Redeemer West Side's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side
Welcome to the podcast of Redeemer West Side. Our church is located on Manhattan's Upper West Side where we are living out the sacred call by Jesus to love our neighbors and heal our city.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 32:1-7.
This sermon explores the practice of confession, looking at a prayer of David that arose out of his great failure.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 26:1-14, 21-25.
Jesus encouraged his followers to love their enemies. This sermon explores David’s showing mercy as a kind of case study in how to do that.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 17:32-50.
This sermon explores what courage is and where true courage comes from.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 16:1-13.
This sermon kicks off a new series on the life of David. In David, we see someone who wasn’t perfect, but who spent his life running hard after the heart of God.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 4:1-11.
Sabbath is a rhythm of life in which Jesus invites his people into true rest.
Given by Rev. Alan Charnock.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 1 Peter 4:8-11.
Serving others–in the church and in our city–is one way Christians are formed more and more into the image of Jesus.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 2 Kings 7:3-13.
When we experience something wonderful, our instinct is to share it with others. This sermon explores how we can grow in our enjoyment of the gospel as we share it.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 6:1, 16-18; Isaiah 58:6-10.
This sermon unpacks fasting as a spiritual discipline, highlighting Jesus’ expectation for his followers and its particular relevance in today’s culture of consumerism, haste, and individualism.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 6:1-4, 2 Corinthians 9:12-15.
Since discipleship means following Jesus with our whole lives, we must follow him in his teaching about money and generosity. Alongside prayer and fasting, Jesus locates “giving” as one of the three core practices that should shape his followers.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 1
Scripture and prayer are means of communion with God: we receive God’s word and respond to him. Psalm 1 says “meditation” is the practice that links Scripture and prayer.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 95.
This classic Psalm tells us why to worship and how to worship.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Galatians 5:22-26.
This sermon discusses the natural and inevitable “fruit” that emerges from the life of someone who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Given by Rev. Alan Charnock.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Galatians 5:22-26.
This sermon discusses the natural and inevitable “fruit” that emerges from the life of someone who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 1 Corinthians 12:1-7, 18-21, 27.
This sermon discusses the "gifts of the Spirit," and explains that the Spirit gives gifts to Christians so they can make Jesus known and strengthen the church they’re part of.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:1-13.
This sermon discusses what it means to live one’s life under the influence of the Spirit, for the Spirit’s will to increasingly become ours.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Ephesians 5:15-21.
This sermon discusses the Spirit's chief work: to point us to Jesus, for as we see him, we shall become like him. Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of love, the fruit of the Spirit, and so to be living in the Spirit means to live a life of love that reflects Jesus himself.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Acts 16:6-10.
This sermon explores what it means to be led by the Spirit, especially when the Spirit of God says “no” to our plans, however well-intentioned those plans may be.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:14-17
This sermon explains how the Spirit helps Christians experience the doctrine of adoption.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 14:16-18, 25-27; 15:26; 16:7
This sermon introduces the person of the Spirit (who he is) and the chief work of the Spirit (pointing to Jesus).
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 20:19-31
This Easter sermon explores the reality of Jesus’ resurrection and what that means for life today.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 15:1-17
This sermon explores what it means to abide in Jesus, as well as some of the challenges to abiding in him.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 11:17-44
This sermon explores the great hope of the Christian faith: there is resurrection and life for all those in Jesus.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 11:28-30; 12:15-21
In these two passages, we see not only who Jesus is—gentle and humble—but also, and because of his gentle humility, the rest he gives to run-down and weak people. There is no one like Jesus.
Given by Rev. Justin Adour
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 8:12-20
In the Bible, darkness is a metaphor for evil and ignorance. Jesus has come into the world as light: the one who will end all evil, and whose truth can provide direction and meaning in a confusing and chaotic world.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 11:1-11
While in prison, John honestly expresses some doubt about Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” This sermon explores how Jesus reveals himself to those who are distressed in life and in their faith.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 6:25-40
Over the course of this series, we're looking at five of Jesus’ “I am” statements from the gospel of John. Each of these statements reveals an aspect of Jesus’ identity that directly fulfills an Old Testament theme or promise. In this passage, Jesus declares himself to be the soul’s truest satisfaction, that which we need and desire.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 5:31-47
This sermon explores why Jesus is the point of every sermon preached at Redeemer West Side. As Jesus himself said, he’s the hero of the biblical story.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Mark 6:30-44
This sermon explores the shape of Jesus’ compassion and what it means that he is compassionate towards us today.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Mark 4:35-41
This story of Jesus calming the troubled sea not only reveals the doctrine of the incarnation, but it also shows how that doctrine is an immense comfort as we face the troubles of life.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Mark 2:1-12
Jesus’ comprehensive healing of the paralyzed is not just an act of kindness and mercy; it’s a revelation of Jesus’ divinity.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 2:13-25
A temple is the meeting place of heaven and earth. While there are religious and secular kinds of temples, this passage tells us that Jesus is the true and ultimate temple, the real intersection of heaven and earth. The only way to have a relationship with God is in and through him, the one who is God with us.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 2:1-11
John calls Jesus’ miracle at Cana the archetypal sign: as we look at this story, we have a picture of who Jesus is and what he came into the world to do. This second sermon on this passage will focus on the new covenant Jesus came to establish: salvation by grace alone.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 2:1-11
John calls Jesus’ miracle at Cana the archetype sign: as we look at this story, we have a picture of who Jesus is and what he came into the world to do. Our first sermon on this passage focuses on Jesus as the bringer of joy.
Given by Rev. Alan Charnock
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 146
As we round out one year and look ahead to another, this Psalm invites the people of God into a posture of praise; praising God for who he is (Psalm 146:6) and all he’s done (Psalm 146:7-9).
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 130
No matter how hard or distressing our world is, or our life is, a Christian is someone who can live with tectonic hope, because with God there is forgiveness and unfailing love. On this Sunday before Christmas, the reality of Christ’s coming and work means that, for the Christian, there’s always hope.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 98
On this Lessons & Carols Sunday, we’ll look at Psalm 98 to remind ourselves that because Christ came the first time, he’ll come again. And when he comes again, we’ll be home.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 13
Psalm 13 is an invitation to wait honestly before God: to bring him our fear, our anger, our hard questions; to lament before him in the hopes that he will come and keep his promises.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 11:1-9
In this sermon, we see the perennial temptation that is found in the city of Babel. However, reading this story in light of the whole Bible shows that God loves the city and wants to use his people to serve their cities.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 9:8-17
This sermon explores one great plotline of the Bible, namely, how God relates to his people by way of covenant and, amazingly, fulfills the conditions of the covenants himself.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 6:5-14, 7:13-18, 7:24
This sermon focuses on the worldwide flood and God’s reason for it. While this story is well-known, it’s a challenging one that forces us to wrestle with divine judgment.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 4:1-16
When God tells Cain that “sin is crouching at your door,” we learn something profound and terrible about the power and deceptive nature of sin. This sermon also explores God’s remarkable (and even surprising) compassion toward Cain amid his great transgression.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 3
While this sermon touches on the fall and the strategy of the evil one, the thrust of this sermon is God’s promise to rescue the world through the seed of the woman —a veiled promise pointing to Jesus’ incarnation and death on the cross.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 2:18-25
Genesis 2 reminds us that God is the maker of marriage and all human community. In a very real sense, it is not good for a person to be alone because God is not alone; he is triune, Father, Son, and Spirit. To be made by him and for him is to be made in and for community.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 2:4-17
This sermon explores a Christian doctrine of vocation, how God matters to all work and how all work matters to God, and how all good work can be an act of worship.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 2:1-3
This sermon explores the first mention of rest (or Sabbath) in the Bible, and notably, it is God who is resting. As people made by him and called to imitate him, rest is an integral part of our humanity; we ignore rest to our peril.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 1:26-31
This sermon explores the doctrine of the image of God: what it means that every human being is made by and for God, and flourishes fully in relation to him.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 1:1-25
The purpose of Genesis 1 is more theological than it is scientific. This sermon explores how Genesis 1 is less about how God made all things than why he did, and what it means for a person to relate to this God who is the maker of everything.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Exodus 35:4-10, 20-29
This sermon explores the ultimate motivation for generosity: creating more opportunities for people to encounter God, to grow in the gospel, to see suffering relieved, to see our city — and our world — renewed.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Luke 12:13-21
Idolatry isn’t just having or wanting bad things, but it’s turning even good things into ultimate things. Money is a great example of that: it can be stewarded as a gift from God, used in ways that are life-giving and community-building. But the human heart, curved in on itself (sin), can also turn a healthy desire for money into greed. This sermon explores the spiritual danger of greed, and how the practice of generosity enables a person to resist that danger.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 2 Corinthians 8:1-12, 9:12-15
2 Corinthians 8:2 tells us that the church in Corinth was rich in generosity even while they themselves were experiencing extreme poverty. This sermon will explore how the gospel—Jesus’ own generosity to his people—frees a person to be truly generous, no matter how much or how little they have.
Given by Rev. Alan Charnock
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 4:1-11
Amid the temptations and sufferings and persecutions facing the churches, Revelation 4 reminds them—and us—that the Lord is king and is on his throne. This glimpse into the heavenly throne room fortifies God’s people in the present, and fuels their joyful worship as they look to Jesus, the one who is worthy.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 3:14-22
The church in Laodicea needs to be roused from their spiritual apathy, their spiritual lukewarmness.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 3:7-13
The church in Philadelphia needs spirit-empowered endurance to continue in ministry, to make the most of the open doors before them. “The door has been opened by him, and none can shut it. Let them again take heart, and use the strength they do have in the service he sets before them” (Michael Wilcock).
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 3:1-6
The church in Thyatira needs strength and conviction to avoid spiritual compromise with the idols in their city. “The faith of Jesus is not merely the excited sprint of enthusiasm of those new to faith, but the committed marathon of a long obedience in the same direction” (Ian Paul).
Given by Rev. David Lee
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 2:18-29
The church in Thyatira needs strength and conviction to avoid spiritual compromise with the idols in their city. “The faith of Jesus is not merely the excited sprint of enthusiasm of those new to faith, but the committed marathon of a long obedience in the same direction” (Ian Paul).
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 2:12-17
Like Smyrna, the church in Pergamum needs strength to face not just suffering but also spiritual seduction/temptation. “The temptation is too strong, and they give way. Compromise creeps in; the distinction between the church and the world is blurred” (Michael Wilcock).
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 2:8-11
The church in Smyrna needs strength to face the sufferings of persecution.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 2:1-7
The church in Ephesus needs to recover their “first love”: love for God and love for each other. “Protecting themselves and others from error and exhaustion is only of value if they are protecting their relationship of love with their Lord and with one another” (Ian Paul).
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 1:9-20
Psalm 16:8 says, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” There was much that was trying to “shake” the seven churches in Asia Minor. This vision of Christ—the Living One, the First and the Last—is what those churches, and every church, always need to keep their eyes on.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:28-39
This passage doesn’t say all things are good. It says that God works all things for good for his people, culminating in their being glorified—safe with him in his kingdom forever as their truest selves. To know deep down that God is working all things for good provides hope and peace even as we walk through the fiercest storms.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:18-27
Paul never minimizes the sufferings Christians experience, but he does say that those sufferings pale in comparison to the glory that’s coming. There is a real, embodied, healed future coming for the people of God. Christians are those who live in the present shaped by confident hope in that coming future.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:12-17
The Spirit helps Christians experience their adoption, that a Christian has become a member of God’s family, his son and daughter, with brothers and sisters (new community). What the Spirit does is take that objective reality and help us experience in subjective ways.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 6:1-14
The gospel brings new power and new purpose for living. Through the gospel, a person is freed from living for themselves (sin) and is freed to “live a new life” in, with, and for God.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 4:1-8, 4:22-5:2
Justification means not only that sin is forgiven, but being “credited” with Jesus’ own righteousness. Through the gospel, a person can be truly accepted and have a meaning in life that is unshakeable.
“This is my beloved son; in him I am well pleased.”
Through the gospel, the verdict is in: justified in the only court that ultimately matters.
Given by Rev. Paul Yoo
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Romans 1:14-17
Everyone is looking for salvation. “Interestingly enough, the majority of people who seek salvation today do not think of themselves as someone who seeks salvation. But they feel the need for it regardless. In his book, A Secular Age, Charles Taylor explains the experience of desiring a “fullness” in our lives that is not there, of aching for a life that could be and should be far better than it is now” (Tim Keller). In his introduction to Romans, Paul boasts in the gospel as the only way to experience salvation.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Habakkuk 3:16-19
The message of Habakkuk ends with the paradox of faith: even when everything is lost, the prophet can rejoice because he still has God. God cannot be lost. In this way Habakkuk is particularly helpful to persons going through suffering. The source of hope is not in the reversal of difficult circumstances, but an ever-increasing awareness of the God who is with you in the midst of them. Even when all is lost, God remains. Therein you may rejoice.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Habakkuk 3:1-15
In the midst of life’s hardest moments and in the midst of suffering, one of the resources that God’s people need is the cultivation of spiritual memory. Habakkuk is standing in awe of God’s deeds, God’s past work. The word deeds is an important word in the Old Testament. God’s deeds refer to his specific acts of deliverance on behalf of God’s people in time past. Habakkuk was living in a dark time for the people of God: but this wasn’t the first dark time they had had. Habakkuk knows that in dark times before, God delivered his people. He came to their rescue. And his deep awareness of God’s deeds in the past fortifies his faith and hope in the present.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Habakkuk 2
After asking his hard questions, Habakkuk gets a response from God, even if not a satisfactory answer. God doesn’t explain all of his ways to Habakkuk, but he does remind Habakkuk of his glory: “The Lord is in his holy temple” (v. 20). In other words, God responds to Habakkuk’s hard questions by giving him a bigger vision of his glory. Therefore, as Habakkuk learns, “The righteous person will live by faithfulness” (v. 4). It’s trust in God, even when you don’t understand all that he’s up to, that anchors someone in the midst of suffering.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk 1 describes a man asking God hard, uncomfortable questions, and being unsettled by the answers God gives. We need to start here—with hard questions—because experiences of suffering always raise hard questions. We need to encourage honesty in wrestling with a God whose ways are often confusing and frustrating. If we don’t help people know that it’s safe, even encouraged, to bring their hard questions to God, they’ll be more prone to deconstruct their faith when they experience suffering (in their own lives or the lives of those around them). What’s more, as Habakkuk brings his hard questions to God, he finds God to be so patient, gracious, and tender. By asking hard questions we experience a particular kind of intimacy with God, the kind of intimacy that mirrors Christ in Gethsemane: “Take this cup away from; nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.”
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Ephesians 1:15-23
This sermon explores the historical foundation and the life-transforming power of the greatest news ever told: Jesus was raised on the third day.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 21:1-11
Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as a true king, and a truly humble king. The triumphal entry reveals the upside-down nature of his kingdom and how followers of this humble king should use their power in the world.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Luke 18:9-14
To round out our series on repentance, we’ll consider humility. Humility is both the foundation for and a fruit of repentance. Pride will keep us from truly repenting. And if a person truly repents, they are filled with gospel-humility, not less of themselves, but thinking of themselves less, and thinking much more of Jesus and his grace.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10
As Thomas Watson points out, godly repentance is that which starts in the heart and bursts forth into a change in life. This sermon explores how repentance is a turning from “sin”, or idols, and is a turning to God. This turn manifests in actions, deeds, behavior, etc. (cf Acts 26:20).
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 32:1-11
Another essential ingredient in gospel repentance is the confession of sin. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament highlight the importance of confession as a regular practice for the people of God. In this passage, we learn something about what real confession is and why confession is such an essential part of the Christian life, both for individuals and for a church family.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | 2 Corinthians 7:8-12
In the March 9 sermon, we considered repentance generally. The upcoming three sermons dive more specifically into the aspects of repentance. One ingredient of biblical repentance is experiencing godly sorrow for sin. Paul, in 2 Corinthians, distinguishes godly sorrow from worldly sorrow, and shows us how godly sorrow is not only good, but is a fruit of the gospel’s work in our life.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Mark 1:14-20
In his famous 95 Theses, Martin Luther remarked that the entirety of the Christian life is one of repentance. This is fitting, for when Jesus’ begins his public ministry and announces his kingdom, the invitation Jesus gives is one of repentance. In this sermon we’ll be exploring what repentance is (and isn’t!), and why repentance is for all of life.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Mark 2:1-12
In Mark 2, we see someone whose life was radically and holistically healed by Jesus. But he would not have experienced healing from Jesus if it were not for his friends who brought him to Jesus. Because this man’s friends brought him to Jesus, his life was forever changed. We want to be a church where people meet Jesus and experience his holistic healing, his shalom. This sermon will explore the motivations and the practices of people who bring their friends to Jesus.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Ephesians 2:19-22
In his book, Side by Side, Ed Welch describes church as a place where every person is both needy and needed. Using the imagery of “temple” to describe the church, Paul is reminding Christians that they need the church and the church needs them. One way we promote shalom in our city is by fostering a community where it’s safe to be needy and where everyone is contributing to ministry.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Ephesians 2:11-18
In these verses, Paul provides a theological foundation for the kind of reconciliation that we see depicted in Acts 10: The same gospel that reconciles people to God also reconciles people to each other. The gospel can tear down any ways erected between peoples today.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Acts 10
Acts 10 records a kind of conversion story, but not in the way you expect. Peter, who was an apostle and the leader of the church, experiences a kind of conversion when he experiences that the good news of Jesus really is for all peoples. Peter understands the gospel in a new and deeper way as he begins to grasp that the same gospel which reconciles people to God also reconciles those people to other people, across racial, ethnic, and cultural lines.
Given by Rev. Andrew Field.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Acts 6:1-7
As we saw last week, the first Christians were committed to serving their city in word and deed ministry. In Acts 6, God invites his people to serve one another practically inside the church. The revolutionary idea of spiritual gifts releases every Christian to serve in God-designed and God-empowered ways.
Given by Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Acts 3:1-16
While Peter and John were making their way to the temple to pray, they encountered a man with tremendous physical need. Instead of offering a smile and walking by, Peter and John stop, engage the man, and pronounce healing in the name of Jesus. Here, we see a sign of the church alive: Christians being used by God to relieve suffering in their city. After the healing, Peter explains to the crowd how this happened: By faith in the name of Jesus. Here in Acts 3, we see the gospel in the city, the gospel as both word and deed that changes lives and changes the city.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Jeremiah 29:4-14
For the people of God, “exile” is their current but not their ultimate status. While they are to seek the shalom of their cities (be it Babylon or NYC), they must not forget that their “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3v20). God promises his people in exile that he won’t forget about them, and that he will bring them home. Only when we live with hope in our true home, God’s future city, can we live faithfully as exiles in our current cities.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Jeremiah 29:1-9
God tells his people in Babylon to seek the shalom of their city (29v7). One of our values at RWS is pursuing and promoting a flourishing city. This sermon explores not only what shalom is, but some of the ways that God calls us, his people, to pursue shalom.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Jeremiah 29:1-9
An “exile” is someone who’s been displaced from their homeland, having undergone an experience of disruption/disorientation. The theme of “exile” runs throughout the Bible. The apostle Peter describes the church as “foreigners and exiles” (1 Pet 2v18). Here in Jeremiah 29, we see God’s people in exile, and God reminds them that he is the one who sent them there (v4). This sermon will explore exile as a part of the human condition and how understanding “exile” can help God’s people rightly relate to their earthly city as they look forward to the heavenly city.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 1:19-28
What does it mean to live in light of Christmas? Christians, like John the Baptist, are called to use their “voice” to proclaim the “Word”. Jesus must increase, we must decrease.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 1:14-18
In our polarized and polarizing society, people who live with both grace and truth are rare and beautiful. As FD Bruner points out, at Christmas, we celebrate the incarnation of deep grace and deep truth — the very glory of the eternal God, now clothed in flesh. The more we’re shaped by the reality of Christmas, the more we’ll be able to embody grace and truth in our city.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 1:14
In Eugene Peterson’s The Message, he paraphrased this verse by saying, “The word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.” The more the message of Christmas grabs our hearts and changes our life, the more we’ll move into our neighborhood as representatives of Jesus’ kingdom.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 1:6-13
The Advent season is a remarkable promise: Jesus was born of Mary so that all who receive him can be born of God—can become part of God’s family. This sermon can explore the reality of what the new birth is, as well as how those who experience the new birth invite others into it, too.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | John 1:1-5
Christ’s incarnation reminds us that what Jesus did for us what he now calls us — in his power — to do for others: move towards brokenness with good news of grace and healing. Jesus, the Word, didn’t remain distant and aloof, but came into our darkness and brought light, at great cost to himself.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Acts 16:11-15; Romans 12:9-13
One of the signs that your heart has been opened to the gospel is that you open your life to others: your home, your possessions, your time, and so on. Being a hospitable church—truly open and welcoming to others—is a sign of a church alive, filled with the Spirit, and a powerful witness in a lonely city.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE | Acts 4:32-37
God’s grace at work in the earliest church brought about a remarkable kind of generosity, in which the members of the church cared for each other in practical ways. When members of the church care for each with sacrificial love and generosity, it’s a sign to the world that they are Christ’s disciples.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 4:23-31
One sign of life in a church is that they pray together. This sermon will explore what we can learn from the first Christians about how and why we must pray together as a church.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 4:1-22
The revival that broke forth in the early church disrupted and angered the religious establishment. When the church was persecuted, they responded with humble, Christ-focused courage. This sermon will explore how a church community can embody humble courage, even amid opposition and persecution.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 1:1-11
The book of Acts records the history of the first Christian church. Acts presents the people of God as a church alive for the glory of God and the good of their cities. The church in Acts wasn’t perfect, but as the living Jesus worked in and through them, the power of the gospel brought transformation in individuals, in cities, and eventually the whole world. In Acts 1 we see why the church was alive: because they believed to their core that Jesus himself was alive.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 15:9-17
God gives his people commands because he longs for their joy. Every “law” from God is a manifestation of his love for his people and the world he made. Growing in maturity as a follower of Jesus means obedience: loving what he loves, living as he commands.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 15:1-8
The heart of the Christian life is abiding in Jesus, living in union with him. This sermon explores what it means to abide in Jesus as well as what are some of the challenges to abiding in him.
“A skilled gardener never cuts off anything, never prunes off anything, that wouldn’t have been a loss to keep and a gain to lose” (Tim Keller). “A pruned vine is not very pretty. What previously looked vibrant and beautiful is cut down to the stubs… vinedressers talk about pruning as wounding… For spiritual vitality and fruitfulness, we often need a stripping away of what feels beautiful in our lives, what seems needed. This is difficult” (John Starke).
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 1:35-42
When Jesus met his first disciples, he asked them: “What do you want?” By asking this simple yet revealing question, Jesus was surfacing the desires and longings of these would-be disciples. As we look at John 1:35-42, we discover where discipleship to Jesus starts, and what it really means to be his disciple
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 12:1-6
Anyone who meets with God through the gospel inevitably finds a life-shaping, life-altering joy bubbling in their soul. Many scholars rightly see this passage as the conclusion of Isaiah’s call before the glorious Lord, which began in 6:1-8. In this hymn of joyful praise, Isaiah sings of the salvation he has experienced. The theme is joy: joy in who God is (v2) and in what God has done (v5).
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 6:1-10
How can you know if you’ve really met with the living God? One sign is that you surrender your life to God. Like Isaiah, you say to him, “Here am I. Send me”. Notice that Isaiah commits to serving God before he knows exactly what God will ask of him. There’s no bargaining; only surrender to the holy one. This sermon will invite RWS into the liberating (if not frightening!) life of spending and being spent for God’s mission in the city.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 6:1-8
It’s no coincidence that Isaiah meets God in the temple, the place where heaven touches earth. This sermon will offer a brief biblical theology of “temple”, noting things like the pervasiveness of “temples” throughout our city, how Christ is the true temple, and how in the gospel the church has become the temple (Eph 2v19-22). The pastoral point, then, is that we won’t really know the living God apart from life together with the people of God.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 6:1-8
A vision of God as holy, confession of sin, and cleansing through sacrifice: Isaiah’s call serves as a kind of case study for what a real encounter with the living God consists of. Isaiah encounters God the only way a person can: in and through the gospel.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 2:1-11
John calls Jesus’ miracle at Cana the archetype sign (v11): as we look at this story, we have a picture of who Jesus is and what he came into the world to do.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 18:9-14
The gospel reverses our image of righteousness. Jesus' message is clear: true righteousness comes not from self-promotion but from a humble recognition of our need for God's grace. The Pharisee boasts of his own goodness, while the tax collector acknowledges his sinfulness and begs for forgiveness.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 15:11-23
“Am I enough? Will I ever be? How will I even know?” In this parable of a father and his two sons, Jesus challenges our views of status, identity, and self-worth as he shows us the depths of the Father’s heart.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus has come to give us a life that is better than we could have ever wanted or imagined. For many, the surpassing worth of this life remains hidden and unseen. But for those who find it – whether by happy circumstance or an earnest search for truth – they discover that it is worth giving up everything for. The gospel costs us everything, but we get far more in return.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 In this parable, Jesus teaches us that evil is more deeply rooted than we know, both in our hearts and in the world. At the same time, God is actively sowing and cultivating good things, and will one day deal with evil in a final and climactic way. Grasping both these realities can help us live with a patient and realistic hopefulness as we move through life.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 13:1-23
A seed can utterly transform a patch of soil and bring forth life and beauty, but only if the soil is receptive and hospitable. The good news of Jesus - who he is and what he came to do - is like a seed that won’t force itself into a person’s life. But if it is met with openness and genuine understanding, it unleashes a power that can remake our lives and the world around us.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 18:21-35
One YouTube comment said, “Unforgiveness is definitely the flavor of the day.” We live in a time and age where giving and receiving forgiveness is an uncommon experience, and yet we all desire it. The parable of the unforgiving servant by Jesus gives us a picture of why Christians are called to forgive and how we can experience it.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 18:1-8
Does God hear our prayer? Jesus shows us that even an unjust judge will respond to persistent requests. If this is true for flawed human beings, how much more will our perfectly loving and just God answer the prayers of those who persistently seek Him? Christians can keep praying, keep seeking, keep knocking—and never lose heart even in the midst of our deepest troubles.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 15:1-10
Have you ever felt truly, frighteningly lost? In these two parables, Jesus invites us to experience something counterintuitive: that admitting our lostness is the first step to finding a stable, meaningful foundation for living.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 5:19-20
Is restoration possible? James describes the gospel's missional compassion. For those who have strayed from the truth or fallen into destructive patterns, hope remains for them to be restored to a relationship with God. James inspires Christians to engage in compassionate outreach to bring others back to a vibrant and rooted faith. Love drives a Christian’s mission.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 5:13-18
Where do we turn for help in our greatest needs? This passage explores the transformative power of prayer. James describes the importance of fervent, faith-filled prayer for both personal and communal healing. As a community, we bear one another’s burdens.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 5:7-12
What do we do when we have no control? James describes patience in the face of waiting for the Lord to return. This passage tells Christians to trust in God's timing and purpose during challenging seasons, finding strength in enduring faith. Our moment of history is merely the beginning of the full restoration of all things, leading followers of Jesus to be ready for a speedy or lengthy wait.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 4:11-5:6
What are the dangers of power and wealth for those who follow Jesus? The world’s values and God’s kingdom values are reversed. He challenges us to prioritize God's kingdom over worldly possessions and consider the ethical use of our wealth. This is more than wise stewardship, but using wealth as a power for the sake of goodness toward others. This passage informs our society’s questions about wealth and prestige, which applies to our city which is based on those two powerful forces.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 4:4-10
How does God relate to us, and how do we relate to him? James describes the relational aspect of submission to God, emphasizing the need to resist worldly desires and draw near to God. Following Jesus is not abstractly knowing him but putting one's life under his leadership with humility and repentance. God sees, loves, and lifts us as we draw closer to him.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 3:13-4:3
What does a mature follower of Jesus look like? This section shows a picture of someone whose beauty and goodness are genuine. In a city of manufactured self-image, James gives us an alternative personhood based on the gospel. The result is someone who can make peace and avoid conflict because they have everything they need.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 3:1-18
How much do my words matter? Our culture examines every tweet, every statement, and even silence. Examining the power of our words according to this passage, we see how James emphasizes the responsibility that comes with our speech. Our communication flows out of our heart orientation and so we are to use our words to build up, encourage, and reflect the grace of God. This passage is practical for today’s intense and angry public culture.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 2:14-26
What is the connection between what we believe and what we do? This passages dives into the complex but inseparable link between faith and works. James challenges Christians to manifest their faith through active engagement, illustrating how genuine faith transforms our lives and impacts the world. A faith without impact is not genuine.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 1:27-2:13
If everyone is shown mercy by God, then how can we withhold mercy? This passage confronts the church for showing favoritism within their community. James challenges us to confront and overcome biases, superiority, judgment, and pride, reflecting God's impartial love for all. Living this way is not merely morally right, but strikes at the heart of the gospel.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 1:19-26
How does a person learn from and live like Jesus? James explores the concept of heavenly wisdom versus earthly wisdom. This passage emphasizes the importance of seeking and applying God's wisdom in decision-making, relationships, and daily life.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 1:2-4,9-18
How does trouble help us? Delving into the paradox of finding joy in the midst of trials, this passage encourages Christians to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. James recognizes how time, grace, and endurance refines and strengthens our faith. Testing and trials come from within and without our soul.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | James 1:1-8
How does a Christian experience life under a new faith? Examining James' foundational message and his background, this passage challenges Christians to follow Jesus through tangible deeds, illustrating the transformative power of authentic faith. That faith depends on an external wisdom and strength.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 53:4-6, 25:6-9
All of the forgiveness and mercy we need and long to share come from one source. The death and resurrection of Jesus provide the healing that the world needs. His wounds are his people’s life. His suffering is their salvation. The true story of the resurrection is the downpayment on the promises of everlasting joy.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 12:12-19
John witnessed the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah riding in humility on a donkey. The crowd welcomes Him with shouts of "Hosanna," recognizing Him as the long-awaited King. The significance of Jesus' entry, not as a conquering earthly king but as the Prince of Peace, brings salvation and inaugurates a kingdom of grace and redemption.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 5:2-11
In the Beatitudes, Jesus delivers a profound teaching on the characteristics of those blessed by God. He pronounces blessings upon the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness' sake. These verses redefine blessedness, highlighting Jesus’ humility, compassion, righteousness, and perseverance in the Kingdom of God.
The gospel of Jesus creates a restorative community. The Apostle Paul instructs the Galatian church to restore and support one another with a spirit of gentleness when facing moral failures. He emphasizes the principle of sowing and reaping, encouraging them to invest in the Spirit by persistently engaging in acts of kindness and righteousness. The passage underscores the importance of perseverance in doing what is right and extending grace to all, especially within the church community.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 18:15-17,21-22; 7:3-5, 5:23-24
Jesus instructs his followers to forgive not just seven times, but seventy-seven times, emphasizing the limitless and boundless nature of forgiveness within the Christian community. Jesus' teaching underscores the transformative power of forgiveness, encouraging his disciples to extend grace generously and continually, mirroring the unending forgiveness they have received from God.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Isaiah 55:7:Psalm 32:1-7
Isaiah calls for repentance and turning to the Lord, emphasizing God's abundant mercy and willingness to pardon those who forsake their wicked ways. Psalm 32 reflects the joy and freedom of those whose sins are forgiven. Together, these passages convey a message of divine mercy, forgiveness, and the transformative power of turning to God in repentance. Transparency before God brings freedom.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | 1 John 1:7-10; 2:1
John emphasizes the transformative power of walking in the light of God's truth. He underscores the cleansing nature of Christ's blood, highlighting the importance of acknowledging our sins and seeking forgiveness for a restored relationship with God. The passage also encourages Christians to live authentically, acknowledging their need for continual repentance and dependence on the advocacy of Jesus Christ as the righteous mediator before God. For Christians, the work of Jesus confirms their forgiveness.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:31-39
The high watermark of Romans 8 (and New Testament theology) is found in these verses, reminding the followers of Jesus that what protects and assures them is God’s love. Here the trinitarian love of Father, Son and Spirit explodes in waves of assurance, joy and power. The trials of life cannot overcome the victory of the Christian, for death has been defeated and, coming full circle, these bones can live. The resurrection of Jesus is ours, both now and forever more as we await the full experience of Heaven, God’s world of love.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:18-30
Suffering and glory are linked in the Christian life, as they are linked in Christ’s life. Martyn Lloyd-Jones argues that glorification (v30) is God’s ultimate goal for his children. That is, that they would experience “full and complete deliverance from sin and evil…in body, soul and spirit.” So God is working “all things” to bring that about, including suffering and weakness. The Spirit assures and empowers us as Christians wait, praying with and for us as we experience His firstfruits (v23) of the new creation.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:12-17
One of the main challenges of faithfully following Jesus is experiencing subjectively what is true of Christians objectively. Perhaps no greater experience is the Holy Spirit helping us experience that we are sons and daughters of God, adopted into his family with unlimited access to his care, wisdom, compassion and protection. The passage speaks to the fear faced when our identity is fragile. JI Packer writes that a Christian’s apprehension of this identity is the “highest privilege the gospel offers.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:1-13
Romans 8 is a rich reservoir of the implications and assurances of following Jesus, and the Holy Spirit central to the chapter's richness. We will spend four weeks working through the chapter finding assurance and hope to live out our vision in 2024. This first sermon will explore how the Spirit sets us from sin and death, assuring Christians that “there is no condemnation”, a fact that is experienced as followers of Jesus set their minds on what the Spirit desires.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
The Holy Spirit reveals God’s wisdom to followers of Jesus and stands in opposition to what Scripture calls the wisdom of the world. One seeks to find answers to life through God and his word, the other seeks those answers as if God doesn’t exist. Our current cultural moment that conceives of truth as socially constructed asks the questions Paul puts forth earlier in this letter: “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age?” The Spirit has revealed the answer allowing Jesus followers to ‘have the mind of Christ’.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Ezekiel 37:1-3, 9-14
Ezekiel was a man whose theology was born in the pain and passion of his own and his people’s suffering. It is out of that pain we find words of hope rooted in the Spirit’s power to bring life, a power that goes back to Genesis 1 where the Spirit of God was ‘hovering over the waters’. The question facing Ezekiel’s generation is the one facing ours. In the midst of pessimism and cynicism, can the bones of the church live in a way that brings hope to the world?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 2:1-12
The birth of Jesus was the arrival of a King whose presence in the world ‘disturbs’ us the way it did Herod; a word that means “acute emotional distress”. As Wright put it, this news is political dynamite. Jesus is the true king of the Jews, and Herod is the false one.” And the arrival of the Magi underscores that Jesus’ reign is not limited to one nation, but that his rule would bring God’s justice and peace to the whole world (Psalm 72; Isaiah 11:1–10). Fittingly, Matthew concludes his gospel with Jesus’ admonition to his followers to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28), pointing back to the scene we have here.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 1:1-14
Unlike Matthew and Luke, John’s reflection on the birth of Jesus is more of a philosophical meditation than a historical retelling. He sets the birth of Jesus in the context of Genesis (In the beginning) and in a way that challenges the Greek view of reality. Jesus’ birth will bring light into darkness, just as we find in Genesis 1 and 2. But more remarkably we find that the invisible will become visible, the divine will become human, all in service to the opportunity for God to dwell with us as his children.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 1:39-56
Luke narrates the story of Jesus’ birth through the story of Mary, who in this passage breaks into what is one of the most famous songs in all of Christendom. For Mary the news that God had seen her and her people caused her to burst into song. Jesus’s birth, as we will see in Herod’s story, is a threat to those already in power and a source of joy to those longing for liberation.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 1:18-25
The story of Jesus’ birth in Matthew’s gospel is seen through the eyes of a troubled Joseph. While Luke narrates the story through an excited Mary. Matthew paints the sober picture of a man who just found out that his fiance is pregnant. Would Joseph follow the expected path and divorce Mary? Or would he exercise faith and overcome his fear of shame and believe the unbelievable. Advent requires us to ask the same questions of our own lives. Is salvation possible and are we willing to risk everything to believe that it comes through the miraculous birth of Jesus?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 3:1-10
John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was the last of the “Old Testament” prophets. His words challenged those who heard him as he sought to prepare their hearts for Jesus’ arrival. Advent is a season, in the words of Fleming Rutledge, that “is designed to bring us face-to-face with reality—reality about sin and death, reality about the human race, reality about God. Something ultimate has entered our world, something or Someone that calls us to attention, calls us out of our daily preoccupations and our routine points of view.” That was the role of John the Baptist, and the task before us over the next five weeks.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 11:13-16; 12;22-29
Perhaps the most familiar chapter in Hebrews is chapter 11 which lists multiple spiritual biographies to demonstrate that the motivation for running the race is a longing for a better country (11:16). The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus assures us that our destiny is not a dark, foreboding mountain that measures our virtues against our vices (religious moralism), but a joyful assembly and City that is unshakeable and are already in the process of receiving by grace.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 11:39 - 12:12
Because the ‘world is no friend to grace’, faith becomes a long obedience in the same direction. Or as the metaphor found here, a race that requires perseverance. We are told that in order to run the race of faith we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. What does that mean and how can we do it? The sermon will seek to answer those questions in light of the principle of hardship as discipline that trains us to run the race well.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 7:18-28
Jesus is not just our source of encouragement, but perfection, a frequent theme in Hebrews that NT Wright defines as “God is working at bringing his world to perfection and doing what is necessary to make it complete”. We long to be whole and for the world to be whole. Jesus as our eternal priest (7:21; 28) is holy, blameless, pure and exalted (26). As such he can guarantee a better covenant than was available in the previous age, one which offers an indestructible life (7:16). Yet we struggle living out of that life which is why we need Jesus, our advocate, who lives to intercede for us.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 3:12-13; 4:14 - 5:10
The writer of Hebrews is concerned that in ‘these last days’ (1:2) our hearts will harden just as the Israelites’ hearts did in their wilderness journey. A hard heart manifests itself in cynicism as well as indifference to God and others. Therefore we need encouragement from others and from Jesus, our High Priest, who learned obedience through suffering and is therefore able to empathize with our temptations. We can go to him, who sits on a throne of grace, for encouragement and comfort. He is our Wonderful Counselor.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 2:1-11
Having celebrated the glory of Jesus as the ‘radiance of God’s glory’(Hebrews 1:3) the writer issues a warning to pay attention to what has been heard (2:1). Implicit in this text is the real danger of ignoring the salvation procured for us by Jesus, either through indifference or suffering. We find in these verses a picture of God’s Kingdom as ‘already but not yet’ (we do not see everything, 2:8) which can lead to doubt and discouragement. In the midst of that discouragement the writer reminds us of the one thing we do see clearly, Jesus. The sermon is an opportunity to explore the inevitability and importance of what it means to keep our eyes on Jesus.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 7:15-29
Epistemology is a fancy word for how we know things. Jesus concludes the sermon challenging his listeners to reflect on the nature of truth and wisdom. The current cultural narrative surrounding truth and wisdom is relativistic and individualistic. Truth is what I/we define it to be, and that to suggest otherwise is seen as a hidden ploy to oppress (truth as a power play). Jesus gives a simple illustration of the importance of thinking carefully about our understanding of truth. This sermon is an opportunity to reflect on truth and wisdom and the importance of not just knowing God’s word, but living it.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 6:19-24
The current cultural narrative is that to be on the right side of history is to believe that religion is on the wane and through science, technology and political ideology the history will increasingly bend towards justice. Jesus directly contradicts this narrative by challenging his followers to look beyond material treasures (earthly) and instead build up heavenly treasures. The former he defines as darkness, the latter light, both flowing from our hearts (v21). There is growing dissolution with the Enlightenment Project (the ‘right side of history’) and a new openness to a more transcendent hope outlined by Jesus here.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 5:38-48
Eugene Peterson wrote, “The world is no friend to grace.” Jesus’ summary of the currency of love in his culture as selective and conditional (You have heard) stands in contrast to the love he has come to demonstrate and restore. One of the ironies of our cultural moment is that the call for tolerance has coincided with a religious zeal to identify and excommunicate heretics who disagree with us. Loving an enemy means forgiveness fueled by grace, which Jesus accomplished on the cross where all things in heaven and earth were reconciled to him (Col 1:19-20)
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 5:17-20
The current cultural narrative (You have heard it said) with respect to ethics and morality, can be summarized as ‘everyone has the right to do what is right and wrong for themselves’. Jesus roots the ethics and morality of his Kingdom in the objective law of God, which he has come to fulfill. This sermon is an opportunity to demonstrate the flawed logic of moral relativism, the oppressive nature of religious moralism and the Christian’s opportunity to say with the Psalmist, “I love your law!” (Psalm 119:97)
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 5:13-16
The current cultural consensus concerning identity is that it is chosen not received. In other words we are free to the extent we can choose who we are and how to live without external constraints. The modern answer to the ancient question: “Who am I?” is: be true to myself. Jesus counters that answer with the first two worlds of this text: “You are”. In other words, human identity is defined externally and ultimately by God, and that to the degree we heed Jesus’ call to be ‘salt and light’ to that degree do we discover our true selves.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 6:17-26
Jesus compares and contrasts two different visions of how to live in this world. Every individual and culture has basic beliefs about the nature of reality that is based on faith. These are often defined as worldviews and are unconscious assumptions that inform our daily lives. How we spend our time. How we view our money. How we define happiness and purpose and morality. Jesus makes very clear the nature of the world he has come to bring and how different it is from the one we have come to inhabit. This is the upside down Kingdom.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 11:25-30
The series begins with Jesus calling those who are weary and burdened to come to him and yoke themselves to him. Our increasingly post-Christian culture has left us weary and burdened by cynicism, despair, depression and disillusion. This is the fruit of yoking ourselves to the current cultural narratives we will be exploring. Discipleship begins with trusting that Jesus’ invitation to yoke ourselves to him is one that will liberate us from our burdens and give us rest.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 21:1-6; 22:20-21
Knowing the end of a story transforms how you see every earlier chapter of the story. Here we get a glimpse of the end of the story, and it is beyond our wildest dreams. All evil, every last vestige of it, has been finally defeated and expunged from the world. All suffering will be made up for and swallowed up. The people of God will enjoy him forever in the richest and deepest relationship of love. This is better than the grandest utopias that humanity has ever imagined. Such a prospect has been criticized as too good to be true and leading to a passivity in the present life. But if we properly understand the trajectory of the story, it will make Christians the most paradoxical people on earth.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Revelation 19:6-10
The future is heading toward a feast, which will be a great unending celebration. Feasting is a joyful response of thanks for the fruitful end of our labors. The church’s mission is to prepare for the feast of Jesus, to invite everyone, and to be changed into beauty. For God’s glory and out of love, Christians gather all people with the message: God will make all things well.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 25:31-46
The verse, “Judge not”, may be the most recognized verse in the Bible today. Our culture recoils at the idea of judgment. And yet it’s impossible to live as a human being in the absence of all judgment. We are all evaluating one another, all the time, though we may each have different standards for doing so. And in the end, our hearts cry out for judgment. We long for judgment against injustice and evil, and for good and right to triumph in the end. Without righteous judgment, justice is sacrificed to power. And we also long for judgment because our hearts long for meaning. Without any standard for what makes a human life good or evil, it makes no difference whether we live a life of love and service or of oppressing and abusing others. The good news is that Jesus not only brings righteous judgment, one which all people will one day see is just and right, but he has also taken the ultimate judgment in our place to all who will freely receive it.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Romans 8:18-25
We need hope to get through life. We need to believe that there’s a better future possible, that there are good days ahead. To live utterly devoid of all hope is to live in despair. But hope can often be little more than wishful thinking unless there is a solid basis for it. For the Christian, hope is a guaranteed assurance of glory on the horizon, and it infuses our days in this world with a buoyancy and strength. Though our present life is marked by groaning, Christian hope can carry us through everything we face in life because of the glorious future that is marked out for us.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Hebrews 2:5-11
The world, according to the biblical story, is heading somewhere. We’re not going round in circles, with civilizations rising and falling for ages without end. There is indeed a “world to come” in which Jesus will rule over all things with perfect justice, wisdom, power, and love. In fact, that world is already here in part, breaking into the present form of this world, but it is not yet here in its fullness, which will only take place at the end of this age. Christians live in this current tension, and both aspects must be held together if we are to live with the power and joy that Jesus offers.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 17:20-23; Philemon 1:8-18
The 21st Century Church is filled with contradictions. For the first time, Christians are in nearly every language and social group around the world. The tide of growth and vitality is tipping to the developing world, yat at the same time the church is split into thousands of smaller denominations. More good is done in the world in the name of Christ and at the same time more falsehood is spread in the name of Christ. More missions occur and yet more Christians are self-centered. So, are we in the best era of church history, or on the verge of decline? We can learn the beauty of a global body and the risks of autonomy.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 17:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:14-16
The Reformation Church regained many core truths of the church: Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. Against corrupt religious and political elites, many put themselves in peril to reform God’s people. In the process, they unleashed the foundations of the modern era when printing, literacy, common thought and equality rocked society. We can learn the beauty of proclamation and the risks of division.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 15:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:1-6
The Medieval Church became an alternate society, eventually protecting Western culture from extinction during the dark ages after Rome’s collapse. Despite many problems, many sought mystical unity with Jesus or sacriifcial service to the world. Monastic societies attempted to create a pure embodiment of the body of Christ in the world. We can learn the beauty of prayer and the risks of power.
Jesus: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
Lectio: Read the passage
Meditatio: Reflect on it
Oratio: Respond prayerfully
Contemplatio: Rest in God's grace
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 15:18-20; 1 Timothy 4:1-13
The Early Church grew for centuries as a persecuted minority in the Roman Empire. Mostly outsiders and poor, they eventually replaced the old pagan religions. That journey was hard, filled with sacrifice and love. No guidebook existed to show them the way and the early leaders crafted sense out of immense ideas like the Trinity and identity in Christ. We can learn the beauty of community and the risks of deception.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 1:5-7, 12b-14
The Apostolic era ends as the second generation of leaders, taught by the Apostles, steps into leadership. Paul writes to Timothy with tender wisdom, telling him how to remain faithful to the gospel. We can learn the beauty of servant leadership and the risks of fear.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 26:4-32
The last 8 chapters of Acts are about Paul’s journey to Rome where he will stand before Caesar. Along the way, we see a series of instances where Paul is defending the gospel to the rulers and powers of the empire. Here, he stands before Agrippa and his entourage to give an account of his life and of the gospel. Even when imprisoned and under examination by the political powers, Paul exhibits a boldness and a courage in witness. The gospel, and we as witnesses, will often come under trial by the powers that be in this world. But when the gospel is properly lived out and testified about, people will see that it is not ultimately a threat but truly good news for the world.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 19:11-20
The account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus concludes Luke’s narrative of the uninhibited spread of the gospel. “The gospel’s confrontation with Hellenistic religions reaches a climax in Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.” (Johnson) In Ephesus, we see the gospel’s confrontation with the spiritual powers (vv. 11-20) and with economic idols (vv. 21-41).
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 16:11-33
When the gospel comes to Philippi, we see the gospel transforming the lives of three completely different people. Lydia is a wealthy trader, yet she senses her need for the Lord’s salvation. With the slave girl, we see how the gospel now only makes room to hear the voice of the oppressed and marginalized, but we also see the cost of setting people free as it upends the economic system. The jailer is a blue-collar bloke who may be perceived as on the side of the empire. These Philippian Christians “are a mixture of rich and poor, with those who had been beaten and tortured and imprisoned, and who are struggling against economic and political forces aligned to do them harm and who want them to disappear.” (Jennings)
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3
The new church in Antioch arose through persecution, as the word spread across not only geographic lines but also cultural and ethnic lines. God is not only sovereign over suffering and persecution, but uses it to advance his purposes in the world. This is the first church in Acts where Jews and Gentiles fellowship together, and this was when Jesus’ followers were first called Christians. This church consisting of a mix of peoples becomes the next major sending church in Acts, as the Holy Spirit sends out Barnabas and Saul into new frontiers for the gospel. God uses two Jews who are from the diaspora, rather than from Palestine, to progress the gospel into its next frontier.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 8:26-40
The Ethiopian eunuch is both a racial and a sexual/social outsider. As a eunuch, he was excluded from the courts of the Lord and from belonging to the people of God according to the laws of the earthly sanctuary. What compelled this eunuch to worship God in Jerusalem? Perhaps this despised and rejected eunuch sensed that the despised and rejected servant (Isaiah 53, the passage which he was reading) might understand and speak to his deep hunger and need. The prophet Isaiah had a special word of hope to eunuchs and foreigners (Isa 56:3-7). This is the dawning of a new day when God’s house would be a house of prayer for all nations and outcasts. This signals the beginning of the international expansion of God’s kingdom.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 6:1-7
The disciples also experience internal tensions and threats. Cultural and ethnic discrimination and injustice crops up in the life of the church, needing to be addressed. We see that “systemic” patterns of inequity are possible even when it is not intended. We also see the importance of both word and deed ministry as new leaders are appointed for this important work of mercy and justice. The leaders who are chosen are not only people of wisdom and spiritual maturity, but they also represent the community of those being marginalized, both culturally and linguistically. Eventually, these cultural-barrier-breaking leaders are the ones God uses to push forward his mission into new frontiers. Stephen helps break the church beyond the temple and Jerusalem, and Philip later breaks the gospel through into Samaria and to the ends of the earth. God has a purpose in our ethnic and cultural identities and uses them to accomplish his purposes. As we see such threats and problems being dealt with in wisdom and the Spirit, the gospel advances (6:7).
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 4:1-4, 18-31
The disciples quickly experience external opposition and hostility for their faith. The religious establishment is anxious about the threat to their power and influence and tries to intimidate the disciples and hinder the spread of the gospel. But the apostles boldly and courageously move forward in mission, and the prayer of the disciples is not for comfort or safety or security, but for boldness to continue joining God in the mission of the gospel. God takes holy delight in such lives of costly mission, and his pleasure is manifested in the shaking of the place’s foundations. As followers of Jesus, we are called to more than a life of security and status; there is no greater joy than joining God in mission, despite the risks and the costs. Our lives and prayers ought to be spent for that end. When we open ourselves and our prayers to God’s purposes in mission, it feels like you’re not in control, and yet you can see God clearly in control and working all around you. Suffering will be intrinsic to such a life as it challenges and overturns the things that the world lives for. Throughout the book of Acts, we see God sovereign over suffering and persecution and even using it in ways beyond human imagination to fulfill his purposes.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-5:11
The experience of God’s grace and the Spirit creates a surprising, deep fellowship, one that is marked by devotion to God’s word, prayer, and the sharing of all of life, including one’s resources. We see a community life that is both “attractive in its love and terrifying in its holiness”. Such fellowship is deep, energetic and costly, but in today’s individualistic world where we value our personal independence and freedom from commitments, we often experience a cheap and superficial imitation.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 2:1-18
The outpouring of the Spirit is the “promise of the Father,” the long-awaited fulfillment of promises made long ago, something that would transform all of life. “The prophets looked forward to a time beyond the experience of Israel as disobedient and under God’s judgment… to a time when God would establish a new covenant relationship with his people, cleanse their hearts, forgive their sin, dwell among and enable them to obey him and declare his name among all nations.” All this would only come about through the Spirit. We also see that the Spirit comes to heal all our divisions – whether of cultural barriers (tongues spoken in all different languages), or gender, age, and social/economic distinctions (2:17-18). Now all God’s people receive the Spirit and are empowered to be his witnesses to the world.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Acts 1:1-11
Jesus prepares to unleash his disciples for the kingdom of God. He teaches them about the kingdom of God for forty days, and tells them to wait for the promise of the Father. But the disciples’ concept of the kingdom of God needs to be expanded to cosmic dimensions. The long-awaited age foretold by the prophets is about to break into the world, and Jesus’ followers must understand the church’s place and calling.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 24: 36-53
The Apostle’s Creed contains the assertion: “I believe in the resurrection of the body.” This is a reminder that Easter is more than an annual celebration, but core to the faith of those who follow Jesus. In this text Jesus gathers with his fearful followers, addresses their doubts and then reminds them of their vocation: “You are witnesses”. Which means that we are witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection and, in the midst of our doubt, are to live and tell the good news that “He is not here. He is risen as he said.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 24:1-12
The Biblical story reaches its narrative peak with the resurrection of Jesus, without which ‘let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.’ (1 Corinthians 15:32) Luke’s account of the resurrection reveals how it was unexpected (‘they did not believe the women’) and wonderful. Mary Magdalene, Jesus’ mother Mary, Salome and Peter all see the empty tomb and ‘wonder’ about it. Easter is a celebration of the wonder of Jesus’ promise to overcome death through resurrection.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 19:37-44
On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the true king. His kingdom brings peace and joy, humility and rescue. Despite the cheering of the crowds around him, Jesus weeps. He sees the heart of the people — past, present and future — all of their hatred, inconsistency, selfishness, hypocrisy, weakness, fear. He knows that within a week most of them will want him crucified, and that only a few will receive the gift of his death and resurrection.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 11:37-54
When a religious leader invited Jesus over for lunch, Jesus used the occasion to launch into a sharp critique of the prevailing religion of the day. Religion gone wrong is not only unattractive and oppressive to people but is an abomination in the sight of God. Jesus shows that true religion is not about practicing rituals and following rules, but about a devotion to God that spills over into a life of justice and love.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 6:17-31
Luke’s biography of Jesus continues to show his growing popularity as Jesus presses the claim that he is the long awaited Messiah. Having established that he has come to establish God’s kingdom on earth, he now lays out the values of that kingdom; values that turn the world’s understanding of happiness and success upside down.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 6:1-11
Luke gives us two Sabbath vignettes in which Jesus is first asked why he was breaking the law on the Sabbath? Jesus answers that question with his own question about what is lawful on the sabbath? Jesus is pressing those around him to reflect more deeply on the purpose of the Sabbath and then to accept more fully that He is its Lord.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 4:22-30
Jesus returns to his hometown where initially he is welcomed as a gifted teacher. The events quickly turn dark as his neighbors gather as a mob in an attempt to throw him to his death. The reasons for this are found in understanding the gap between our expectations of who Jesus is and who he actually is. He is not Joseph’s son, but God’s Son. The former demands nothing; the latter our very lives.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Luke 4:1-13
Jesus begins his public ministry with a 40-day wilderness time of prayer and fasting. He encounters Satan, the enemy of God and his people, who tempts him three times. These temptations are a test of Jesus’ character on behalf of his people. In this story, we see the spiritual battlefield between our temptation and trust.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Lent begins with a reminder of our mortality and need for reconciliation with God. In Scripture, ashes serve both as a symbol of mortality and as a sign of mourning and repentance. In this passage, Job has an encounter with God in which he sees himself in light of God’s holiness and repents in dust and ashes, a reminder that what changes us (repentance) is not mere information about God but awe in the presence of God.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Ezekiel 11:14-25
When the temple was destroyed, the exiles must have thought they lost God. They couldn’t be farther from the truth. God says of the exiles: “though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone” (11:16). Ezekiel sees God’s presence depart the doomed temple and head east in the direction of the exiles. The New Testament echoes this, saying Jesus himself is the temple where God’s presence dwells. Christ’s people are temples, for anywhere God dwells is a temple. Everywhere Christians are is a holy sanctuary — where others might meet God, not through animal sacrifice but through sacrificial love. Ordinary spaces and meals can become sacramental (Hebrews 13:2). How do you live as a temple wherever you are?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Ezekiel 1:1-9, 1:15-18, 1:25-2:5
Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory is awe-inspiring and shocking. We see a violent storm, angelic creatures, complicated, machine-like chariot wheels covered in eyes, and a human-like figure sitting enthroned above this tumultuous scene. As Walter Brueggemann points out about the book: “Popular interpretation tends to dismiss Ezekiel as ‘bizarre.’ But Ezekiel may be exactly the right text for such a ‘bizarre’ time as ours.” Such a jarring vision of God is needed to reorient Ezekiel to an entirely new way of life and a new divine calling. Remarkably the Spirit of this wild God enters into Ezekiel to empower him for his calling in a brave new world (2:2). How does this God empower you to live out of a divine calling through times of radical disruption?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Ezekiel 2:6-3:11
God feeds Ezekiel a new kind of food, a divine word, in the form of a scroll containing hard news to be delivered to the community. God’s word starts sweet but is often a tough pill to swallow. Ingesting it and bearing witness is true soul food. When Jesus was hungry and thirsty, he still could say, “I have food to eat that you do not know about … My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:33-34). How do you feed on the Word when you feel like you’ve “lost the story”?
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Esther 7:1-8:5; 9:20-23
Once again, God saves. God’s people celebrate their deliverance from seemingly certain destruction. Their protection is hard won, with violence and turmoil, but it paves the way for the true Messiah to deliver them. We are shown about the importance of remembering the gifts that we are given.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Esther 4
Esther is the closest female to Xerxes, the King of Persia. As a woman, she has no formal power, but she risks her life to influence the king. Her hidden Jewish heritage could either expose her to danger or be leveraged for good. God uses his people and the positions that they hold to achieve his sovereign plans.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Esther 3:1-6; 6:1-10
Mordecai has influence, honor, and power in the kingdom. He uses that power in ways that are honest, noble, just, and wise. Rather than seeking his own glory, he works for the good of his king, which in turn both accomplishes God’s plan and brings him more honor. This passage shows us how to live faithfully in our callings, despite challenges, by seeing the bigger picture of redemptive history.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Esther 2:3-10, 15-23
This portion of the story sets the stage and introduces us to the king of Persia, Esther, and Mordecai. They are put into place through an accumulation of small circumstances, which fulfills God’s design. No one knows what the future holds, but it is no surprise to the Lord and he guides history. The sovereignty of God is a central theme of the Bible, and this passage displays what it looks like even when we are not aware of his presence.
As we have seen since September, God made promises that one day he would rescue his people and put everything right. These promises eventually focused on one thing in particular: God would become king. That day has come with the birth of Jesus who in his first sermon identifies himself with a revolution that will overcome darkness with light and a call for followers to turn from darkness and follow him.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 2:1-12
One of the core promises of the Bible is given to Abraham early on: “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). This promise comes true through the birth of Jesus in the humble town of David. Soon after we see illustrious Magi from the east come to worship him and offer their treasures. This story invites all who spiritually seek to journey to Jesus too.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 1:1-17
When Jesus appeared on the scene of this world, he ushered in a new era in world history. He is inarguably the most influential and consequential figure who ever lived. But where did he come from? What was his background, and what does that tell us about who he is and what he came to do? Jesus didn’t appear out of nowhere, but was the climax and fulfillment of a long and messy history.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | 2 Samuel 6:1-16
David resolves to bring the ark of God’s presence home to Jerusalem with much fanfare, only to be derailed by a shocking loss, anger, and fear. David learns that bringing God into your life is as much God bringing you into his life: God comes on his terms. The story begins and ends with joyful worship, with hard lessons learned in the middle. In Advent, God comes in a new ark and on terms accessible to all: a newborn baby, vulnerable, and surrounded by joyful worship.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Psalm 98
Advent is a season where the story of Jesus’ birth is celebrated in word and song. Psalm 98 captures the wonder and purpose of Jesus’ birth through poetic imagery of creation rejoicing over God's great gift of salvation. It also anticipates the second Advent of Jesus when he will return to “judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 16:1-13
We are looking at the grand story of the Bible. In Genesis we saw that God’s plan to save the world begins when he creates a covenant people (Abraham). But the people are continually unfaithful to the covenant. As we come to the story of David we find that the books of Joshua and Judges revealed that the Mosaic law and the Promised land were not sufficient to make the people faithful. The book of Judges ends pointing to the failure of the tribal affiliation model of the nation and points to the need for a king, God chooses the first two kings—Saul and David. Saul’s failure shows the need for a True King. In this passage we are introduced to David, who unlike Saul, has a heart for God (1 Sam 16:7) which is the essence of covenant faithfulness (Deut 6:5). Yet as the story of David proceeds, we see even in him the deep flaws that show us that we need some greater leader and shepherd.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | 1 Samuel 1:2-11, 19-20, 24-28
This grand narrative that will introduce us to David begins with a very human story of a family that, like Rachel and Leah, Hagar and Sarah, is outwardly pious but internally suffering. Hannah’s pain and waiting and longing, expressed to God, are a reminder that as Buechner put it: “If indeed there is a God and if indeed he is concerned with the world… one of the ways he speaks to us, and maybe one of the most powerful ways, is through what happens to us.” Hannah’s prayer is answered as she gives birth to Samuel who will eventually navigate Israel’s transition to a theocracy marked by kings who are portrayed as fully human, filled with longings, doubts and faith.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 50:15-26
In one of the most well known narrative twists in Scripture Joseph, who began as an arrogant, favored son of Jacob, has become God’s agent of redemption. This is a reminder of how God uses the dark chapters of our lives for our good and His glory. As the curtain comes down on Genesis we find hope in the midst of Joseph’s death as he looks to a day when his family will no longer be in Egypt but brought back home.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 37:1-11, 19-20, 34-36
Joseph is a dreamer, but it lands him in trouble. The divine message is hard for others to accept. Even Joseph forgets his dreams until they come true (Genesis 42:9). This sermon draws lessons for big dreams and for when God’s plans seem impossible, mysterious, or too hard to accept.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 32:1-6, 22-32
Jacob’s past catches up with him as he must confront his brother Esau. Before the meeting takes place Jacob finds himself wrestling with God and comes away with a limp and a new name: Israel. This marks the end of the story of the Patriarchs and looks ahead to Joseph and his brothers who would become the twelve tribes of Israel, through whom the world would be blessed.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 28:10-22
The story of Jacob is the story of a person living for himself, deceiving his father and father in law. In between we find him with a stone for a pillow, a sign that his life had reached rock bottom. Yet what we find is that despite his circumstances God was with him. The story is a reminder that God has not abandoned us to a world that is disenchanted, but one where the sacred can be found in living out of our ordinary lives.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 22:1-19
This is one of the most famous stories in all of ancient literature and narrates the nature of biblical faith. In the command given to Abraham we hear echoes of Jesus’ description of what it means to follow God: “Take up your cross.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 16:1-16, 21:8-10, 14-21
The story of Hagar is a case study in how to read the Bible. Here we find that the heroes of the faith are engaged in polygamy and slavery and act out of jealousy and hate. What are we to make of this and what does it tell us about the essence of the Bible’s message? Part of the answer is found in the way God sees and responds to Hagar, displaying compassion that is captured by the words of Jesus centuries later: “Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 11:31 - 12:9
The introduction of Abraham and his family marks the beginning of the story of the patriarchs through whom God will redeem the world. God calls his people to join his plan. Salvation is defined as both particular (Abram’s tribe) and universal (all nations), as God initiates his plan through a miraculous gift of land and children.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 9:1-16
Noah’s story is presented in a way that recapitulates God’s command to Adam and Eve in Genesis 2 in which humans are identified as bearers of God’s image and stewards of God’s creation. Life is defined as sacred and grace is represented by a rainbow, highlighting that God will find another way to bring his children safely home.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 3:1-10, 21-24
The story of humanity takes a dark turn with this famous scene that includes a serpent, tree, forbidden fruit and fig leaves. This text explains the origin and ongoing impact of the shadow of evil and death that hovers over the face of the earth. The rest of the story of the Bible is an exploration of how to overcome death and get back to the garden of God.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Genesis 1:1-5
Perhaps no other words are more important to the journey we call ‘life’ than the first five words of the Bible. They state clearly that the world is not a cosmic accident but a created home in which we are confronted with an anthropology that is diametrically opposed to the contemporary belief that we are “autonomous individuals who find our greatest fulfillment in breaking free from all external norms” (Alan Noble). Instead, we are created image bearers who find our identity as those who are dependent on God and one another for life.
The series begins with a post-resurrection vignette where Jesus reveals that all of scripture is about him (Luke 24:27). Forgetting this truth leads to confusion about the Bible and how our story intersects with God’s story. Therefore learning to read Scripture means asking each text: “What does this have to do with the story of Jesus?” Reading Genesis with this question in mind allows us to see how the book anticipates the coming of Jesus and the redemptive impact of his life, death and resurrection.