have all been called to freedom, both Jews and Gentiles. As part of sacred history, the Jewish people were called from Egypt to be a nation before the Lord. And Gentiles, too, were not to remain in bondage to elemental principles and the demonic forever. Where there used to be a separation between Jews and Gentiles in worship, places in the Temple, with table fellowship and prohibitions to inter-marry, now both receive redemption in the Messiah and freedom from those constraints. Now that we are free how then should we live? Paul says, to love and serve each other.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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15 Aug 2021 - 12th Sunday After Pentecost - Rev. David Pileggi continues to lead us in contemplating the beautiful, confusing, controversial words of John 6. After the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus invites us to be fed by him. God desires to provide for us in abundance as we encounter his life-giving presence. The best, most Christ-centered place to meet God and have him meet our needs is at the table he sets for us with bread and wine.
Readings: Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:9-14; John 6:51-58
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
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A Bright Star In The Sky by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8093-a-bright-star-in-the-sky License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Gentile pagan culture was infused with idolatry and immorality, all wrapped in the presence of demonic elemental principles. The Messiah of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth, had set free both Jews and Gentiles to no longer be ‘yoked to slavery’. The slavery mentioned here is the bondage to sin. Gentiles had been in defenceless bondage to elemental principles without God and Jews had had the ‘yoke of the Torah’ to guard against sin. Now through the Messiah everyone has access to the ‘yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven’ as equal members without distinction in the Kingdom. The yoke of the Messiah is easy and His burden is light.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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8 August 2021 - 11th Sunday after Pentecost - Continuing in John 6, Rev. David Pileggi explains how the Gospel of John sees eternal life as a present reality as well as a future hope. We are nourished into eternal life through relationship with Jesus the Messiah by consuming to the Word of God. This involves obedience, not motivated by fear of punishment but by love
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-13; Amos: 8:4-13; John 6:35, 41-51
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
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Music credit: A Bright Star In The Sky by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/8093-a-bright-star-in-the-sky License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
1 Aug 2021 - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - The multiplication of the loaves and fishes points to the God of life who brings blessing. Jesus, the Bread from Heaven, comes to give us eternal life and blessing in this life and the next. Rev David Pileggi challenges with the question: Do we believe Jesus does satisfy, or do our undisciplined desires convince us that what God provides is not enough?
Readings: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Psalm 78:23-29; John 6:24-35
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Having made the case that the Galatians are indeed heirs of the promise to Abraham, along with the Jewish people, Paul now urges them to ‘be like him’. This raises the question, should Paul not have pointed to Jesus rather than to himself? Paul is not sinless nor without his faults, unlike the Messiah. While it is true that we should all endeavor to keep and promote others to keep, our eyes on the Lord, in following the Lord we also become role models to those who watch us, a sobering thought.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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25 July 2021 - Ninth Sunday After Pentecost - The writer of John tells us that Passover was near when Jesus sat on a mountain to teach and then feed the 5,000. John puts Jesus squarely in the context of Sinai and the Exodus, connecting Jesus with the Prophet Like Moses. God, in the Exodus, moves Israel from death to life so that he can dwell with his people. Likewise, Jesus performs miracles to show that the Kingdom of God is breaking in on earth, moving those who trust in him from death to life and into relationship with God the Father.
Readings: Ephesians 3:14-21; Psalm 145:10-18; John 6:1-21
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A text taken out of context is a pretext, and I can do all things through a text taken out of context. Much commentary and discussion around Paul's epistle to the Galatians has been continually removed from the context. And I will continue to refer back to the contextual issues that face the Galatians believers. The issue is not, and I repeat, not that they doubt Jesus is the Messiah. No one is telling them that! The issue is social boundaries within the Jesus movement, that is the standing and relationship that Jews and Gentiles have, particularly towards the application of the Torah. Paul has argued that Gentiles are of equal standing as Jewish people in the Messiah, as are all people, whether they be male or female or of any socio economic status.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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18 July 2021 - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - On Tisha b'Av, Deacon Aaron Eime has us consider God's promise to David. David desired to build a house for God, but God instead promises to build David into a house, a dynasty. This house would bring forth the Messiah, the one who will accomplish God's desire to dwell not just among Israel but all humanity.
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-14; Psalm 89:20-37; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
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According to the Torah, God had promised Abraham that through his descendants all the nations (the Gentiles) of the world would be blessed. The physical Torah itself appeared later in history to Moses and was given specifically to the people of Israel. Israel were instructed to be a distinct people that would bring light to the nations. As people were drawn to the monotheistic faith of Israel, they would come into contact with the teaching and instruction (the Torah) of God. Now that the promised Messiah had indeed arrived and ascended to Heaven, what role does the Torah play in the life of the believer and was the Torah actually in opposition to the good news of the redeemer? The answer to which Paul replies - absolutely not!
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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11 July 2021 - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - God the Creator is above his creation, and so is worthy of worship by his creatures. When God created the world, he did so to enter into relationship with his creatures. This has never changed. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that it is only in holiness can we draw near to God. Holiness is not only refraining from evil, but it is also pursuing good. Right worship includes living a generous and moral life so we can reflect to the world the goodness of God.
Readings: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19; Psalm 24; Ephesians 1:3-14
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Paul has made his argument that righteousness is imputed by God to Gentiles as well as to Jewish people and that it is not earned through the ‘works of the Law’ that create distinctions, boundaries and social standings between them. A new reality has been formed with the resurrection of the Messiah which Paul can see clearly now, yet others (his antagonists) are unable to at the present time. Jews and Gentiles are of equal value, infinitely loved by God who created all things and sustains all things, God has plans for all of humanity, and the Torah proves it!
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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4 July 2021 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost - To be a disciple is to be sent. We are sent out to preach repentance, confront evil, and heal the hurting. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that to be successful in our call, we must be radically dependent on God. It is God's gifts of repentance, courage, and compassion that enable us to minister to those around us.
Readings: Ezekiel 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10; Mark 6:1-13
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Once again our discussion centered around the Torah, its meaning and relationship to the Mosaic covenant, and also to Paul's use of the phrase the 'works of the Law'. Once again it has to be stated that there is a difference between the Torah (also known as nomos in Greek), the Mosaic covenant, and the phrase ‘works of the Law’. Also once again it must be stated that you must never take a passage of scripture away from its context.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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27 June 2021 - Fifth Sunday After Pentecost - Who is Jesus? Is he just a man blessed with an extra measure of the Holy Spirit? In the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus is revealed as the Holy One of Israel whose holiness is more contagious than the impure stain of death. Jesus calls us to join the fight of life over death and shares with his followers the authority to confront evil.
Readings: 2 Timothy 1:1-10; Psalm 130; Mark 5:21-43
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Paul begins his challenge of Peter's hypocrisy by saying, “We who are Jews by birth ... who know”. The primary comparison is between Jews and Gentiles as a matter of nature, that is birth, and not between a matter of “knowing”. If the focus was on knowing, then this would lead us close to gnosticism. Jews are not “sinners,” which is the natural state of Gentiles who have no natural relationship with God nor knowledge of Him. Paul in Romans spends more time reflecting on the advantages of the Jewish people. Interestingly it is these very advantages that make hypocrisy a great danger.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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20 Jun 2021 - Fourth Sunday of Pentecost - Despite knowing Jesus, many of us lack in spiritual maturity. Rev. David Pileggi, taking clues from the life of King David, points us to the path of transformation and maturity. We must discern the world as it really is, allow God to prepare us, and live a lifestyle of gratitude that bears testimony of God's faithfulness to us.
Readings: 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41
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Paul's opposition to Peter initially concerns itself with Peter's refusal to eat with the Gentile members of the believing community. The issue is part of a larger theological concern that is worked out in practical behaviour. Jewish people in the Second Temple period did not typically dine with Gentiles of any description, because of ritual purity concerns. The belief was that “things” could pass on impurity to other people. Gentiles were considered as being perpetually in an impure state. Peter had already “crossed the Rubicon” by eating with Gentiles in Acts 10. “Do not call unclean what God was made clean!” Following the conversion of the centurion Cornelius, Peter went to Jerusalem where he was asked, not about the Holy Spirit falling on Gentiles nor details of angelic visitations but “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them” (Acts 11:3).
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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13 June 2021 - Third Sunday after Pentecost - We long for revival and to see the Kingdom of Heaven suddenly overtake the powers of this world. In the parable of the growing seed, Jesus teaches us that the kingdom grows slowly but surely under the sovereignty of God in partnership with his "farmers." From 120 people on the Day of Pentecost, the Jesus movement has spread throughout the world in 2,000 years. Rev. Aaron Eime encourages to do our part in walking out our faith and planting God's seeds for the Father's glory.
Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-17; Mark 4:26-34
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Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Paul continues to reveal some autobiographical material not found anywhere else in Scripture. In Galatians 1, Paul described his first trip to Jerusalem three years following his Damascus Road experience. In Galatians 2 he describes a second journey to Jerusalem, this time 14 years later. The use of the word ἔπειτα ‘then’ probably indicates the timing to follow after the initial three years. Thus Paul had spent 17 years in ministry since his calling in Damascus, studying in Arabia, ministering in Damascus, moving to his childhood home in Tarsus and finally being called to serve the Jewish-Gentile community of Antioch by Barnabas.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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6 June 2021 - Second Sunday after Pentecost - What is the unforgiveable sin? Have we done it? Rev. Aaron Eime has us consider this anxiety-producing sin in light of God's desire to have relationship with us. The Holy Spirit is a person, not an impersonal power. It is the Holy Spirit that, through Jesus' work on the cross, dwells in us and unites us with God. If we reject God's offer of forgiveness and friendship, we blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Readings: Genesis 3:8-15 • Psalm 130 • Mark 3:20-35
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Having laid forth a strong denunciation of the false gospel that currently persuades the Galatian communities, Paul gives some autobiographical material not found in any other epistle or writing. At the core of Paul's narration is that the Gospel preached by Paul is not Paul's gospel nor his invention. Paul claims divine revelation – the Greek word here is apocalypse – from the Messiah himself.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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30 May 2021 - Trinity Sunday - We serve the God who sacrificially sends himself out to heal his creation. He restores us to himself and enables us to share in the divine life. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that God then sends us out to live lives of love and unity modeled after the divine community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Readings: Isaiah 43:1-8; Isaiah 44:1-12; John 3:1-18
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The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Having established himself as an apostle in the opening sentence, Paul follows the pattern of greeting he has learned from his teacher Gamaliel in the salutation to the communities in Galatia: “Grace and peace,” or in Hebrew, chesed v’shalom. Paul invokes God the Father and the Messiah Jesus as source of the grace and peace. Paul does not invoke a trinitarian formula and omits mention of the Holy Spirit. Why does he do this? We discussed that Paul rarely mentions all three participants of the Godhead in a single sentence. We discussed that one of the Holy Spirit's roles as a permanent gift from God is to glorify and honour the Father and the Son, and not seek the attention and glory for Himself.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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23 May 2021 - Pentecost - As we commemorate the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit, Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that the Gospel is not merely about salvation and personal transformation. The Gospel is about healing creation and the relationships between individuals and people groups. Unity is a work of the Holy Spirit, however we must walk in love, repentance, and holiness to maintain unity, especially in these contentious times.
Readings: Isaiah 63:7-14; Ephesians 4
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Epistles are not documents of mass production, even when in encyclical form. Documents that are encyclicals are meant to be copied and passed around to several communities, though most readers of the encyclical likely heard the document read in public and did not read it themselves. Paul identifies himself as an apostle, literally ‘one who is sent’. The concept of ‘agency’, that is of an agent being sent on behalf of another, is well established in Jewish tradition.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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16 May 2021 - Seventh Sunday of Easter - How do you become a better you? A whole segment of the publishing industry is devoted to self-help books, but those assume that our problems can be solved by ourselves. All of us are sinful and unclean so that our desires distort into potentially deadly cravings. Matthew Dalling reminds us that God sent Jesus to make us new creations, that his commands are meant for our flourishing, and that the testimony of the Holy Spirit has the power to change us into better versions of ourselves so we can be agents of the live-giving Kingdom of God in our tumultuous world.
Readings: 1 John 5:9-13; Psalm 1; John 17:6-19
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Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license\
Deacon Aaron Eime begins a new study on Paul's Letter to the Galatians.
Notes for this study can be found at https://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/bible-studies/letter-to-the-galatians/
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9 May 2021 - Sixth Sunday of Easter - In this age of anxiety, Rev. David Pileggi says the church worries too much about end-time prophesy and the latest heresy or apostasy. There is an unhealthy focus on wickedness and evil. The Scriptures remind us that God is the faithful king of all the world and that his goal is reconciling the nations back to himself. Our response to God's faithfulness and love should be joyful gratitude and obedience.
Readings: Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
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Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The end of the book of Deuteronomy contains the account of the death of Moses. The Bible in itself does not insist that Moses was the sole author of the Torah. Tradition has it that Joshua penned the final song of Chapter 33 and documented the final moments of Moses’ life. It has been assumed that the whereabouts of the burial place of Moses has been deliberately obscured by God Himself so as to inhibit the possibility of construction of a shrine to Moses. The text of Deuteronomy states that God buried Moses. Later tradition notes that God, who is life, cannot be in the presence of death and thus an intermediary acting on behalf of the Lord undertook the task to actually bury Moses. The tradition that the archangel Michael did the deed is alluded to in the Epistle of Jude.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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2 May 2021 - Fifth Sunday of Easter - Jesus calls himself the vine, calling on an image recurrent throughout the Scriptures, and places his followers as branches of himself. Jesus tells us that the Father is the vinedresser who meticulously prunes and trims the branches so that they will produce the sweetest fruit. Neville Jones reminds us that we are called to trust the the Vinedresser's discipline as a sign of our sonship and maturing into the likeness of Jesus.
Readings: Isaiah 5:1-7; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8
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Following his song the next act of Moses is to bless the people before he himself leaves them and this world. The song of blessing has some similar characteristics to the blessing of Jacob in Genesis 49. One major feature of the blessing from Moses is the absence of the tribe of Simeon. Much of the blessing is in the third person, leading many to conclude that Joshua is recorder of the blessing.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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25 April 2021 - Fourth Sunday of Easter - As a sheep, the choice of which voice you listen to is a matter of life or death. Ezekiel warned the wayward shepherds of Israel that their selfishness was costing the lives of the sheep. The shepherd psalmist writes about having to trust God to survive in the wilderness. Jesus then, in the midst of the pandemic of death, offers the sheep eternal life both before and after death. He offers us divine fellowship and the opportunity to truly know the living God. Sermon by David Pileggi.
Readings: Ezekiel 34:1-16 & 23-24; Psalm 23; John 10:11-18
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Photo by Javad Esmaeili on Unsplash
The final song of Moses foretells a disastrous future for Israel, one of idolatry, violence and dispersion. The song is a national prophetic warning which does not have to come to pass should Israel heed its words. Israel’s behaviour will elicit emotions of jealousy and anger from God. Jealousy and anger are not sins in and of themselves; they are authentic feelings that God Himself can also feel, an interesting thought! The Israelites were expected to memorize this song in an attempt to avoid the calamities that it includes. The song has positive prophetic promises as well as negative ones. Despite God declaring the people to be a ‘perverse nation and a people without sense’ (32:28), He will also have compassion on them in the future and vindicate them against their enemies, delivering them once more.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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April 18, 2021 - Third Sunday of Easter - There is a debate of where specifically the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus took place. For some, faith seems diminished by not being able to pinpoint the exact locations. Our confidence in the resurrection, Rev. David Pileggi tells us, does not lie in identifying the place. The proof is found in 2,000 years worth of lives changed by the joy of knowing the risen Jesus.
Readings: Acts 3:12-19; 1 John 1:1-5; Luke 24:36-48
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The last act of Moses is to break into song! We always knew he had it in him. The song is formed kike a psalm, using Hebrew-style parallelisms. The song of Deuteronomy 32 assumes that the children of Israel are already in the Promised Land, have succeeded in the conquest but have fallen into idolatry. Thus this final portion of the Last Words of Moses is heavily prophetic. The Song of Moses became very important during the Second Temple period, having some form of liturgical use in the Temple and in some Jewish communities.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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11 April 2021 - Second Sunday in Easter - Death. If death is normal, then why do we have so much trouble with it? It does not feel normal. We are wired to hate death. Many in the world cope by saying there is nothing after death or by holding on to a fuzzy hope of an uncertain eternal existence. The resurrected Jesus gives us another view of death, says Canon Daryl Fenton. Disciples who encounter the resurrected Jesus can live in transforming power, obedience, and even joy in the face of death.
Readings: 1 John 1:1-2:2; Psalm 28; John 20:19-31
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4 April 2021 - What are we to make of Mark's abrupt resurrection account? Is it clumsy writing? Or does it fit right into a narrative that starts abruptly and highlights Jesus as the frustrated rabbi to his fearful and blind disciples? Rev. David Pileggi has us consider the words of the young man in the empty tomb, who offers the frightened women a word of peace and reconciling mercy from the resurrected Messiah. Only an encounter with the Resurrection embodied will heal our blindness, fear, and doubt.
Readings: Acts 10:34-43; Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 114; Mark 16:1-8
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28 March 2021 - On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus' triumphal but humble entry into Jerusalem. Jesus enters not only as a king but as a prophet warning Jerusalem -- not wagging his finger but weeping over his beloved city and his people. Rev. David Pileggi exhorts us to hear Jesus' critique of the corrupt Temple and search our hearts for the same arrogance and compromise that warranted God's judgment.
Readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Mark 11:1-17
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Music Credit: Rise Again by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4897-rise-again License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Moses is coming to the end of his monologue as well as his life in general. God has decreed Moses will not cross the Jordan and that the day of his speech, his 120th birthday, will be his final day in this world, putting in place a tradition that says heroes of God die on the same day as they are born. Moses says God Himself will cross the Jordan with the Israelites. God has been with the people in Egypt, partook of the Exodus with them and has dwelt among them in the wilderness. He has never left them despite their rebelliousness, and that is a comforting thought for all of us. God has led Israel in a joint venture with Moses, God and Man working together, and now both will go in to take possession of the Land.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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21 March 2021 - Fifth Sunday in Lent - To have eternal life is to have God's life. Before new birth, however, there has to be death to self, to the world's definition of life. Rev. David Pileggi encourages us to rediscover that Jesus' life -- his teaching, example, death, and resurrection -- not only saves us but shapes what our salvation looks like. We are invited not just to remember Jesus' death but to participate in it.
Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Music Credit: Rise Again by Alexander Nakarada Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4897-rise-again License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Moses concludes his retelling of the Torah, the deuteronumos or mishna torah, linking everything once again to the individual's heart and soul. The initial future of Israel, however, was not going to be too promising. The previously mentioned blessings and curses of chapters 27 and 28 were to befall the people of God. The future was exile. In its success of the conquest of Canaan, Israel was going to fail to maintain the covenant. This is an interesting thought, that blessing from God and success can lead to spiritual decline, idolatry and subsequent punishment. If exile is the future, why enter the Land in the first place? Why not just stay where they are and continue to wander the desert? Perhaps a wider question can be asked of ourselves: why is it that revelation rarely seems to change our behaviour?
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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14 March 2021 - Fourth Sunday in Lent - In Numbers 21, the children of Israel sin and bring a plague upon themselves. God in his mercy allows them to restore their relationship with him through a strange device, a bronze serpent on a pole. One thousand years later, Jesus tells Nicodemus he is the one who will restore relationship between God and his people. Canon Daryl Fenton reminds us that relationship cannot be restored by a mere transaction; repentance, a change of heart, is required.
Readings: Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21
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As Moses’ speech draws close to its end, he once again reiterates the sacred history of the people following the Exodus from Egypt leading up to a reiteration of the Covenant of God. The opening verse almost reads as though there were actually two covenants given to Israel, one at Mount Sinai(called Horeb) and the other here on the plains of Moab. Some Jewish commentators, like Rashi, say that Moses is adding to the previous words at Sinai while others say that this is a reiteration to the new younger generation of Israel, as the majority of those Sinai have passed away.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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7 March 2021 - Third Sunday in Lent - As we consider Jesus' cleansing of the temple, Rev. David Pileggi cautions us not to dismiss the temple as unimportant or merely a picture fulfilled in Jesus. The temple was a divine institution where heaven met earth, where God came down to dwell among his people. Jesus was zealous for this special place and is similarly passionate for the holiness of the Church. If we are the royal priesthood, we also should have a love and passion for the holiness of God's people and for our witness in the world.
Readings: 1 Kings 8:1-21; John 2:13-23
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28 February 2021 - Second Sunday in Lent - In the the second week of Lent, Deacon Aaron Eime reminds us that we practice spiritual disciplines -- like fasting and alms giving -- to get more of God. When we give, God gives us himself and his blessings. Yet, this getting of blessings creates a tension so that we struggle to give more. So in our giving, Jesus invites us to suffer with him in the way of the cross. The paradox is that when we give our lives away in this way, we gain Jesus and resurrection life.
Readings: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Psalm 22:22-30; Mark 8:31-38
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Sharon Alley discusses humor and irony in the book of Esther. As many might know, Esther is the only book of the Bible where God is not mentioned by name. Sharon helps us unpack this nuanced book further and shows us how, through different elements, we can see the footprint of God's redemptive work in Esther.
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Chapter 28 continues the pattern of blessing and extreme curses that has been prevalent throughout the Torah. Other nations had covenants that included blessings and curses as well. The difference with the Torah is the covenant is not between a human king and his people but with God and Man. Because Hebrew has no punctuation in its sentence structure, Moses uses a double sh’ma (that is he says the word twice) to give the word emphasis. Moses wants Israel to fully hear and obey the commands of the Lord.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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21 February 2021 - First Sunday in Lent - As we begin Lent, we remember that the Spirit of God thrust Jesus into the wilderness to test him. This is a real test of Jesus' trust and of his identity affirmed by the voice of God at the Jordan. God tests the righteous, Rev. David Pileggi tells us, to show us who we really are. Satan and the world want us to fail. God wants us to succeed and sends us into times of testing to learn to trust that he is sufficient.
Readings: Deuteronomy 8:1-18; Psalm 11; Mark 1:9-15
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Moses breaks his monologue to speak together with the elders of Israel, known in modern orthodox circles as the Sanhedrin, traditionally numbering 70 elders. Moses instructs the people to perform a very specific ceremony once they have crossed the Jordan on the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim. Part of this ceremony involved the construction of an altar and the establishment of pillars of stones that were then plastered and written on. What exactly was written on these monument stones is unclear. Opinions range from the entire Torah to the Decalogue. Joshua 4:9 testifies that Israel did indeed follow this practice of setting up stones as a symbolic witness of the covenant. The ceremony involved dividing the tribes between the mountains and declaring blessings from Gerizim and curses from Ebal. The altar and sacrifices are done on Mount Ebal, the mountain of the curses, and not on the mountain of blessing. In our discussions on why this might be the case, we ponder the connection between the Curse and the need for sacrifice to deal with the consequences of the Curse.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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14 February 2021 - Last Sunday of Epiphany - The Rev. David Pileggi says Christians have bought into the lie that the Gospel is about us or that the goal of life is happiness. The Gospels is not about us but about God's holiness, and the goal of life is to grow in holiness. God allows us glimpses of his holiness, his goodness, as he invites us near. The Transfiguration is one of these glimpses of God's glory. Let us draw near with awe and respect and accept God's invitation to become holy as he is holy.
Readings: 2 Kings 2:1-12; Exodus 24; Mark 9:2-9
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Much of the Torah regarding the sacrificial system, tithing and festivals in the calendar are portrayed from the perspective of the priests. The roles and duties of the Cohenim and Leviim are usually prominent. What Moses now presents is a rare glimpse into the liturgy of the Israelite worshipper. Once the land has been conquered and settled, which apparently took 14 years to achieve, then a portion of the fruits of each year's harvest was to be taken to the "place that the Lord will choose." This becomes known as the First Fruits and was selected from the 7 species of wheat, barley, grapes, olives, pomegranates, figs and dates. Livestock is not included in this command of bikkurim (derived from the same root as bekhor, that is "firstborn"). Interestingly the text says the Lord will choose a place for His Name to dwell. It is not written that the Lord will choose a place for His Temple or His Tabernacle, rather for His Name.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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7 February 2021 - Fifth Sunday of Epiphany - The Kingdom of God, which is here but not yet, can be hard to explain. The Rev. David Pileggi tells us that Kingdom of God is not just about Jesus or about God's power breaking into our lives in healing and salvation. The Kingdom of God is about a people who make Jesus King. King Jesus, who has begun the attack on death, commissions his disciples to be partners in bringing the Kingdom's message of victorious life to others through compassion and teaching. This sermon is dedicated to the memory of Dwight Pryor, founder of The Center for Judaic-Christian Studies.
Readings: Isaiah 40:21-31; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39
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The Torah is timeless. Indeed the Word of God is new and fresh every morning. Deuteronomy 25 brings many commandments that simply cannot be done in today's society as literally dictated by Moses, yet the Spirit of the Torah remains on our hearts to this day. Many of the commandments in the chapter pertain to fairness, that is, the fair treatment through criminal justice, domestic animals, widows and the potential unborn generations, fair weights and honest business dealings and justice for Amalek (whoever and whatever he is!).
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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31 January 2021 - Fourth Sunday of Epiphany - In Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Children of Israel to look for a prophet like himself, a leader who teaches with authority, performs miracles, and feeds multitudes. The Gospels portray Jesus as that long awaited Prophet, who has authority over the powers of darkness. Deacon Aaron Eime encourages to respond to Jesus and listen to the Messiah's voice.
Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; Mark 1:21-28
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Music credit: The Train in the Darkness by MusicLFiles Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7240-the-train-in-the-darkness License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
The dignity of the poor and the dignity of the worker are important to God. God is not aloof from His creation, and in His dealings with humanity He respects human dignity, and we see this in these opening laws regarding simple loans and wages. Kindness to the poor, in this instance returning pledges before nightfall, could result in a blessing in the sight of the Lord. God pays attention to our dealings with the poor and to their prayers as well.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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24 January 2021 - Third Sunday of Epiphany - In some of our contexts, our identity is boiled down to what we do for a living. Instead, our identity should be in God and our discipleship in Jesus Messiah. It is not what we do that makes us dear to the LORD but rather how we love him. Canon Daryl Fenton challenges us to break up the hard places in our hearts and return in love to the LORD who loves us.
Readings Jeremiah 3:19-4:4; 1 Cor 7:17-24; Mark 1:14-20
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Family stability was important and essential to the Israelite community that was about to establish itself in the Land of Canaan. The sustainability of a society both economically and politically is dependent on the strength of the family unit and the institution of marriage. We only have to look around at today's world and humbly acknowledge that one of the reasons for our failing societies is the breakdown of the family unit. Human relationships do not always succeed, and divorce was permitted in Israel. While divorce was and is allowed, it is regulated. There must be a cause for divorce. The plain reading on the text says the basis for a divorce is the ‘finding of something indecent’. Which then leads itself to several variant interpretations. Jewish commentators wrestled with the text long before the Gentile Christian world did. The Mishnah records the different traditions of the schools of Shammai and Hillel. Shammai took a harder stance on divorce allowing it only if adulatory could be proven, while Hillel permitted divorce even for a badly cooked breakfast. While Jesus often sided with the school of Hillel in His discussions on the Torah, in this case, Jesus sides with Shammai in permitting divorce only in the case of infidelity.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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17 January 2021 - Second Sunday of Epiphany - Our identity is formed by our loyalties and by the company we keep. We are natural mimics and are ever searching for someone to imitate. Rev. David Pileggi says that the guard against a culture that wishes to assimilate everyone is to have a firm, well established identity. Following Jesus, learning to be like him, teaches us we belong in God's family and leads us away from this corrupt world to eternal life.
Readings: 1 Samuel 3; John 1:43-51
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Music credit: Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7040-hopeful-and-positive- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
One of the first commands that the Lord gave Israel following the Exodus from Egypt was to construct a Tabernacle. God had also come out of Egypt with His people and now desired to dwell amongst them. Many times a year the people were to assemble before the Lord. However, Moses reminds the people that actually not everyone is permitted in the presence of God. God is life, and death may never enter His presence. God is perfect, and the blemished may also not enter His presence. What do we learn from this? We acknowledge that God is holy and this is reflected in how God is to be worshiped.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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10 January 2021 - First Sunday of Epiphany - The road that Jesus traveled from his immersion in the Jordan to Golgotha was fraught with opposition. He was hindered by Satan, by the religious and political authorities, and even by his own disciples, who were blinded and motivated by self-interest. Jesus overcame these trials, in part, due to his unshakable identity as the Beloved with whom the Father was well pleased. Knowing our identity as Beloved in the Messiah gives us the same resources in times of testing.
Due to technical issues caused by the latest pandemic lockdown, the audio quality will be a bit different today. Thank you for your grace. We pray that the Lord is sustain in you through this time.
Readings: Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Mark 1:4-11
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Virginity was highly valued in the ancient world, and women were not to be poorly treated as sex objects. The courts of Israel, run by the priesthood, stood to defend the honour of the woman. The Israelite value that protected women stood in contrast to the culture of the ancient world. Moses is communicating an ideal society. Perhaps this society was never going to be realised, but that actually is not the point. The point is the laws reflect the characteristics of God and His desire for socially, psychologically and spiritually healthy people.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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3 January 2020 - On the Second Sunday of Christmas, Rev. David Pileggi says the voice of the Word made flesh that “in the beginning” commanded light to shine in the darkness and created life now calls each one of us into the ultimate reality of a God who wants to dwell with us and to live in us. Sadly, many who affirm the Incarnation, the divinity of Jesus and more have allowed these theological truths to become a substitute for the presence of the living God in our lives.
Readings: Ephesians 1:3-14; Psalm 147:12-20; John 1:1-18
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27 December 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi, on the first Sunday of Christmas, reminds us that Jesus comes into this world fragile and susceptible to political, religious, and economic powers. Jesus identifies with most of the human family because we all live in similarly fragile situations. The one whose name is Salvation came to save us from sin and so much more. To be saved, to walk in the light and to know the glory of God, means we are freed from fear of death and from death itself. However, the path up to eternal, divine life is to follow Jesus down into humility and sometimes even suffering.
Readings: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148; Luke 2:22-40
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Music credit: Hopeful And Positive by chilledmusic Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7040-hopeful-and-positive- License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Chapter 22 covers a range of issues and commandments for the emerging Israelite society focusing on laws of kindness and community responsibility. Several of the laws also deal with various issues of separation. These rules were for the people of Israel in Canaan, so how would any of this have any bearing on Gentiles living in foreign lands today? Jewish exegesis of the Bible rests on the principle that all interpretations and use of the text are valid as long they do not break the is the literal meaning of the text. The Biblical text then becomes timeless, speaking to every generation and to the world.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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20 December 2020 - When the angel Gabriel appeared with a shocking message, Miriam -- that is Mary in Hebrew -- humbly accepted the LORD's assignment. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, Canon Daryl Fenton says that a disciple's spiritual maturity is proportional to the disciple's capacity for obedience. In Mary the mother of Jesus, we have a model of faithfulness, obedience, and humility that all disciples of Jesus can learn from, so that our souls will magnify the Lord.
Readings: 2 Sam 7:1-11; Psalm 89; Luke 1:26-38
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Christmas Medley Dubstep by Philip Rice Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6929-christmas-medley-dubstep License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
How much did the Maccabean revolt and the Hasmonean period influence the setting of the New Testament? In this lecture, Deacon Aaron Eime looks at the issues of martyrdom and messianism and how they created the backdrop for many of the themes we see in the New Testament. If we look at the text closely, we can see the themes of Hanukkah permeating the thinking of the Second Temple Period.
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Once again we encounter the troubling practice in the ancient world of multiple wives. Let us not superimpose present-day morality on the past. The Bible is not presenting multiple wives as the ideal (neither do we advocate polygamy). The issue being addressed by Moses is the concern for an unloved wife and the right of the firstborn. The firstborn held special honour in Biblical tradition. Exodus describes the firstborn males belonging to God and male children required redemption from the priests. All firstborn are beloved by God, however that does not mean He will call them to ministry as the majority of patriarchs and heroes of God are not firstborn.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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13 December 2020 - John came as the Voice. And now we are the voice, says Deacon Aaron Eime, pointing to the Light, to the Messiah. We are the voices that bring hope, faith, and goodness to a world that needs it. In a world in darkness and despair during this pandemic, the world truly needs the light of Christmas
Readings: Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; Psalms 126; John 1:6-8,19-28
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Music credit: Christmas Medley Dubstep by Philip Rice Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6929-christmas-medley-dubstep License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Photo credit: Samuele Ghilardi via Flickr (cc), colorized, cropped
The final two verses of Chapter 20 describe the rules of engagement in war regarding proper treatment of the Creation. Nature is not to become a victim in human warfare. Then in Chapter 21, having noted that blood pollutes the earth and has consequences, Moses introduces legislation for atonement for an unsolved murder. The ceremony includes the washing of hands, reflecting innocence of the crime, which we see again in the actions of Pilate during the trial of Jesus. Prayer also seems to have been an important part of the ritual.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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6 December 2020 - As it is written in the Prophets, a voice cries out in the wilderness for us to repent in preparation for the coming of God into our midst, the God who restores and immerses us into fellowship with Himself. God’s heart speaks tenderly to our heart to repent and to walk faithfully with Him, to boldly lift our voice to declare his Name. The Rev. John Howanstine, on the second Sunday of Advent, reminds us that the time between the first advent of Jesus and his second advent is filled with his presence and not with his absence. We can expect him to come and speak comfort and encouragement in the midst our difficult wilderness seasons. We can also expect him to provide opportunities for us to speak his comfort and encouragement into the wilderness of others.
Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8
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Warrior gods were certainly not uncommon in the ancient world. Battle between nations held both theological and political implications for the peoples that adhered to those gods. Success or failure could induce a religious crisis and faithlessness in a particular deity. God had already fought for Israel during and after the Exodus. Israel was no stranger to the rigours of battle, having defeated the giant kings Og and Sihon and capturing the territory east of the Jordan. Moses now sets out the rules of engagement during warfare for the people of Israel. He begins by reminding the people that God Himself goes to war with them. The priests also will accompany the army into battle, once again demonstrating the lack of separation in politics and religion in the Bible.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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29 November 2020 - A troubled world searches for the reasons why trouble has come. Scripture regularly explains why troubles came in the past, are with us in the present, and will be with us in the future. The Rev. Canon Daryl Fenton, on the first Sunday of Advent, says today's scriptures give us answers to the questions of the minute.
Readings: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-2,17-19; Mark 13:14-37
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The Israelites will ultimately triumph in conquest over the peoples of Canaan. In establishing a society that will reflect the character of God to the nations, Moses instructs the Hebrews to allocate three cities as cities of refuge. The chapter begins with Moses declaring they should do this, ‘after the Lord your God has destroyed the nations of Canaan’. God is acknowledged as the victorious one, however this does not absolve Israel from engaging in the fight. Aside from Jericho, the Israelites will do the bulk of the fighting. The battle indeed belongs to the Lord, but this does not give us permission to remain passive in the work of the kingdom.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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22 November 2020 - On Christ the King Sunday, Deacon Aaron Eime tells us that the good shepherd is both king and judge. Judgment is a part of the messianic age in which all things that are wrong will be made right, and we are not excluded from that process. Our obligation to God is be holy like him, to imitate His character and behavior. We are not excluded from the coming judgment. The good news, however, is that we have a good judge. The Good Shepherd is also the Good Judge.
Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16,20-24; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46
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Moses has been the teacher, guider and lawgiver of Israel since the Exodus from Egypt. The Israelites have known no other leader. Moses however, will not be joining Israel as they cross the Jordan, and the people of Israel may have expressed anxiety as to their future rulers. God has indicated that He will chose future kings over Israel, and He has already chosen priests. Now Moses says that the Lord will also chose prophets for the people. God will raise up a prophet like Moses. This verse has several levels of meaning. There will be a prophet for each generation and, like Moses, they will speak God’s word and be a guide and balance for the people and the king. Each king had his own prophet. The relationship between prophet and king, both appointed by God, was often a tense one.
While the concept of democracy is not to be found in Scripture, God does not put power in the hands of the king alone. Three offices are chosen by the Lord: prophet, priest and king. Eventually those roles are combined in the figure of the messianic redeemer, as hinted at by Moses.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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15 November 2020 - Rev. John Howanstine reminds us that the Church proclaims in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed that Messiah Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. We rejoice that He has placed his Cross between His judgment and our souls. Now redeemed from sin and death and made heirs in Him of everlasting life, when He comes again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold His appearing. By daily seeking to know Him, His character and His faithfulness as revealed in Scripture, we are strengthened for greater faithfulness so that we may bear fruit that glorifies Him and expands His Kingdom.
Readings: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; I Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-3
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The tribe of Levi was given no territorial allotment, except several cities of refuge spread throughout the Land of Israel and across the Jordan. With limited access to farming land, the refuge cities will produce some light industry and some agriculture but not much. The Levites must be sustained by their fellow Israelites. How will this be done? Through the tithe paid by the other tribes, as noted in Numbers 18. This tithe was not considered sacred, thus the Levites could take it home with them, It did not have to remain in the sanctuaries of Shiloh or Jerusalem.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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8 November 2020 - The eternal perspective is an anchor of the Christian worldview, says Canon Daryl Fenton. A disciple of Jesus lives in that eternal perspective, knowing that there will be an end to moral time. For those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus, our mortal journey is about learning to be like him and accomplishing his purposes on earth. We are to be his hands and feet, bringing justice and healing and witnessing his love to the hurting world around us, ever ready for the day Jesus returns.
Readings: Amos 5:13-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
As Sir Winston Churchill once said of democracy, 'Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or allwise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.… ‘ and as Mark Twain would quip, ‘If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it.’ Suffice to state that the Bible is not democratic. Moses has not been freely elected and his successor Joshua will not be subject to a mandate of the masses. How then should the people of God set up governance of the just, compassionate and righteous society required by God as a light to the nations? With a king!
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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1 November 2020 - The Feast of All Saints is the perfect opportunity to be reminded of the biblical nature of holiness, vindicating some points of both Roman Catholic and Protestant views. This feast day, says Rev. David Pileggi, also allows us to express our gratitude for those who have gone before us and have shown us how to live faithfully in troubled times – in war, persecution, epidemics, or even in the everyday routines of life. Of course, we must remember that those who have died in faith are not really dead. They are very much alive as that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on to the finish line.
Readings: Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Idolatry was the ancient bugbear that constantly vexed the people of Israel. In Israel’s sacred history they had left Mesopotamia (the great eastern empire) and its gods, through the family of Abraham, and they had left Egypt(the great western empire)and its gods, guided by Moses. Israel is placed in the centre of these two great powers, revealing the true monotheistic God of the Universe to the Gentiles. Establishing a just society reflecting God’s character remains the high priority for Moses. Separation from idolatry was therefore essential to the fabric of Israelite society as a theological witness to the nations surrounding them. As a people of God, divine punishment for idolatry could threaten the entire nation of Israel and its tenure in the Land of Canaan.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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25 October 2020 - The severe critique that Jesus unleashes on the Pharisees in Matthew 23 is often seen out of context, says Rev. David Pileggi. Jesus himself was close to world of the Pharisees, following many of their customs. (He was an itinerant teacher, raised up disciples, was obedient to Torah, believed in eternal life, and more.) We forget, or may not realize, that this discourse was an internal Jewish debate, and we should view his criticism in that light and not weaponize his words against the Jewish people. Instead, we should take His words as a warning and ask ourselves how we (as religious people) may be guilty of the same offenses or hypocrisy.
Readings: Micah 3:5-12; Matthew 23:1-12
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18 October 2020 - The world is full of images and false advertising. Much of what is presented to us through the media, film and television is rarely accurate. So what of the image of God? Is the image that the world has of God a true reflection of His character? Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us we are called to follow the Lord and to imitate Him. The role of the believer is to present the true character of God by reflecting His nature.
Readings: Exodus 33:12-33; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
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God is the master of time. He exists outside of it and dwells within it. His involvement in His creation occurs at specific times, and God has provided a sacred calendar to record sacred time. Moses, however, focuses his speech to Israel towards the three pilgrimage festivals, seemly downplaying the other Feasts of the Lord. In this portion Moses expounds on Shavuot (Weeks/Pentacost) and Sukkot (Booths/Tabernacles). One primary aspect of his oration on the festivals is the involvement of the whole community of Israel, including the strangers (non-Jews) and the weak members of society and the Levitical priests. The clergy must be involved in the life cycle of Israel. They are not to be distant nor removed from the public mind.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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11 Oct 2020 - The Bible often uses the imagery of a feast or banquet to describe God's care and provision for His people. However, in the texts assigned tor this Sunday, we see that God not only wants to bless us, but He invites us into an inter-active relationship of trust and transformation. And that requires a response to His goodness. Sermon by Rev. David Pileggi.
Readings: Exodus 32:1-14, Isaiah 25:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14
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Moses describes the three pilgrim festivals, all rooted in the agricultural cycle, that required travelling to the Temple. It appears that these pilgrimage festivals were of more importance to the ancient Israelites, perhaps because of the actual existence of a physical Temple. Moses does not mention the other four feasts of the Lord. In discussion we mentioned that one reason could be that these feasts are particular representations of the Messiah.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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4 October 2020 - The Torah commands the people of Israel to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord. Tabernacles, like the other two pilgrimage Feasts, is to be celebrated in holiness: no work, going to the Temple, and bringing gifts to the Lord. However, at Tabernacles God also commands His people to be joyful, says Rev. David Pileggi. Do we find it difficult to be joyful? Are we afraid of joy or perhaps even feel that God owes us more than we have? Gratitude is not an abstract feeling but an act of the will, and Hebrews 13 helps illustrate how we can put gratitude into practice. (Hat tip to Lesley Gore.)
Readings: Leviticus 23:33-44, Hebrews 13:1-20
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Sukkot is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals. In Leviticus 23:42-43 God commands: "You shall live in booths for seven days ... so that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt." God's redeeming power is shown in the Passover. His provision and covenant are celebrated at Shavuot. Sukkot is the culmination of redemption. Our the attitude is to be one of thanksgiving, and the response of gratitude to the redeeming God is true obedience.
Led by Aaron Eime.
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Slavery was common practice in antiquity and is an unfortunate practice that continues to this day, with an estimated 40 million people suffering under the condition of slavery. The national history of the Jewish people involves being a nation of slaves to the Pharaohs of Egypt. With our present day morality and abhorrence of the concept of slaves, we ask the question why does the Bible not abolish slavery?
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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27 Sept 2020 - The Judean exiles in Babylon complained that God was not fair since they were being punished for the sins of their fathers. But God rejects this notion. Through Ezekiel He makes it clear that they are reaping the consequences of their own sin, which ultimately brings death. In order to live, repentance is required. Not surprisingly, in the chaos of the world that we find ourselves in today, many of us make the same excuses. “It's not my fault!” we complain and we look to blame others – the press, the corporations, politics, our families and more. Jesus’ parable about the two sons asked to work in their father’s vineyard warns us not to make excuses or just give lip service to Him, but each of us is to take appropriate action beginning with repentance.
Readings: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32
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Rituals, Atonements, Forgiveness and Repentance.
If Jesus is our atoning sacrifice, why did the Messiah come at Passover and not on the Day of Atonement? Yom Kippur is called the most sacred of days in Jewish tradition. In the Bible it is named as Yom HaKippurim; it's in plural, literally the Day of Atonements. How many atonements are there? Join Aaron Eime for a discussion on these questions and more as we ponder the meanings behind what God calls ‘a lasting ordinance for all generations.’
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The forgiveness and cancelling of debts was common and widespread in the Ancient Middle East but was almost exclusively the prerogative of the ruling monarch. In preparation for a just society reflecting the character of the God, Moses takes that exclusive power away from kings and puts it in the hands of everyone. The notion being, if this is important to God, it is now important to you.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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20 Sept 2020 - Is God fair? Jesus tells us the Parable of the Vineyard Workers to clarify the matter for us. Join Rev. David Pileggi as he explores this short story about God's grace and how we should respond to it.
Readings: Jonah 3:10-4:11; Matthew 20:1-16
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What does the sound of the Shofar signify? How should we relate to this feast as Christians? Join Aaron Eime and discover the biblical roots of the Feast of Trumpets. Unlike all other feasts, the Feast of Trumpets has no explanation in the Bible. Come learn how we understand the importance of this feast despite the lack of divine instruction.
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Moses knows idolatry will be a temptation as the people of Israel transition from the nomadic desert life to settled agrarian life. The pagan customs of the Canaanites will tempt Israel, and Moses is knows that morality and ethics could collapse when they move from a place of weakness to a place of power.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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13 Sept 2020 - The apostle Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should we forgive?” The answer came in a simple but dramatic parable about a servant who received much mercy but refused to extend it to another. Why is it essential to imitate God in His goodness from the heart? What are the barriers that keep us from growing into His likeness?
Readings: Genesis 50:15-21; Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35
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Moses spends a great deal of this chapter on dietary rules of clean and unclean foods. "Clean" and "unclean" are not the best translations of tahor and tahmeh. A better rendering would be "pure" and "impure." To put this discussion in context, for most of the ancient cultures of the world, eating had both a social and a religious significance and meaning. Ancient cultures dwelt on mythologies of how the animals came to be, which ones were sacred and which ones could be consumed as food and even how they should be eaten. The sacred cow in India is prime example. Pure and Impure classifications of animals existed pre-flood in Genesis when animals were not consumed as food.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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6 Sept 2020 - How the followers of Jesus address sin within the Christian community affects people inside and outside the Church. Deacon Aaron Eime tell us that, when the Church properly addresses sin, it publicly reflects the holiness of God to the outside world and inwardly restores purity and defends the Church against sin. If we truly believe that God is present within the Christian community, we will take sin seriously, seeking to address the issue with love, humility and charity. While this is undoubtedly a difficult subject, it is a vital one as properly addressing sin enables God’s Church to be healthy, vibrant, and outwardly focused.
Readings: Exodus 12:1-14, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20
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This sermon is also available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/christchurchjerusalem
Moses continues to spell out in detail the different ways the Israelites might be enticed to worship other gods. Because Idolatry threatened the very existence of Israel, it had to be totally purged from the community. Idolatry was already ingrained in the national story of Israel since the Exodus from Egypt. The 10 Commandments explicitly forbids the worship of any god other than God. The nation had previously engaged in Avodah Zara (strange worship) with the Golden Calf. Further in the past of the patriarchs, Rachel had stolen the idols of her father Laban. When Jacob was commanded by God to remove idolatry from his household, Rachel died. Perhaps Rachel was Jacob's idol for it is actually Leah who produces Judah and the line of Davidic kings and ultimately the Messiah.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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The size shape and extent of the borders of ancient Israel have never been truly defined and agreed upon. Even here God says through Moses that when the territory of Israel’s conquest has been enlarged, without defining what extent that has been enlarged to, then certain dietary rules are to be enacted, notably those regarding the consuming of sacrificial and non-sacrificial meat! With no offence to vegetarians intended, God is sanctioning the eating of meat as He has done since the days of Noah. Animals that are intended for sacrifice to God must only be consumed in God’s Presence at the chosen place, initially Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim. While meat had become an accepted part of the human diet, blood was forbidden to be consumed. Life is in the blood and life was created by God, so it must be returned to God. This was done by pouring the blood of the animal onto the ground to be soaked into the earth.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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30 Aug 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi picks up where we left off last week and continues to expand on Jesus' favorite title, Son of Man. Who is the Son of Man? The Son of Man is someone who enters into human life and gets involved with humanity with all its problems. The Son of Man also suffers and, like Abel, dies unjustly but is vindicated by God. Jesus calls us to imitate him and get sacrificially involved with people and he calls us to be transformed into his likeness. It takes a lot of faith to believe in transformation, for ourselves and others. It takes the faith of Jesus for us persevere through pain and self-denial. However, when we trust God even unto death, God promises we will share in Jesus' glory and inheritance.
Readings: Daniel 7:1-14; Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28
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Moses sets before the Israelites clear instructions to follow the decrees and laws of God once they have possessed and inhabited the Land of Canaan. Israel is to follow the Torah in the Land. Interestingly the Torah calls for festivals to remember the Exodus from Egypt (Pesach) and the wandering in the wilderness (Sukkot) and the giving of the Torah (Shavuot). Yet there is no festival to remember the entering and conquest of the Land! While you inherit the Land you never celebrate the conquest of the Land. Rather you obey the Torah in the Land.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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Deuteronomy 11:13-21 contains the second portion the Sh’ma, again encouraging the believer to remain faithful to the faithful King of the Universe, to love God with both heart and soul. Should the believer do so then God promises to send rain from Heaven to nourish the Land. Future prosperity is dependent on the morality of the Israelites. It is a good thing to be dependent on the Lord. Dependency is a guard against pride. The blessing of God is success, but the danger of success is idolatry.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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‘Do not do as we do today’ -- this verse seems to imply that, despite having the Tabernacle, a system of priests and Levite attendants with detailed laws governing sacrifices as well as a visible cloud appearance signifying God’s real presence within the Israelite camp, that each Israelite seems to have worshiped as they pleased. This might explain the context behind the rebellion of Korah! Real worship is not concerned with what pleases Man but with what pleases God. Modern worship can suffer from being overly self-focused with attention centred on personal experience. Worship should be God-focused.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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23 Aug 2020 - Neville Jones has us consider Jesus' preferred title, Son of Man, and Peter's epiphany of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. In a place with a long history of idolatry, God the Father revealed to Peter the powerful truth on which God builds his community. Jesus very quickly affirms Peter's confession not far from a location dubbed the Gates of Hades. There, Jesus declares that the counsels and schemes of the enemy -- personified as death -- will not to prevail against his people. Instead Resurrection himself wins the victory.
Readings: Isaiah 51:1,6-8; Matthew 16:13-20
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"Be holy as I am holy," God tells Israel. However, holiness and distinction are not the goal. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that Israel's call to holiness is for the sake of the nations. God's intention for human society is mutual love and service. Instead, we tend to split into groups of us and them, which results in self-satisfaction, self-righteousness, and domination. Paul knows that when the community of God lives as one "us," we prove the validity of the Gospel of Jesus Messiah. In his letter to the divided church in Rome, Paul points to how God's mercy to Israel should instruct us so that we can live a life of united worship and obedience before our God.
Readings: Romans 11:1-2, 25-28; Matthew 15:10-28
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Love is not a matter left to impulse or feelings. Love is actually a commandment from God. We are to love God irrespective of personal emotional feelings that hinge on chemical reactions or human relationships. Love is a choice and not relegated to whether we had too much chocolate or had a fight with work colleagues. This command from the lips of Moses also reveals what God really wants from us: to love God and keep His requirements. He could have commanded countless other things from us, but for God the priority is love from His creation.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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There are many things to fear in our time: disease, civil unrest, and a culture that would woo our children away from Jesus. Canon Daryl Fenton reminds us that cultivating trust in the Lord is the best rememdy for fear. Rather than allowing our present circumstances to spark fear, we must push through in faithfulness to the God we love and who loves us. Living a life of faithfulness and pray makes opportunity for our children and grandchildren to know Jesus.
Readings: 1 Kings 19:1-8; Romans 10:1-15; Matthew 14:22-33
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In this week's gospel portion, Jesus gives thanks for the bread and fish and then tells his disciples to feed the hungry crowd. Today, we often overlook the importance of food in the Bible. Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that food is an essential part of Biblical worship. Our sharing table fellowship builds Jesus-centered communities of compassion, mercy and forgiveness.
Readings: Genesis 32:22-31; Romans 9:1-16; Matthew 14:13-21
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On the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, Jews around the world remember and mourn the destruction of both temples. This fast day begins a season of repentance in Judaism. Deacon Aaron Eime looks at this day of mourning and has us consider how unholy behavior affects our relationship with God.
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Moses remains on the mountain interceding with the Lord for 40 more days and nights. Jewish exegesis finds three occasions where Moses spends 40 days with God on Sinai, thus it is said that Moses had a total of 120 days with the Lord. And the Lord listens. Why does God listen? Was it the prayers, the obedience, or the mercy of God that causes him to relent from harming Israel? Why did it take so long for the Lord to answer Moses? Why was his intercession not answered swiftly? The text provides no answer but simply allows the reader to ponder and contemplate divine justice and power of prayerful intercession.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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Jesus’ understanding of the in-breaking power and presence of God is rich and multi-faceted. Simply using bullet points, charts, or systematic theology does not enable us to fully understand and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven that we hear about so often on the lips of Jesus. In order to herald the redeeming work of God in our midst, Jesus uses short stories about yeast, or seeds, or a net. Join Rev. David Pileggi as he examines in greater detail how the seemingly insignificant imagery of first-century life challenges and encourages us at this time.
Readings: 1 Kings 3:5-14; Matthew 13:31-52
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The Tablets of the Covenant given by God were never meant to be destroyed and broken by Moses. Thus a second set of stone was carved out by the hand of Moses with God declaring He would write again the words of the covenant. While Deuteronomy says that God will inscribe the Tablets, Exodus notes that actually God dictated and Moses wrote all God said. In both narratives the second set of Tablets is a joint venture between Man and God, while the first had been God alone.
Lead by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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On the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Rev. David Pileggi teaches that Jesus told the parable of the wheat and tares to explain why there is opposition to his message and movement that centers on the Kingdom of Heaven. Still, the parable does much more than give a reason for unbelief as it challenges and yet encourages believers in numerous ways that should deepen our discipleship. "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," but to mix two well-known song titles, it thankfully is "A Slow Train Coming."
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On the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Deacon Aaron Eime shares from the Parable of the Sower, in which the Word of God is the message of the Kingdom sown into human hearts through discipleship. The parable challenges us to examine which type of disciple we are and will be. In a world that denies hope and truth, the disciples of Jesus are called to show the hope of redemption. The good soil is the disciple who hears the Word of God and puts it into practice, yielding a bountiful harvest.
Lectionary readings: Genesis 25:19-34; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
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The number 40 occurs frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures and is associated with testing, endurance, hardships, and overcoming in order to become more spiritual, receive a blessing, be rewarded with divine answer or knowing the will of God. Moses’ first fast of 40 days was rewarded with the Words of God from the Finger of God. Immediately God tells Moses to arise and return to the Israelites, as the people of Moses have rebelled. Once the rebellion occurs they are no longer called the people of God. God has examined the people and concluded they are a stiff-necked, stubborn bunch. God says He is going to destroy the Israelites and repopulate with descendants of Moses. However, His judgement is not immediate, He waits for the intercession of Moses.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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On the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Rev. David Pileggi points out a tension within Jesus’ message: Jesus offers rest to those who are weary but he ties this promise to the condition that we will take his “yoke" upon us and learn from him. It would seem that if you needed rest you would want freedom from problems and from the grind of daily life. However, freedom as understood in our times brings not well being but rather loss. David examines the biblical and Jewish context of Jesus' promise and considers why it is easier to be a disciple of Jesus than to be a disciple of this world. While following Jesus has many challenges, the rewards by far outweigh all that the world can offer.
Readings: Exodus 33:12-23; Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
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Fear of the coming battle and conquest of Canaan could pose a problem for the people of Israel, as this posed a problem 40 years ago. Memory is important as the past can affect the present. There was now a competing memory of failure with the 10 spies within the national memory of Israel: We have done this before and we failed, what has changed now? Memory, both national and individual is therefore selective. When retelling the sacred history within the Torah, Moses does not include everything. Instead in Chapter 8 and 9 Moses focuses on three things: the Exodus from Egypt, Israel’s lack of righteousness and constant rebellions, and the sin of the Golden Calf.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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On the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Canon Daryl Fenton reminds us that the kingdom of God is anywhere where Jesus is acknowledged as King, where his will is obeyed, and where the faithful reap the benefits of obedience. However, we have mutiny in our hearts. How^ can we remain in the mighty King's good graces? By the power of the Holy Spirit who enables us to obey the King. And King Jesus, in his mercy, promises rewards for obeying him. Are you ready to be a subject of the Kingdom of God?
Readings: Jeremiah 28:1-9; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42; Psalm 89:1-18
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Memory and Forgetfulness are central to the success or failure of the people of God. Responsibility falls on Israel to live in the present, counting themselves as being the generation who departed Egypt and received the Torah at Sinai. Theologically the past is the present! And this will prevent future success turning into arrogance and rejection from the Land of Inheritance. The Good Land before them is bountiful in agriculture, listed as the 7 species. When the people have eaten and are satisfied, they are instructed to bless the Lord, thus forming the tradition of saying grace after meals. During the 2nd Temple Period, blessings were added before and after meal occasions. The Brachot for bread and wine existed a generation prior to Jesus.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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The big lie that infects millions in the West and other parts of the world has been magnified by an unprecedented form of secularism that advocates human flourishing as its only objective – and nothing can be allowed to stand it its way. In stark contrast to this culture of self-aggrandizement, Jesus tells us to pick up our cross, to sacrifice and to deny ourselves. Bearing the cross is an essential part of being Jesus’ disciple, and it is in losing our life for His sake that we find wholeness, meaning, maturity, joy and so much more.
Readings: Romans 6:1b-11; Jeremiah 20:7-13; Matthew 10:24-39
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Commandments of the Lord need to be done, that is observed and obeyed, says Moses the Lawgiver. Why should we obey the Word of the Lord? Simply because it is the Word of the Lord. Moses produces another reason for obedience: life! The theology that obedience produces life is reinforced again in Hebrews 5:9, where eternal life is linked to obedience to the Messiah. Obedience and the negative disobedience have consequences.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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Deacon Aaron Eime takes us from Sinai to Galilee as he connects the God of Israel as revealed in Exodus with Yeshua proclaiming the Kingdom of God in first-century Israel. Jesus is always moved with compassion for the scattered, harassed people. He calls us to join him in the great work of proclaiming the Good News of hope and making disciples of all the nations.
Readings: Exodus 19:1-9; Psalm 100; Matthew 9:35-10:15
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Throughout his final speech to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, Moses reminds the people that the Covenant made with the Lord God is timeless. That is, the Covenant applies to the people who are not there today, yet is spoken of as if they were there. God declares a promise to the Patriarchs, God makes a Covenant with the people at Sinai and they are to teach this Covenant to their children. To Moses, all generations are the same generation.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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While Jewish roots teaching can bring clarity, it often raises questions about the tri-unity of the Godhead. Rev. David Pileggi answers critics who charge that the notion that Jesus is divine came from later innovators such as Paul or Constantine. He warns that if we take Jesus as just a nice Jewish rabbi, we make a bigger mistake than missing the Jewish context of the New Testament. Jesus reveals to us the fullest revelation of who the God of Israel is. And the Trinity models for us the life of discipleship, that is loving and serving the other. The concept of the Trinity tells us God is not static; God is not self-absorbed but lives in a community of love and service; God is invitational. The goal of discipleship isn't maturity. The goal is God.
Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:4a, Psalm 8, Matthew 28:16-20
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The Book of Deuteronomy gives a distinct call for the Torah to be on the heart of the people of God. Chapter 4 introduces a clear defined monotheism, Chapter 5 retells and comments on the 10 Commandments, Chapter 6 produces the Sh’ma, an oath of loyalty with instructions to love and fear the Lord. Yet Deuteronomy is also the most violent of the books of Moses. Chapter 7 introduces the tension between love and fear God with the command to exterminate without distinction.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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On Pentecost Sunday, Mike Kerem speaks about the personal, communal, and global effects of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. On the Festival of Shavout, the Holy Spirit joins the nations to Israel for God's redemptive purposes. In Acts 2, Peter invokes Joel in Jerusalem on that festival day, but Joel is speaking globally. What we have now from the Holy Spirit is only a down payment. There is more! Let us hold on in these trying times and allow the Holy Spirit to refresh, equip, and empower us as we pray for the Kingdom of God to invade our time.
Readings: Acts 2:1-24, 32-33; Ruth 1:1-17; John 7:37-39
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God has been directing Moses to teach the people prior to the conquest of Canaan. Moses has reiterated the 10 Commandments, introduced monotheism, declared the Sh’ma, instructed us to both love and fear (although in the sense of awe) the Lord. Many of these commands are for Israel. Particularly the sons of Aaron! But what about other peoples and nations. Is not God the King of the Universe, has He not spoken to Gentiles too? What about the 7 Laws of Noah? The Laws before Sinai! How do they compare to the 10 Commandments?
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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In this seventh week of Easter, the Rev. David Pileggi continues sharing from the Acts of the Apostles. Our western worldview, featured in the Beatles’ last recorded song “I Me Mine," puts the self in the center of all things and has become a dangerous impediment today to living out the gospel and being witnesses of that new life found through the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth. Pileggi address the need for unity and challenges the usual view of unity derived from the New Testament.
Readings: Acts 1:1-14; 1 Peter 4:12-14; 1 Peter 5:6-11; John 17:1-11
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In Deuteronomy 6, Moses calls attention to the ‘One Command’; the one ruling principle amongst all others. The Hebrew is an emphatic statement in single form, this is ‘The Commandment!’, the greatest of commandments that God is telling Moses to teach the Israelites. Moses reminds us all that hearing the Voice of God and learning His instructions (Torah) should give us a healthy fear and awe of the Lord. Fear of the Lord, the wise man once said, is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom leads to obedience and thus also to long life.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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17 May 2020 - On this sixth week of Easter, the Rev. David Pileggi tells us how Acts fits into the overarching narrative of the Bible: out of love, God creates the world and desires to come into relationship with humanity. But humanity has rebelled. We choose idolatry -- finding our identity and security in some thing, ideology or person -- and thereby we choose death. Paul sees the effects of this disastrous choice in the Athens of his time. God's message to Athens then and for us today is to turn away from idolatry. The time of ignorance is over. Let us put away all those things that bring us self-destruction and instead let us give glory to God and the Lamb.
Readings: Acts 17:16-33; John 14:15-24
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Moses has called the assembly together, most likely addressing the elders, tribal leaders and representative heads of each of the communities, thus calling it ‘all Israel’. He proceeds to retell the Laws and Judgements of God, beginning with the 10 Commandments. The people of Israel have already received the Commandments from Mout Sinai, as recorded in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. Yet those people have since died in the wilderness and the rest apparently have forgotten the instructions (Torah) of God. We do not know what sort of textual manuscripts Israel had access to while in the desert, nor do we fully understand what the priests have been teaching the people from the Tabernacle during the 40 years wandering. Moses, however, felt compelled to reiterate the Commandments and to elaborate the Spirit of the Law as applicable to the hearts of the people. Moses instructs the people to learn the Commandments. And one way to learn something is to teach it in practise, thus Moses commands that families instruct their children in the Torah. Obedience begins by learning and proceeds by teaching and education.
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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10 May 2020 - Canon Daryl Fenton, in the fifth week of Easter, shares how the earliest disciples in Acts responded to God’s call through Messiah Jesus, and considers its implications for us today.
Readings: Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31; John 14:1-14
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What sort of Bible did the Israelites have since they left Egypt? Written texts were still in the formative stages using paleo Hebrew, not the Persian script of modern Hebrew. Biblical stories remained in the Oral tradition. Moses asked the Israelites to think back on the stories of Creation, the first men and the miracles leading to the Redemption from Egypt. Rhetorically, Moses challenged them to ponder ‘has God ever done anything like this for any other people?’
Led by Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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3 May 2020 - In this fourth week of Easter, Deacon Aaron Eime shows us how we are called into a community. Peter exhorted the people of Israel to flee their corrupt generation -- but not to wander alone in the wilderness of individuality, but to rejoin the people of God in the unity of the Spirit and of Faithfulness. Acts 2 reveals that the unity of the early followers of Jesus was demonstrated through their communal behavior. Living as a disciple of Jesus MUST be done in the framework of a community. We are saved and rescued into community life as the people of God.
Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; John 10:1-10
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The command to remember is the most common command in the Bible. God asks us to remember more times than any other command. In Verse 9 Moses charges the people not to forget the things they have seen with their eyes, but also not to forget from the heart. Moses continues to draw focus to the intention of the heart. This is central to his commentary to the Torah and a major theme of Deuteronomy.
Led by the Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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26 April 2020 - The Rev. David Pileggi shows us that salvation, as presented in the book of Acts, is rich and nuanced. God takes the initiative through Jesus the Messiah to offer us forgiveness of sin and much, much more. Acts describes salvation as deliverance from Satan, idolatry, and present day troubles and as healing. In Acts 2, Peter's Pentecost sermon invites his listeners to be saved from their crooked generation. God extends that same rescue to us today.
Readings for the third Sunday in Easter: Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116; Luke 24:13-35
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19 April 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, discusses what brought about the transformation of the disciples from fearful cowards to courageous proclaimers of the gospel. Only when they encounter the risen Jesus does fear turn to joy, cowardice into boldness, doubt into belief. The peace that Jesus gives in the upper room to his disciples is the same peace he gives to us. This peace is nothing less than his enduring presence that enables us to be his witnesses without fear and anxiety.
Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter: Acts 2:14a, 22-36; Psalm 16; John 20:19-31
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12 April 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi leads us through the Resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us in the modern day as His disciples from the roof of Christ Church. He is risen! He is risen indeed, hallelujah!
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11 April 2020 - Deacon Aaron Eime traces for us our role of participation in the narrative of Jesus’ death and resurrection, from the beginning of Creation through Abraham and the Prophets and up until the events of Holy Week.
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10 April 2020 - Rev. Daryl Fenton begins with the Hebrew phrase, ‘Tikkun Olam, Healing the World’, and how it has undergone many different changes in meaning throughout the years. How is this idea of Jewish theology relevant to Easter? As our world is within the grip of pestilence, how do we heal our world? In a sentence, “Healing the World cannot be accomplished without Jesus first healing the human heart.”
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9 April 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi gives us the narrative of Jesus’ capture, Peter’s zealous and overconfident attitude and Judas’ corruption and the betrayal of Jesus to the authorities. As followers of Jesus we all have the capacity of being either a Judas or a Peter.
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5 April 2020 - On Palm Sunday, Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us that the world still marks the passing of time by the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In this strange time of quarantine and social distancing, we will mourn Jesus' death, but not in vain, knowing that resurrection is coming. At the start of Holy Week, we remember with excitement and jubilation the entrance of the promised king into Jerusalem. Hosanna! the crowds shout. Save us! The world right now particularly knows it needs salvation. Yet, the world does not want a god or hope. Even as the world rejects Hope, Hope does not reject the world. Who is this Jesus? We know he is everything. He holds the entire world together. He is our rock. He is prophet, king, redeemer, messiah, God with us. To whom else would we cry "Save us!"? The world needs to know who this Jesus is. Any day can be the triumphal entry of the king into our lives.
Readings: Psalm 118:1,2 & 19-29; Matthew 21:1-11
Holy Week streaming schedule Worship with us all week on our Facebook page or on christchurchjerusalem.org
Morning Prayer Mon-Thurs, April 6 -9 - 11 a.m. UTC+1 | 10 a.m. EDT | 10 a.m. PDT
Maundy Thursday, April 9 - 6 p.m. UTC+1 | 6 p.m. EDT | 6 p.m. PDT
Good Friday, April 10 - 1 p.m. UTC+1 | 1 p.m. EDT | 1 p.m. PDT
Holy Saturday Vigil, April 11 - 8 p.m. UTC+1 | 8 p.m. EDT | 8 p.m. PDT
Easter Sunday, April 12 - 11 a.m. UTC+1 | 10 a.m. EDT | 10 a.m. PDT
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Having concluded the historical narrative opening of his monologue (Chapters 1-3), Moses begins the commentary to the Torah. He starts by telling the assembly to hear (shma), that is to listen and obey the laws he is about to teach. However, they already have had Moses declare and teach the Torah at Mount Sinai. Here, though, in verse 1 what Moses instructs is not called Torah. These laws are conditional to taking possession of the Land and to Live! Which then begs the theological question: is it actually possible to live by them?
Led by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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29 March 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi, on the fifth Sunday of Lent, asks us if we have sold ourselves short in how we read Ezekiel's story of the dry bones. In Ezekiel, the Land of Israel is polluted with the sin of the people and the land vomits the people out into exile. Even in this dark period, God does not divorce Israel but rather renews the covenant and promises Israel new life. God promises a renewed intimacy with his bride. But is this story of resurrection, as well as the Gospel story of Lazurus' resurrection, merely about the here-after? Jesus promises eternal life. What is this eternal life? Eternal life is knowing the God of Israel now, in this present and uncertain age. If we want life before death, we must continue relying on God the Father and the crucified and risen Messiah, loving God with our faithful obedience.
Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45
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While avoiding mention of Balaam the prophet of Moab (Numbers 22-24), Moses reiterates the victory over Og the King of Bashan. Traditionally Og is the brother of Sihon, and they are descendants of the fallen Angel Shemhazai. The repeated references to the Refaim shows that God can assist Israel to defeat this race of fearsome warriors. This part of sacred history is not pleasant for the modern reader. It records the slaughter and extinction no prisoners) of a race of peoples, men, women and children. Atheists like Richard Dawkins describe this event as genocide. Modern morality needs tempering through theological interpretation. A secular world can admit the existence of suffering but find no meaning for it, only faith and religion provide meaning to such events.
Led by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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22 March 2020 - To be human in this fallen world is to want more: more power, more control, more security. The number one sin people confess to, tells us Rev. David Pileggi, is fear and anxiety. We see these cravings for power and control in the tragic lives of Saul and David. Both Saul and David begin their reign well but soon succumb to temptation. At this time of worldwide threat, we also crave more control and more security. The time presents us with an opportunity to examine ourselves, to repent, to change our ways, to intercede for our neighbors.
Readings: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-20
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Standing on the plains of Moab, Moses continues recounting the wanderings of the people through the 38 years in the Wilderness. Moses notes how careful God was in directing Israel away from other nations. Israel was not a conquering army able to take whatever land they wanted. Instructed to tread carefully within the territory of Esau, Israel was also commanded to purchase supplies of food and water and pay for those services. Why? Why bother purchasing food when the Lord provides manna? Or why seek water when you receive water from the Rock that is, according to tradition, following you?
Lead by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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On the third Sunday in Lent, Rev. David Pileggi walked us through Psalm 95, which is about the enthronement of God. Why are we enthroning God? Because He is the only God. He deserves our worship not only for who He is but also for what He has already done. The psalm references Exodus 17, when the children of Israel forgot God's faithfulness and questioned his presence. Sin entered their hearts, deceived them so they lacked faith and gratitude. We must be careful that we do not harden our hearts in this time of scarcity and uncertainty. Our response should be dependence on the Lord rather than trying to control situation. Let us encourage one another, in this time of quarantine, to take time to hear God's voice, so that our hearts are not hardened.
Readings: Exodus 17; Psalm 95; John 4:5-26
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Moses admonishes the Israelites in their unwillingness and rebellion against the command to invade the Land of Canaan. Despite all that God had done for them during the Exodus, despite the witness of miracles and manna, and even His presence in the Mishkan, the Israelites conclude that because of Giants and powerful fortifications, the Lord actually hates them. What does this comment about us and our own hopes, dreams and trust in God for the future? Moses reminds them of God’s care by describing Him as a man who carries his son. This theological paradigm produces commentaries in the 2nd Temple Period that begin to call God ‘Father’, giving rise to Jewish prayers that begin ‘Our Father’ (see Amidah and Lord’s Prayer). Moses also declares that God will fight for Israel. This He has already done against Amalek in Exodus 17 and in Egypt with the plagues against the Egyptian gods and the drowning of Pharaohs army. Yet the people grumble causing the Lord to take an oath.
Led by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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8 March 2020 - On the second Sunday of Lent, Rev. Aaron Eime has us consider the calls and slow obedience of Abram and Nicodemus. God calls those of us in the Kingdom to obey his commands, to love him and those around us. Maybe our start maybe slow, but if we persevere, the end will be glorious.
Readings: Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 121; John 3:1-17
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The tradition of the first Sunday of Lent is that we begin to think about the death and resurrection of Jesus and his journey to Jerusalem and his temptation in the wilderness. The temptations that Jesus faced are very often the very things that we ourselves have to endure and the challenges we face in our discipleship and walk with the Lord, challenges that parallel those of Adam and Eve in the garden and of Israel in the wilderness. Rev. David Pileggi expounds, showing us that what happened in the garden is still happening to us today.
Readings: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
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Moses continues his lengthy monologue to the uncircumcised nomadic masses that assemble before him on the plains of Moab. He declares that the people are as numerous as the ‘Stars of Heaven,’ an allusion to God’s promise to the patriarch Abraham in the Book of Genesis. This is presented as a positive blessing from the Lord with the added invocation for a further increase in population, up to a thousand fold.
In his retelling of the appointment of leaders to share the burden of command, specifically of settling judicial matters, Moses leaves out mentioning his father in-law, Jethro. Commentaries to Deuteronomy are divided as to whether this event is a retelling of Exodus 18, in which the impetus to appoint leaders from among the people comes from Jethro, the pagan priest of Midian, or of Numbers 11, qhere the elders will have the same Spirit as Moses and to bear the burden of the people with Moses (Numbers 11:17) but in which the Lord commands the appointing of leaders.
Led by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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23 February 2019 - Liturgically, on the last Sunday before Lent, we read the story of the transfiguration of Jesus. This is an important transition in the life of Jesus as it is from this point that He begins to talk in terms of “I must go to Jerusalem, be crucified and be raised from the dead.” For Jesus, it is seen as God’s way or reassuring him that in the face of death, He will not be left to rot in the grave. We can then ask the question, “What has this to do with us?” Rev. David Pileggi explains that we are also invited to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to listen to his transforming voice.
Collect: O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Readings: Exodus 34:4-7, 29-35; 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:4; Matthew 17:1-9
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Welcome to our Deuteronomy Bible study. Join Rev. Aaron Eime as we start to walk through the fifth book of the Torah, which makes commentary on the previous four. Deuteronomy is quoted or alluded to more than 100 times in the New Testament. reflecting its popularity during the second temple period.
Moses is the traditional author of the Book on Deuteronomy, with an unknown author and redactor adding the account of the death of Moses and presumably other sections of the Torah. Jewish tradition says that the redactor of the Torah is Joshua. The Book is known as Sefer Devarim in Hebrew (the Book of Words), in Greek it is called Deuteronomy following a mistranslation in the Septuagint of ‘Mishneh Torah’ in Chapter 17vs18. The Book appears to be the longest monologue in the entire Bible, presented by Moses who at the start of his career complains to God that he can’t speak. Somewhere along the line Moses has become quite erudite indeed.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-last-words-of-moses-deut/
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16 Feb 2020 - Last week David Pileggi touched on holiness in the context of the Sermon on the Mount. As we study the Bible we see that not only is God holy, but holiness gives life and is very attractive. It empowers each one of us and yet is mysterious at the same time. There is a certain paradox about holiness. It is described in the scriptures as being like a fire. Holiness is good and also dangerous and like fire. It should fascinate us.
Readings: Leviticus 19:1-19; Matthew 5:21-48
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One last study session, lead by Aaron Eime, to wrap up the Acts of the Holy Spirit study.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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9 February 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi has us consider the place of Torah in the life of the believer. Jesus says he hasn't come to cancel Torah (God's instruction) but to interpret it for us. The Torah is good, but Jesus wants to take us beyond the Torah. Jesus is offering us transformation. The intention of God's word is to make us holy. How do we talk toward transformation? By being honest with Jesus about our moral bankruptcy and then following Jesus and imitating him.
A sermon dedicated to the memory of Dwight Pryor.
Readings: 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Psalm 112; Matthew 5:13-20
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As prophesied by Paul, without losing a man, the crew and companions are washed ashore on the island of Malta. When Paul is bitten by a viper, he miraculously fails to fall ill and die, as would befit most snake victims. The incident catches the attention of a Roman official, for whom God, through Paul, performs a healing miracle. The community then brings all their sick for healing. Led by Rev. Aaron Eime.
There will be one more session in which Aaron will give a finally overview of Acts.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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2 February 2020 - Rev. Aaron Eime, on the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus, has us consider how tradition can guard us and how Jesus identifies with our poverty. Mary and Joseph, following the traditions of second-temple Judaism, take Jesus to the temple 40 days after he is born. There Jesus' identity as the Anointed One is affirmed by two prophetic voices who had been faithfully waiting for God's promised light to the gentiles and the glory of Israel.
Readings: Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 84; Luke 2:22-40
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26 January 2019 - Neville Jones has us look at Matthew 4 and it's relation to Isaiah 9. Two of the Gospel of Matthew's themes are how Jesus fulfills scriptural prophecies and the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom. We may sometimes pray for God's Kingdom to come, looking forward to the future. However, the Kingdom is also breaking in now. Let us pray for God's Kingdom to break into our lives today.
Readings: Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 4-13; Matthew 4:12-23
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19 January 2020 - What was the role of John the Baptist? Matthew Dalling says John is like a traffic cop speeding ahead to announce the coming of an important person. John announces the coming of Jesus Messiah. How do we respond? Are we exploring to find out more about who Jesus is?
Readings: Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:19-42
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Acts 27 narrates Paul's being sent off to Rome. Why, Rev. Aaron Eime asks, is the travel account so very detailed? Why is such detail required by Luke? To whom would these details be useful? Perhaps to reveal the character of Paul to his accusers in Rome. The ‘We’ passages resume in the narrative, indicating Luke now as an eyewitness to much of the events described.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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12 January 2020 - On the Feast of the Baptist of Jesus, Rev. David Pileggi tells us that renewal and redemption are connected to repentance. John the Baptist was encouraging the people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah by showing individual and national repentance by washing. Why does sinless Jesus go to be baptized? To stand with his people. As Jesus is baptized, he's anointed by the Holy Spirit, affirming Jesus' identity, and his intimate status before the Father, even before he's done any ministry. He's loved and he's done nothing. The enemy and world try to make us doubt our identity. We get our identity in the voice of God heard in our heart and affirmed by the Scriptures.
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
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Acts 26 opens with Paul standing before the man whose great grandfather had tried to kill the infant Jesus. And whose father had martyred the apostle James in Acts 12. How will this Herodian treat the message of Messiah and the Jesus movement? Paul has his third occasion to give his personal testimony. Each time he shares his story he adapts it for his audience. In this account Paul reveals that though born in Tarsus, he actually grew up in Jerusalem in a Pharisaical family, later studying under Gamaliel. His defense before King Agrippa centres around the hope of the resurrection of both Messiah and the Dead as found in the Torah, Writings and Prophets.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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5 Jan 2020 - Rev. David Pileggi, on the Sunday before Epiphany, has us consider the magi. These foreign astrologers follow a star across the Middle East. Why? To worship. What a mystery that these gentiles worship Messiah without fully understanding who Jesus is, who God is. Throughout Matthew's gospels, Jesus is worshipped not for doing something but simply for who he is. How are we responding to Jesus, son of David?
Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12
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29 Dec 2019 - On the first Sunday after Christmas, Rev. David Pileggi considers Jesus' suffering the human experience, from fleeing a murderous king as an infant to his death on the cross. The Messiah can sympathize and identify with us in our mourning, our joy, our boredom, our delight. Jesus lived our life. He now expects us to live his life.
Readings: Isaiah 63:7-14; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23
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In Acts 25, Porcius Festus arrives to replace his incompetent predecessor Felix as Governor of the Province of Judea. Jerusalem has not forgotten Paul, despite his two years incarceration at Caesarea, and the Jerusalem leadership press new charges against Paul. Led by Rev. Aaron Eime.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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Rev. Aaron Eime speaks on the New Testament significance of the Hanukkah story. Introduction by Rev. David Pileggi.
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22 December 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime has us look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, at her faithfulness and how we can honor this most highly favored lady, by obeying her son.
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25
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Now in Caesarea, Paul is presented before his accusers under the auspices of the Roman Governor Felix. Claudius Marcus Antonius Felix was a former slave who had risen in Roman society to take the role of Procurator of Judea. Known for cruelty and licentiousness, with a penchant for brides, he somehow had wooed Drusilla the Jewess, daughter of Herod Agrippa, as his second wife. Ananias the High Priest, whose name means Grace of God and yet displays none of that quality, appears in person with a trial lawyer named Tertullus.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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16 Dec 2019 - On the third Sunday of Advent, Rev. David Pileggi has us look at John the Baptist as he was in prison. John seems to be doubting that Jesus is the Anointed One. When he sends a message to Jesus, John is asking, Are you the Messiah according to my theology? Are we doubting Jesus because we've imagined him within our cultural context? Are we disappointed because Jesus doesn't look like we expect him? Is our disappointment coming from a hurt or an attack? When we are desperate and doubting, let us pray and dig into the Word as we ask God to reveal his true self in the Scriptures.
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:1-10; Matthew 11:2-11
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Aaron Eime picks up in Acts 22, where Paul’s Roman citizenship begins to have an effect on his future. Claudius Lysias does not understand the charges against Paul and so convenes the Sanhedrin to gather information. Once Paul knows he will not receive a fair hearing, he changes tactics for confusion and exploitation. Following the uproar in the Sanhedrin, Paul is confined to quarters and is visited by the Lord Himself in the night.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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8 Dec 2019 - On the second Sunday of Advent, Rev. David Pileggi has us consider Paul's message of peace in Romans. Our world is not in peace, but in an uproar and hysteria, a state not far from the historical context of Paul's epistle to Rome. Paul's message in this letter is about who God is and what God is doing. The gospel is the story of God's covenant faithfulness to all of humanity; and our sin cannot stop God's mission of peace. The proof of the power of the gospel is seen when different communities can live together in peace under the reign of Jesus the Messiah. The way we bring peace in our communities is by strengthening those who are weak.
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12
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1 December 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, on the first Sunday of Advent, has us consider Jesus' words in Matthew 24 as we remind oursevles of his second coming. In this remembering and preparing, we must live in the paradox the breaking in of the Kingdom continues to redeem even as we wait for Jesus' return. Yes, Jesus is coming back, but he is active among us now when we gather in his name, when we come to his table. Jesus has words of admonition for us as we wait for him; he does not want us to be complacent nor deceived nor terrified. All of us will be confronted with the unexpected. In order to be prepared to stand before our judge, we have to live a life of obedience that keeps us in a state of spiritual readiness.
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
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Neville Jones picks up in Acts 21:37 where Paul -- in Jerusalem -- has just been saved from an angry mob by Roman soldiers. Most of chapter 22 is Paul’s speech to the dangerously agitated crowd at the northern end of the temple area. When the crowd only gets more angry, Paul narrowly escapes being flogged by the Roman soldiers who had taken him into custody.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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Acts 21 completes the account of Paul’s third missionary journey and moves on to the events that the Holy Spirit revealed in the latter stages of that journey – the “imprisonment and afflictions” that awaited Paul. Led by Neville Jones.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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24 Nov 2019 - Rev. Alex Jacob, director of CMJ UK, spoke on Colossians 1 on Christ the King Sunday. What gives Jesus authority? These verses tell us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the sovereign Son, the one before all things, the head of his community. This early hymn helps us communicate the tension of the good news that the Kingdom of God and its King have come in the midst of a muddled and broken world.
Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:1-20; Luke 23:33-43
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Most of Acts chapter 20 recounts events during the return stage of Paul’s third missionary journey. A relatively large group of church representatives and co-workers were travelling with Paul, carrying with them a collection for the poor of the church at Jerusalem. Paul and Luke spent Passover at Philippi and then joined the main group at Troas where they spent a week. They continued by ship southwards down the coast of Asia (Western Turkey) but sailed past Ephesus and stopped at the next port city, Miletus, presumably to avoid getting drawn in to the busyness at Ephesus. Study led by Neville Jones.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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17 Nov 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, in looking at Luke 21, speaks about the difficulty of eschatological passages. Has this section already been fulfilled? Is it yet to come? Is God done with the Jewish people? God himself is in control of history and works in the midst of sinful Jews and sinful gentiles. Also, God is not forgetful of covenant with Jewish people. If we remember God's faithfulness, we don't have to be afraid of what is to come. Let us prepare spiritually by keeping in mind that when Jesus talks about endurance, we don't have to do it ourselves. Faith is a gift, and Jesus is with us to the end of the age.
Readings: Malachi 4; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
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10 Nov 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime, on Remembrance Sunday, looks at the theme of resurrection that runs through the lectionary passages. Death was never meant to be in this world. Our risen Messiah has defeated death, and one day God will put away death. Though many in the world hopelessly believe that there is nothing beyond death, we have a story of hope to share. In our flesh we will see God and know him and each other, too.
Readings: Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21; Job 19:23-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38
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Neville Jones starts Acts chapter 20, which gives us the conclusion of Paul’s almost 3-year spell at Ephesus and describes his subsequent travels in the Roman provinces of Asia, Macedonia and Achaia. Much of his activity is glossed over in a few verses but with a couple of events highlighted. Luke, like any historian, needs to be selective about what he includes, and chapters 19 and 20 would indicate that he included unusual or significant events (e.g. healings, miracles, the near riot at Ephesus) but not much about Paul’s regular work of teaching, pastoring and church-planting.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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Rev. David Pileggi reminds us that Acts must be read as a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. The mission of Jesus according to that account is found in Luke 4:16-20 when Jesus reads from Isaiah 61 and 58 and applies those words to himself. The Holy Spirit is on him (and his followers) to set the captives free. In Acts 19 we have Paul and the early church preaching a gospel that specifically liberates from the demonic that finds a foothold through idolatry. The gospel ultimately overcomes all political and spiritual opposition. Following Jesus can be a risky business that results in persecution, hostility and misunderstanding.
Notes for this study can me found at Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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3 Nov 2019 - All Saints Day is one of the seven major feasts of the church. Rev. John Howanstine tells us that the holiday calls us to persevere and endure. We, the redeemed by Messiah, are not just saved into heaven but we are recruited into the procession of the more-than-conquering saints. We don't walk with Jesus alone but with one another. And we walk not just with those who are immediately around us but also with those who have gone on before us, the great cloud of witnesses. Let us remember our identity in Jesus, especially when we suffer. We are not victims but saints of Messiah King Jesus.
Readings: Daniel 7:1-3; 15-16; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31
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27 Oct 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine has us consider the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Jesus looks on the human heart, and he justifies those who are penitent and humble, acknowledging their need for mercy. Our God's nature is always to have mercy. So let us move from contrition to a resting trust in the holy love of our Abba Father.
See the icon John describes on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BMRNJ1ojruG/
Readings: Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14
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Rev. Aaron Eime picks up with Paul in Corinth in the second half of Acts 18. Paul, Priscilla and Aquila then begin a journey eastwards to Syria. Silas and Timothy remain in Corinth. n Ephesus the party go to the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Paul encounters no opposition in his discussion of Messiah, rather gets a request to stay and explain further. A little out of character and perhaps pressed for time, Paul declines the invitation. Paul it seems is destined for Jerusalem, to fulfill that vow he made. Priscilla and Aquila remain in Ephesus instead and Paul lands at Caesarea.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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20 Oct 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi looks at the strange story of Jacob wrestling God through the night. Jacob was a fearful schemer, bad behavior he learned from his parents and grandparents. Yet after this incident on Genesis 32, he emerges transformed. His identity is change and he is no longer afraid. The lectionary pairs Jacob with the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, in which we also see desperate persistence, which God honors. What is faith? It's not only trust, but it's a refusal to give up. When Jesus returns, will he find us vulnerable enough, desperate enough for him? Will he find faithful ones?
Readings: Genesis 32:22-31; Luke 18:1-8
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13 October 2019 - On the morning of Erev Sukkot, Rev. David Pileggi compares the gratitude of the healed Samaritan leper with the biblical Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus on way to Jerusalem modeling discipleship. Earlier in the chapter, when disciples say "Increase our faith," they are asking "What does faith look like?" The answer comes in the encounter with the Samaritan leper who is persistence in expressing his gratitude and worship. The Feast of Tabernacles welcomes the outsiders to worship and express gratitude to the Creator God. Entering into the rickety sukkah is coming before to the LORD in faith and trusting him for our security.
Readings: Leviticus 23:34-44; Deuteronomy 16:11-17; Luke 17:11-19
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Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through the first half of Acts 18. Paul leaves Athens for Corinth, where he meets Aquila and Priscilla. Paul first preaches in the town synagogue, but leaves them in frustration. In a dream, God tells Paul that it is safe for him to stay in Corinth, so he stays for a year and half before trouble brews again.
[UPDATED: Thank you to the alert listeners who let us know we uploaded the wrong audio. Thank you for your grace and patience.]
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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6 Oct 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi has us consider the Habakkuk, who complains to God as he sees violence coming and his personal safety is in doubt. Habakkuk asks questions. Questions are OK, especially when they come out of desire to know God better. But let us also remember that God doesn't answer ever question. We must learn to live faithfully even with mystery. "The righteous will live by his faith," his trust, his faithfulness, his persistence even in the face of trouble or violence. God is calling us to be faithful even as we see the world in confusion and turmoil. It's easy for us to say we give up, or we don't believe any more. God says, wait. Be trusting. Be faithful. When we acknowledge God is in control, that doesn't mean we are passive or isolationist. The Gospel of the Kingdom and the Glory of God are expanding in the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remaining faithful means we pray, we evangelize, we stand up against injustice, we care for the needy..
Readings: Lamentations 1:1-6, 3:19-26; Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Luke 17:5-10
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Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Acts 17, as we now find Paul in Athens. Paul has, as was his custom, preached in the synagogue, but his spirit is was provoked by the idolatry in the city. So Paul also sat in the market to converse with philosophers and the like. They were willing to listen to his new ideas, until Paul mentioned the resurrection. Some sneered, but others were intrigued.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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29 Sept 2019 - As a community that celebrates both the Christian and Jewish calendar, we some times get interesting convergences or juxtapositions. This week, we mark Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) and the Feast of St. Michael and the Angels. Neither of these holidays are biblical, Rev. David Pileggi tells us, but they both speak of spiritual warfare for the followers of the LORD. Rosh Hashana begins preparation for Day of Atonement, a season perhaps analogous to Christian season of Lent. Our reading in Revelation tells of the war in heaven, of Satan being thrown out of heaven so that he is on earth making war with the saints. We are in a spiritual battle. We need to take up arms and fight. How? How do we resist the devil? We remind him of the blood, of Jesus' work on the cross. Like Michael, we say, "The LORD rebuke you." We resist him, through repentence. Spiritual warfare is not confronting the powers and principalities. It's about remembering that the victory the Lord has already won. Remembering that helps us to remain faithful even when all looks hopeless or lost.
Readings: Genesis 22:1-18; Numbers 29:1-6; Revelation 12:7-12
Prayer: Father Almighty send St. Michael the Archangel to defend us in battle and be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray. And do you, O prince of the heavenly host by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of our souls and bodies. Amen.
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22 Sept 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, in looking at the parable of the dishonest steward, asks, "Is Jesus really commending dishonesty?" What is Jesus trying to tell us through this story? David walks us through the main Jewish sects of Jesus day to find the targets of Jesus' sermon. The community of Qumran loved each other deeply, but they lived in isolation and hated the outsider. Jesus is calling us to mix with the world so that we may proclaim his healing message to it. There is a risk is leaving our comfy Christian communes. Yet, we have to take the risk for the love of the world. How else will the world hear? How else will the lost be saved?
Readers: Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13
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In our study of Acts, we arrive with Paul at Thessalonica and Berea. Rev. Aaron Eime continues to walk us through this mission trip that "upset the world."
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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15 Sept 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us that heaven rejoices when sinners repent. This is what we learn from the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Neither the lost sheep nor the lost coin are going to find themselves. They must be sought. One of the characteristics of God's heroes is that they have compassion for the lost ones. Jesus has compassion on a lost world. Do we mimic God's compassion? Are the lost precious to us?
Readings: Psalm 14; I Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
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8 Sept 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi walks us through the difficult passage of what Jesus requires of his disciples. What does Jesus mean when he says disciple must hate their families? What does it meant to count the cost? Jesus' words -- while they should not condemn us -- should make us feel uncomfortable and cause us to examine where our priorities and loyalties lie. Are we finding our security and identity in anything other than Messiah Jesus? Discipleship cannot be separated from the cross. We must have our identity in Christ; that identity is more important than our family name. This idea of hating family is a Jewish idea, a rhetorical device that says you must prefer the great Rabbi over anything or anyone else. As a rabbinical idea says, while our mother and father brought us into this life, Rabbi Jesus is the one who will take us into the next life.
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 14:25-35
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Rev. Aaron Eime picks up the Acts story in Thyatira, where Paul and Silas have met a slave girl possessed with by spirit. When Paul casts out the spirit, the girl's owners bring charges against Paul and Silas. After the duo are beaten and jailed, a midnight worship session leads to an earthquake, cells being opened, and the jailer and his household coming to faith in the Lord Jesus.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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As we continue through Acts with Rev. Aaron Eime, we find Paul meeting Timothy in Lystra. As Paul continues preaching the Gospel, the Holy Spirit directs him and his team away from Asia and toward Europe, where he encounters a receptive merchant named Lydia. Soon thereafter, an exorcism from a slave girl get Paul and Silas in trouble with the authorities.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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1 Sept 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine reflects on the first part of Luke 14, when Jesus goes to a dinner where he watches others grasping in ambition for the better seats. God is wanting to write his heart into our hearts. Can we trust God to be in charge with the outcome of our lives so that we just walk humbly with him? Can we trust him enough to give to others without expecting a return?
Readings: Psalm 112; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1, 7-14
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We pick up in the middle of an important section of Acts, where the primarily Jewish followers of Jesus Messiah consider how to integrate the increasing number of gentile followers. Rev. Aaron Eime continues where James is in the midst of giving his verdict on the issue. Then Paul and Barnabas discuss returning to their church plants but run into a problem.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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25 Aug 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi calls us to look closer at what seems a small story of Jesus healing a woman on the Sabbath. What do we see here? We see the Kingdom of Heaven breaking in. Jesus' central messages in his earthly ministry were the importance and centrality of the Kingdom of Heaven and what it means to be a disciple or a member of the Kingdom, his community. In this miracle, Jesus is showing us what liberation looks like.
Jesus talked a lot about the Kingdom. Should we mimic him? Do we have the desire to see God, to participate with God in liberating more and more people. Liberation is more than "getting saved." God is not just concerned about our souls but also our bodies and our minds. When we pray for the kingdom of God to come, we are cheering God on to break into people's lives in healing and restoration. When we see a glimmer of the Kingdom, we are to respond in reverence and worship, repentance and loyalty.
Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-10, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-22
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We reach an important section of Acts, where the primarily Jewish followers of Jesus Messiah consider how to integrate the increasing number of gentile followers. Rev. Aaron Eime guides us through the first part of the chapter, where the controversy is raised in Jerusalem. We see testimony given by Peter, Paul and Barnabas, with James presiding.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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18 Aug 2019 - In Luke 12: 49-56, Jesus says, "“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!" Rev. David Pileggi walks us through this difficult passage. Jesus' message doesn't always bring peace but is often misunderstood and sometimes divides (We, though, should never generate the conflict nor the hostility). Jesus is urgently calling all of us in the world to make a decision, to choose life and healing. We need to recognize the days are evil and we must choose daily to repent and follow Jesus, to take advantage of God's offer of healing. Jesus is calling us to allow God's fire to refine us, perfect us, and bring us in to wholeness and maturity.
Readings: Jeremiah 23:23-29; Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56
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12 Aug 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi asks us to consider what faith is? The Hebrew word emmunah, often translated faith, is more fully to be consistent, lyal reliable, faithful. It is much more than belief in propositions. What does faith do? It doesn't shrink back, in perseveres, it trusts God even when all seems lost. The enemy of faithfulness is insecurity. Insecurity leads us to sins like greed and idolatry. "Fear not, little flock," Jesus exhorts us. Instead of worrying, let us act out our trust by putting first the Kingdom and the needs of others.
Readings: Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40
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Rev. Aaron Eime picks up our study in Acts 14. The Holy Spirit, through Paul and Barnabas, is healing people and proclaiming the Gospel among Greek gentiles. Paul survives being stoned and exhorts the disciples that “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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As Rev. Aaron Eime continues leading us through Acts 13, we see Paul and Barnabas preaching the crucified and risen Messiah in diaspora synagogues.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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In the middle of Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are preaching in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. The hearers wanted to hear more, but when Paul and Barnabas return the next week, things go awry. Many Gentiles comes to hear the gospel, and the Jewish people of the synagogue get jealous. Many Gentiles believe in Jesus Messiah, but Paul and Barnabas are driven from the city.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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4 Aug 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime reminds us to seek first the Kingdom instead of greedily seeking worldly possessions. We serve a generous God. Let us be like him in generosity. If our hearts are directed to anything but God, all is vain, all is meaningless.
Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-12; Luke 12:13-21
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Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through the first half of Acts 13, in which we see the church in Antioch praying and fasting. During this prayer time, the Holy Spirit calls out Barnabas and Saul for "the work to which I have called them." The rest of the chapter tells of their encounters in Cyprus.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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28 July 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Jesus' model prayer as recorded in Luke 11. God doesn't need our prayers, though he desires our prayers. We need to pray both for ourselves and for our community. We receive generous provision, and we learn to be generous. We receive forgiveness, and we learn to forgive. May our prayers be concerned for the holiness of God's name.
Readings: Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13
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Rev. Aaron Eime leads us through Acts 12, which tells the story of Peter's arrest by Herod, his being freed by an angel and shock the praying community gets when Peter arrives at their doorstep.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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21 July 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine tells us Jesus had deep love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, visited their home to visit with them. Martha, we see in her confession of Jesus as Messiah and Son of God, loves and trusts in Jesus. Yet, when he comes, she is distracted by what she thinks she needs to do. Our God comes to sit with us, visit with us. Hear him call your name as he invites you to be still and just soak in his presence.
Readings: Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
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Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Acts 11, where Peter now explains his interaction with Cornelius to his fellow Jewish believers. Then the scene shifts north to the church in Antioch.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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14 July 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine walks us through the familiar parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus is headed to Jerusalem for the final time when he is asked a question: "What do I have to do to have a life worth living?" In his answer, Jesus illustrates that God has show to be a neighbor to us, shown us compassion when we were still his enemies. Jesus calls us to follow him on the road of compassion. Are we instead looking for loop holes? Let us answer the eternal call of God, step in to the story, and let it transform us.
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Colossians 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
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Rev. Aaron Eime leads us through Acts 10, which introduces the watershed moment of Gentile inclusion into the Jesus movement. Prior to this the mission of the early church had been restricted to the Jewish and Samaritan peoples. The place settings of the event are also of importance. Cornelius, a Roman centurion of an elite Italian unit, was based in Caesarea, the administrative capital of the Roman occupation. He is identified as a godfearer, a Gentile attracted to monotheism who has joined the synagogue. He was a generous supporter of the Jewish people despite being an integral part of the occupation force.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
Peter was residing in Joppa, associated to the tradition of the prophet Jonah. Beginnings and ends always occur in the same place and same manner in the Bible. Jonah was instructed to go to Gentiles and refused. Now Peter receives the same commission and accepts.
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7 July 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime looks at Jesus sending out the 70 disciples in Luke 10. Jesus sends disciples, apostles (sent ones) ahead of himself to speak for him. Like the 70, we are called to be the voice of the Messiah and to declare the Good News of that Kingdom that proclaims freedom to the captives of sin. Are our lives reflecting the message?
Readings: Psalm 30; Galatians 6:1-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.
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Rev. David Pileggi walks us through Saul's proclaiming the Gospel in Damascus after encountering the risen Jesus Messiah. We'll also look at Peter's ministry on the coast and the raising of Dorcas.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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30 June 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime gleans discipleship lessons from the encounter Jesus and his disciples have in Samaria. Disciples are to be students of their master. The text gives us lessons on obedience, mercy, and humility. It also calls us to not hesitate in heeding the call of Jesus.
Readings: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
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Acts 9* contains the first of three accounts of Saul's life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus on the way to Damascus. One of the curiosities of Acts is that it records the personal testimony of Saul three times but doesn't record the testimony of any of the other apostles or church leaders. Every historian makes choices on what to include and what to omit. Luke’s motivation for writing that seems to make most sense of his choices is that he was providing historical information and relevant details to aid Paul's defence at his trial in Rome (about 62 AD). Most bibles that include section headings use the phrase “The Conversion of Saul” or something similar to describe the first part of chapter 9. In Israel and in Jewish circles in general the term "conversion" comes with a lot of baggage, so an alternative is worth considering. Luke uses a word meaning conversion in Acts 15:3 when referring to the Gentiles, but Paul doesn’t use that word when he is reflecting on this turning point in his life; he refers to it as a "calling" (Gal 1:15) and an "appointing" (1 Tim 1:12). Study led by Neville Jones.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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*Friends, we had our recordings and summaries out of sync. So you're seeing Acts 9 again because this recording actually discusses Acts 9. We apologize for the confusion.
23 June 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Jesus delivering the demoniac in Luke 8. Jesus crosses a boundary to deliver a possessed gentile, showing tht God is faithful to both Israel and the nations, just as the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) promised.
Readings: Psalm 22:18-27; Isaiah 65:1-9; Luke 8:26-39
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Dr. Dru Johnson spoke about his latest book: Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments. What are we doing when we gather around the sacraments — or when we make the same breakfast every morning? Embodying rituals, says Dru Johnson. And until we understand what we’re doing and why, we won’t know how these rituals work, what they mean, or how we might adapt them. In Human Rites Johnson considers the concept of ritual as seen in Scripture and its role in shaping our thinking.
Dru is an associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City. Before that, he was a high-school dropout, skinhead, punk rock drummer, combat veteran, IT supervisor, and pastor—all things that he hopes none of his children ever become.
Neville Jones leads us through the story of Philip, one of “the Seven” commissioned to serve the community of believers, who preaches the Gospel in Samaria. There had been centuries of division and mistrust between Jews and Samaritans, but they had much in common. The Samaritan regard for the Torah and their shared history with the Jewish people made Samaria fertile ground for the message of Jesus Messiah. Philip probably started in ancient Shechem, which lay at the foot of their holy mountain Gerizim. He found he had a very attentive audience, helped, of course, by the powerful signs of healing and deliverance. Yet, there came a complication, in the person of Simon the magician. Later, Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch, whose story stands in contrast with the situation in Samaria.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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16 June 2019 - On Trinity Sunday, Matthew Dalling ask us "Are we joyful or are we grumpy?" The Bible calls us to a life of joy. The paradox is that this life is full of suffering. We all long for deep joy, but when suffering come, we instead close ourselves off. We rather need to confront suffering and understanding the suffering of Jesus. When we consider the suffering he endured for the joy set before him, we can then learn from him and so merge our joy with his.
Readings: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15
9 June 2019 - On Pentecost Sunday, Rev. David Pileggi tells us that New Testament teaches that Holy Spirit is available to everyone. God gives his Spirit freely, but maintaining relationship with the Father calls for costly discipleship, holiness. "If you love me, you will obey what I command." We are to respond to God's gift of deliverance in gratitude. What does the Holy Spirit do in John? The Holy Spirit brings the presence of Jesus to us. It allows us to enter into the Divine Community. The Holy Spirit does what Jesus does, what the Father does. The goal of having the Spirit is for all in Messiah go out to be witnesses of the Jesus Messiah.
Readings: Acts 2:1-21; John 14:8-17, 25-27
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Rev. Aaron Eime picks up the story of Stephen's death and then begins to lead us through the story of Philip, one of “the Seven” commissioned to serve the community of believers, who preaches the Gospel in Samaria.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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Rev. Gerald McDermott, in the run up to Pentecost/Shavuot, spoke on “Jonathan Edwards and the Holy Spirit.” Gerald is the Anglican chair at Beeson Divinity School. His research focus has been three-fold: Jonathan Edwards, Christian understandings of other religions, and the meaning of Israel. McDermott has produced six books on Edwards; his Theology of Jonathan Edwards (coauthored with Michael McClymond) won Christianity Today’s 2013 award.
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Acts 7, Rev. Aaron Eime tells us, has often been used by skeptics as an argument against the integrity of Scripture, who cite the many inconsistencies and disparities of Stephen's speech before the Sadducees. Stephen, as described in Acts 6, is full of the Holy Spirit and a worker of miracles and signs. Little more is known of Stephen except that he is a Greek speaker from the Hellenistic Jewish community. He reads and quotes from the Septuagint Greek Bible, which explains the differences in quotes from the Old Testament. Stephen's speech is given during a high pressure situation in which charges of blasphemy against the Torah and the Temple have been brought against him. This is his chance to defend himself, he does so by going on the offensive.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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2 June 2019 - On Ascension Sunday, Rev. David Pileggi has us contemplate the spiritual reality of Jesus as King, as the ruler of the Kingdom of God. In the 40 days that Jesus walkrf the Earth after his Resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven. It is central to Jesus that God has begun to execute authority in the world. Where do we find Jesus ruling and reigning? Where people are doing his will, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The idea of God ruling as king is a Jewish message. Let us pray that God would heal our cynicism and over-familiarity with the Scriptures so we may be filled anew with joy and gratitude and worship our King.
Readings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Luke 24:44-53
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Neville Jones walks us through Acts 6, which starts a new section in the book. The focus is shifting from the apostles to other players, such as Stephen, Philip and Saul (Paul). Stephen is the central character in chapters 6 and 7, as Luke builds the narrative bridge toward the life of Saul of Tarsus. The timing of chapter 6 is not clear; it could be a year or perhaps a few years after Pentecost. What is clear is that this new community of the Way faces challenges: growing pains and culture clashes between Hebrew-speaking, Judean Jews and Greek-speaking diaspora Jews. The Twelve Apostles decide to appoint what are later called deacons to assist with food distribution and make sure no one is neglected. Later in the chapter, Stephen is revealed as more than someone who can “serve tables” but as a powerful and gifted public speaker and debater. This will get the attention of the opponents of the Way.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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26 May 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, looking at Acts 16 and John 14, reminds us that peace and joy that come from being in relationship with Jesus. We see peace and boldness in Paul and Silas as they spread the good news of Jesus in Europe, and that peace and boldness flow from their knowledge and trust of Jesus. Paul is so secure in Jesus that he responds to persecution by praying and singing hymns. Mission is not about numbers but about creating communities that praise and worship God.
Readings: Acts 16; John 14:23-29
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Rev. Aaron Eime picks up when once again the Apostles receive the attention of the High Priest, who seems to be jealous of the Apostles' success. An unknown number of apostles, just the leadership of the community now numbering in the thousands, are imprisoned overnight to await trial and judgement the next morning in keeping with Jewish Law. However, an unnamed Angel of the Lord opens the door and instructs them to go to the Temple and speak about the Life. What is the full message of the Life and Resurrection? The Holy Spirit is noted to be a witness of the Resurrection. Peter then declares that the Holy Spirit has been given to those who obey the Messiah. We learn that obedience is also a key element in the following of Jesus and is connected to receiving the Holy Spirit.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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19 May 2019 - Can anything good come out of Caesarea? Michael Kerem walks us through the story of Cornelius and its history-shifting implications. When we won't willingly cooperate with God, he sticks us in a place so we can watch him move sovereignly. So it was with Peter, who barely said anything before the Holy Spirit was poured on the household of a Roman centurion in proof that repentance that leads to life had been gifted to non-Jews, too. All Peter could say in his defense was, "Who was I that I could stand in God's way?"
Readings: Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 7; John 13:31-35
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The Sacred History of the Early Church demonstrates a sharing of possessions, generosity and compassion and a care for the poor among the believers. Rev. Aaron Eime says it is not a model of a socialist movement, the formation of a kibbutz or the biblical model for the redistribution of wealth.
Thus far in Acts we have witnessed only positive actions and results of the Holy Spirit and His work among the people, now we see a not so positive result of the Holy Spirit with the deaths of Ananias and Saphira. From the incident we note that it is possible to lie to the Holy Spirit and that this has consequences. We learn we cannot hide the truth of the heart from the Lord.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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12 May 2019 - We love the world system even though it continues to fail us. It is dangerous, though, Rev. David Pileggi reminds us. The danger is that, when we derive our identity and/or our security from created things rather than from the Creator, the world converts our loyalty against Jesus. However, when we as a community are generous and care for the poor like Dorcas did, we rebel against the world system, and we make a deposit in a heavenly bank account. Those who give to the poor lend to the Lord (Prov 19:17), and God will repay. Generosity also brings us closer to Messiah. Where do we find Jesus? In giving aid to the poor and needy.
Readings: Acts 9:36-43; Revelation 6; John 10:22-30
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The public healing of the cripple man by the Apostles, Peter and John, attracts the attention of the Temple leadership. Rev. Aaron Eime tells us that the issue was not the healing in itself, an obvious miracle, but the preaching of the Resurrection. Temple leadership was dominated by the sect of the Sadducees who held to a limited canon of Scripture and denied the doctrine of the Resurrection at the end of days. In the morning, Peter and John are questioned. Before responding they are filled with the Holy Spirit. We are promised by the Messiah that when we are indeed brought before rulers, not to worry about what we will say (Matthew 10) the Spirit will speak for us.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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5 May 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi compares the ministries of Peter and Paul, how Jesus called them and restored them after egregious sins. The resurrected Jesus does not wait for Peter to apologize for his betrayal. Jesus calls Paul as he is on the way to persecute disciples. Jesus initiates the restoration of both men and commissions them for ministry. All of us are called. All of us are sent. However, there is a cost for answering the call. Is He worth it?
Readings: Acts 9:1–20; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
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28 April 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, speaking on Acts 5, has us consider what turns the fearful disciples into courageous men and women proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Messiah? Transformation comes from seeing, knowing Resurrection itself, the risen Jesus of Nazareth, who is not just a first century rabbi but something so much more. The disciples are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel, a message about the forgiveness of sins which flows from Jesus Messiah, who stands in Revelation wounded but glorified, Jewish but for all peoples.
Readings: Acts 5:27-32; Revelation 1:4-18; John 20:19-31
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While the Book of Acts contains the most references to the Holy Spirit in the Bible, Acts 3 contains no mention of the Holy Spirit at all. We do not see His activity overtly expressed or His presence acknowledged. We only see here a healing through Peter and John. The healing attracts attention. Peter has an opportunity to declare they are witnesses of the Resurrection. He calls for Repentance as part of the process of Salvation.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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21 April 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, at the 9:30 a.m. service, asks us "Why do we seek the living among the dead?" Why do we seek life in internet fame, in riches, in our own works? Resurrection is not an idea, a doctrine, or a philosophy. Resurrection is a person. "Who are you looking for?" Jesus asks Mary Magdalene. We should be seeking Jesus, the resurrection and the life.
Readings: Exodus 14:10-18; Acts 10:34-43; Luke 24:1-12
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21 April 2019 - At the 6 a.m. resurrection service, Reuven Berger of Kehilat ha'Seh al Har Zion (The Congregation of the Lamb on Mt. Zion)walked us from Genesis 3 to Romans, I Corinthians and Hebrews to show how Jesus' resurrection affects us who are in Messiah. Reuven shares a testimony of how Yeshua relieved him of a life-long fear of death.
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14 April 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine, on Palm Sunday, walks us through the holy work of remembering the day Jesus revealed himself as the King and Messiah. Despite the joyful reception, Jesus wept, sobbed in grief knowing the rejection that awaited him. Now he calls us to weep with him as he calls the world to repent and acknowledge his kingship.
Readings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 19:28-48
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7 April 2019 - Matthew Dalling, on the Fifth Sunday in Lent, explored what it practically means to follow Jesus looking at the example of Mary anointing and cleaning the feet of Jesus.
Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:4-14, John 12:1-8 & 24-26
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Acts 2, Sacred History, records the events of Shavuot (Pentecost) in Jerusalem. The Disciples continue to wait for the Gift of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. They continue to meet in the Temple. Acts 2, with its allusions to Mount Sinai, demonstrates the writer’s intimate knowledge of the oral traditions and commentary of the Jewish People. The Disciples are said to be united in one accord, every nation under Heaven is said to be in Jerusalem, tongues of fire appear, voices are heard and seen.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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31 Mar 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine, on the Fourth Sunday in Lent, looks at the love of the Father as displayed in Jesus' parables of the two sons, of the lost sheep, and of the lost coin .
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.
Readings: Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15: 11-32
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In the middle of Acts 2, Peter is conducting his defense of the events occurring in the Temple on Pentecost/Shavuot. He declares that Jesus was a man proved by God through miracles and signs, this same Jesus was resurrected by God. What sort of body does Jesus have? His own body. Resurrection is the sign/proof that God has made Jesus the Messiah.
Death cannot hold the Messiah. Death is not part of the original creation; it was introduced to the creation following the Fall of Adam. Throughout Peter's defense ,he reminds the people of what they have seen and heard, Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10vs17). The Kingdom of Heaven continues to advance through the verbal proclamation of the Gospel and the visible signs of the Spirits power and activity.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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25 Mar 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi. Third Sunday in Lent
Readings: Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9
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Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Acts 1:15-26, where Peter stands up and takes the lead among the disciples, numbering around 120 including males and females. Peter declares that the Holy Spirit spoke through David. Does the Holy Spirit speak through other people? Peter also calls for them to replace Judas among the leadership of the twelve. Aaron notes that a hierarchy has been established with the inner group of twelve.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/sermons/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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17 March 2019 - We began Lent with a reminder that God hates nothing he has made. Rev. John Howanstine calls us to respond to merciful God by asking him to give us contrite hearts. God's glory is to always have mercy. The door is still open to repentance. Let us not only think of repentance as feeling bad for our sins but as a turning that makes us run back to him so we can be gathered into his loving embrace.
Readings: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke: 13:31-35
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Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through Acts 1:4-14, where Jesus commands his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for a gift from God. The Holy Spirit is a Gift. Not something purchased, borrowed, bargained, nor deserved and certainly not a right. Promise of the Holy Spirit comes with Power. What does it mean to have power? Jesus says the purpose of the Power is to be a witness of Jesus to the ends of the world. Aaron also looks at Jesus' ascension to heaven and angels.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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10 March 2019 - On the First Sunday in Lent, Rev. David Pileggi has us consider how the Temptation of Jesus in the desert is relevant to us. God's boot camp, his seminary is the desert, where he teaches us humility, dependence on him, and seperation from the world and its distractions. In the desert he also teaches us to resist the lies of the devil. The devil has been defeated by the cross and the resurrection, and we must be willing to see through the devil's lies and must have the will to say no to his shortcuts and say yes to obeying and being faithful to God.
Readings: Genesis 3:1-24; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Luke 4:1-13
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Rev. Aaron Eime looks at what the Holy Spirit does, where he shows up in Scripture and how Jewish theology of the Holy Spirit developed in the Second Temple period. Then Aaron jumps into the text of Acts, looking at chapter 1, versus 1-3.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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3 March 2019 - Rev. Aaron Eime walks us through the Transfiguration, how it echos Sinai yet points to Jesus kingship and his Kingdom. Jesus is revealed in all his majesty and glory, yet he is prepared for suffering at Calvary. We are called to live a lifestyle of listening to God that follows Jesus' glory even as we pick up our crosses.
Readings: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; Luke 9:28-36
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Rev. Aaron Eime and Neville Jones will be leading us through a study of the Book of Acts. In this first session, they will look at how to read Acts as sacred history, the possible purposes of the book of Acts, the identity of the author Luke, and the how Acts mentions the Holy Spirit more times than any other book of the Bible.
Notes for this study can be found at http://www.christchurchjerusalem.org/study-acts-of-the-holy-spirit/
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24 February 2019 - To be saved is not just to have our sins forgiven, Rev. David Pileggi tells us. Being saved, receiving divine life, is being in union with the Messiah. Divine life gives out, is not self-preserving. Divine life comes through listening, meditating, digesting the words of Jesus so that we begin to imitate God in love, forgiveness, generosity, mercy. Discipleship is a relationship with Jesus where we're studying him, watching him, imitating him, but we cannot do this of our own strength. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to participate in the divine nature. This sanctification and transformation, this becoming like the Messiah takes time and discipline.
Readings: Exodus 33:18-34:9; 2 Peter 1:1-10; Luke 6:27-38
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17 Feb 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi looks at Luke's Sermon on the Plain, saying that the words of Jesus have healing power for our whole lives. Do we cherish the words of Jesus? Do we realized we will be judged by why Jesus taught? We must apply the teaching of Jesus to our lives. We also need to beware of the deceitfulness and brokenness of the human heart. When we listen to Jesus rather than the culture or the devil, we submit to Jesus as King. Submission to his kingship brings us to a place of flourishing. Let us listen to Jesus so that God's kingdom can grow inour lives.
Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; Luke 6:17-26
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10 February 2019 - Rev. David Pileggi, dedicating the sermon to the memory of Dwight Pryor, reminds us that holiness comes through discipleship. God calls us to be holy, but how does that look practically in our lives? By heeding Jesus' call to "Come and follow me" so that we can learn through intimacy and imitation. Discipleship is a process that takes effort, effort not to earn but to respond to God's grace.
Readings: Isaiah 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 5:1-11
3 February 2019 - Andrew McKain looks at the Jesus' sermon that so upset the people of Nazareth. Jesus preached a message of jubilee, of restoration, reversal of fortunes, healing for society, end of oppression. However, in delivering this message, Jesus crosses boundaries that made his neighbors uncomfortable. Jesus reaches out to the marginal and the outcast. Jesus announces himself as our jubilee. Instead of fixing what we think is wrong with the world, he first fixes us and frees us from our fear and bitterness so we can tear down the walls that separate us from others.
Readings: Jeremiah 1:4-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 4:14-28
27 January 2019 - Rev. John Howanstine challenges us to see ourselves in Jesus' miracle of turning water in to wine. The first of the signs connects with all the rest of the signs of the God who comes in covenant faithfulness to the unfaithful. When we've shamefully fallen short, the Messiah, the Creator God, the Bridegroom comes to us and transforms us. Not only that, but he points us to the coming marriage feast of the Lamb.
Readings: Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 36:5–10; John 2:1–11
20 January 2019 - R. Steven Notley walks us through the details of Luke 4:14-21 which records Jesus' first sermon, given at his hometown synagogue. What is recorded tells us quite a bit about how Jesus was seen in the community and how first century synagogues worked. When Jesus says that the Isaiah passage he reads is fulfilled, he is telling his listeners that the passage is relevant to them. His reading Isaiah 61 through the lens of Isaiah 58 communicates to the people of Nazareth and to us that we must be careful about categorizing people into whom God loves and whom he doesn't love. It is not any of our business. Don't limit God's ability to redeem and restore those we deem outside our comfort zone. Instead, we should offer ourselves to God to be used by him as vessels of mercy.
Readings: Isaiah 35; Isaiah 58:5-12; Luke 4:14-21
13 January 2018 - Sunday night, Rev. Aaron Eime took a closer look at the at the historical and religious context of baptism in first century Judaism. The baptism of Jesus is in the desert, where John the Baptist has been preparing the way of the Lord. John is calling for national repentance, and Jesus joins in. By doing so, Jesus identifies with Israel and with our humanity. In the middle of this, Jesus prays, the heavens open, and God speaks. How do we know it's God? Because God speaks his scriptures back to us. Aaron also looks at the Holy Spirit throughout the Hebrew scriptures.
Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-24; Luke 3:15-23
13 Jan 2018 - What is your identity? It should be belonging to the family of Jesus, being a disciple of the Messiah. The Father affirms Jesus' identity, Rev. David Pileggi reminds us, at his baptism: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22 ESV). Jesus' response is loyal and faithful obedience to the Father. Through Messiah, we can be called sons of God, and the Father is well pleased with us, before we do anything. The proper response to this outpouring of love is a life dependent and obedient to God.
Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-24; Luke 3:15-23