Stonebrook Church, Ames, Iowa, Sermons: Recent Episodes
Stonebrook Community Church
Find all of the content for Pastor Brad's sermon on 1 Corinthians 14:1-25 here! Learn about pursuing gifts that build up the church.
Seek after wisdom, for it is good and good for us; yet recognize the limits of our wisdom.
No pursuit of righteousness, wisdom, wickedness, or folly will lead to ultimate success in life apart from the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.
Be warned: life apart from God is absolutely futile, for we will profit nothing from all our toil.
In this sermon, Matt Heerema introduces our sermon series through Ecclesiastes by examining the word "heve" - vanity, futility - and how God provides the solution to the futility of life through Christ
Today’s passage shows us two of the most infamous betrayals in Scripture: Judas’s and Peter’s. And surrounding those betrayals are three very important trials. One is obvious. One is subtle. And the third we’ll have to zoom out a bit.
In today's passage, Jesus shows his absolute knowledge and control over the circumstances of his denial and betrayal at the hands of his closest followers, in spite of their protestations. In the midst of it all, He declares the gospel hope that though he will be be betrayed and killed, he will rise again and usher in a new covenant, and one day, fully usher in the new kingdom. From this we can find confidence and hope because Jesus, knowing our betrayals, embraced the cross anyway, and secured our forgiveness, forever.
After coming down the mountain of transfiguration where Jesus revealed his divinity to his inner circle, they are immediately plunged into the clamoring crowd, full of accusing scribes and tormenting demons. His disciples had failed and are confused. Mark recounts this story to the first century church under persecution from a seemingly unstoppable opponent in the Roman empire, is there any hope? Has Jesus failed? Mark reminds them, and us, that we must rely on prayer, not our own strength and wisdom, to overcome the trials we face as we follow Jesus.
Here at the pinnacle of Mark’s gospel, we are taken up to a mountain top where we get a “behind the curtain” look at King Jesus, the Messiah, in his heavenly Glory. God himself speaks and tells us what we should do in light of the revelation that Jesus is the divine Messiah, Son of God, and Son of Man: “Listen to Him.” We will explore four obstacles to listening to Jesus that Mark has presented to us so far, as well as God’s merciful provision to help us overcome those obstacles.
This morning in our passage, we are going to read the word, “Amazed.” It’s a very strong word, but we tend to use it somewhat loosely and freely. When I look at ESPN’s webpage every few days to catch up on the sports world for a few minutes, I notice how ESPN entices me to click on videos of basketball moments. “Watch this stunning dunk by Lebron.” Or, “Look at this epic 3-pointer by Caitlin Clark.” ESPN uses synonyms of […]
Please turn with me to Mark, chapter 1. Imagine with me for a minute that you were sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a nice cup of tea, or a latte, reading a book, and a stranger sat down at the table across from you, and said: “Sorry to interrupt you, but I have a really important update for you. Josh says that you don’t need to worry anymore, that he has forgiven you, and he’s willing to repair the […]
Imagine that it’s 65 A.D. You are a Christ follower. You believe in Jesus, that he is the only path to righteousness with God and eternal life. You follow him. You love him. And so do the other Christians around you in the church. But you live in the City of Rome. It’s a rough time…very rough time to be a Christian. The Roman Emperor Nero is as evil as they come. One year earlier in 64 A.D., 70% of […]
Please turn with me to Acts, chapter 2. Last week and today, we are hitting on two points of what we could consider to be some of the core DNA of our church. Namely personal ownership of your faith. What we mean by that is that as a church, we want to be more than just “Sunday Christians.” The Bible describes a way of life that lasts Sunday through Saturday. It influences every decision we make, every relationship we have, […]
Please open your bibles to Matthew chapter 6. If you’re new with us in the past couple months, my name is Matt Heerema, and I am one of the pastors here. I’ve been out of the pulpit since the beginning of May so that we could allow some other voices to preach, and so that I could focus on a few other areas in ministry. I’m grateful for that time off, but I’m even more grateful to be back, and […]
Not long ago I heard a report about my extended family. One family member had deeply hurt another family member years ago. An abuse situation. When I heard about this recently, I had three responses: When you see or experience extreme injustice, do you know HOW and WHAT to pray?Here’s a prayer from the Bible, King David, where he is essentially cursing some people.Psalm 58:3–8 CSBThe wicked go astray from the womb; liars wander about from birth. They have venom […]
A year and a half ago my wife and I were struggling with health trials. So I wrote out my thoughts like a prayer to God. I’m going to read you a portion of my raw and unfiltered prayer from 20 months ago. “Lord, you know my heart and my weaknesses. I am sick and tired of this trial. I am losing heart. I want relief and rest and comfort. But where is it? Where is my rest? You’re not […]
This summer we are going through a series of teachings about praying the scripture. And today we are going to talk about praying for God’s deliverance using psalms, specifically using psalm 34 as an example. Talking about God’s deliverance, we often think of praying for God to end our trials or protect us from life dangers, which is good and necessary in our prayers. The question is, is there anything more than ending our trials when we pray. If there […]
What has been your experience with prayer? Has prayer for you been positive, negative, or just neutral? How might you like to change your attitude and relationship with prayer? My name is Dave Bovenmyer and I’m a pastor here at Stonebrook, currently coaching several community groups and doing pastoral counseling. Having served as a pastor for almost 50 years, I’ve learned a few things about prayer. My early experience with prayer was that it was largely mindless. “Come Lord Jesus, […]
Philippians 1:1-11 Welcome & Prayer Text Background As we prepare to dive in, let me give you a little historical context. Paul wrote this letter to the church at Philippi from prison in Rome (AD 60). This was the first church that he planted in Europe, and was composed primarily of Gentiles. He planted this church 10 years earlier (AD 51) on his second missionary journey. This church was full of generosity and loyalty to Paul (v7), and this church […]
If you and I were to sit down one-on-one, I would like to ask you this: “If you could ask God in prayer for only five things, what are those five?” Please know God is not limiting us in any way in our prayers. Nothing is too big or too small for him to help and to care. My question about asking for five things is to find out what is most important to you. This morning, I propose one […]
As a teenager, though I had very little spiritual interest, I remember a few times praying to God. But the only times I prayed was when I was in trouble, and I distinctly remember feeling guilty about that. It seemed wrong to pray only when I needed something.But beyond that, I didn’t know much about prayer or how and what to pray. In my pre-teen years as a young boy, my Mom was a God-fearing woman who believed God heard […]
Please turn with me to Hebrews, chapter 13. This morning we finally come to the end of the book of Hebrews, the last sermon in our series, the last chapter in the book. It’s been a great spring, digging deep into this magnificent work! Hebrews is written to Christians in the first century who had converted from Judaism: the Law of Moses in the Old Covenant. These new believers were under pressure from their community, friends and family and neighbors […]
Please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12. This spring we’ve been walking through the book of Hebrews, and we’re almost to the end, two chapters left, two sermons left. As we’ve been saying throughout this series, what we’re looking at is a single, long sermon, we don’t know who the author is, but we do know the audience: Christians from among the Hebrew people, who had converted from Judaism. This book was likely written in the mid 60s AD, […]
Two weeks ago, my wife and I were traveling, and we listened to a biography of a man who is an adventure racer. Adventure racing consists of teams of four people competing in very long, almost non-stop race that can last for 6-7 days, covering 400 miles, biking on trails, climbing steep cliffs, kayaking on rivers, hiking through muddy jungles. The most they sleep over these six days is two hours per day. None of the racers are the fastest […]
We are nearing the end of a 16-week series on a book in the Bible called Hebrews. As much as any NT book, Hebrews is one long theme from beginning to end. One challenge, then, in teaching through this each week is that we want to ensure we understand the text that has come before. Same is true for our text today, which is chapter 11. This chapter 11 is all about the theme of faith. Particularly, the author recounts […]
Please turn with me to Hebrews, chapter 10. We are now in the home stretch of our series through Hebrews. Four more sermons left after today covering three more chapters. What we’re seeing in the book of Hebrews is a rather long sermon. (I wonder how you’d react if I stood up and gave a thirteen chapter long sermon some day?) And today, in the second half chapter 10 we are finally coming to the conclusion of the sermon…the application, […]
Please open your Bibles to Hebrews, Chapter 10. I’d like to offer a special welcome to those of you joining us this morning for the first time. Easter is a very significant day for Christians, and I’m glad you were able to be here this morning. We are studying through the book of Hebrews together this spring. It’s providential that we are arriving at chapter 10 just in time for Easter, as today’s passage is the climax of the author’s […]
Today is Palm Sunday, a celebration of an important day in biblical history. This day marks the story in the Gospels when Jesus was entering into Jerusalem on Sunday, five days before his crucifixion. About 1/3 of the Gospels are devoted to this last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Surely this is the most important week in human history, for if Christ is who he says he is—and the Book of Hebrews completely concurs with that—Jesus is the only and […]
Please find a Bible and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 8. When we are trying to understand what the Bible says to us, our primary task is to try to figure out what the original author was trying to communicate to the original audience. What point was he trying to get across to them? Once we know that, our next task is to try to figure out what relevance that message has for us today. Sometimes it is a […]
Welcome & Prayer A. The Important Characters We’re going to look at Hebrews 7 today, but before we dive in, I want to let you know that this is not the easiest passage to immediately understand for two reasons. First, it is written to a 1st-century audience that the author expects will have a significant understanding of the history and spiritual culture and customs found in the Old Testament. And second, it’s a continuation right in the middle of a […]
From our passage today, three themes will come out: Hebrews 5:11-6:12 Let’s read the first portion of our passage for today. The first two themes will come out: Warning and Assurance. Hebrews 5:11–6:12 (CSB) 5:11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation […]
Please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4. Two weeks ago during the Superbowl, a Christian organization aired two commercials with the tagline “He Gets Us”—attempting to convey a message that Jesus understands everyone, and has a message for everyone. This is the second year in a row this organization aired commercials during the Superbowl, and they have racked up close to a million views on YouTube in the past two weeks. The commercials have generated no end of controversy—liberals […]
Last Wednesday there was a senseless, evil shooting in Kansas City. Last month there was murder at a high school in Perry, Iowa, just 45 miles from here. There is war in the Middle East and Ukraine. In all these things, we wonder, Where is peace? Where is the rest? Why is everyone so angry? But even closer to home, we find ourselves longing for rest in our own little world. Family disputes. Marriage collapses. Tension in the workplace. And […]
Today’s passage is a story of war, a war between God and the nation of Egypt. And it is a war between God and Egypt’s gods (or their so-called gods). The Egyptians worshiped dozens, even hundreds of false gods. And through the Story of the Ten Plagues, the Lord easily defeats all of them. God is the initiator of this war because his chosen people, the descendants of Abraham are enslaved, being violently oppressed by the king of Egypt. And […]
Today’s passage sits at a transition between two famous “scenes” in the Exodus narrative: The Burning Bush, and the Plagues. It sets the stage for one of the most important and encouraging messages God sends his people by his actions in delivering them from their bondage. Paul puts it this way to his young protege Timothy: 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 (CSB) Let’s back up into our passage from […]
Let’s read Exodus 3:1-10. Exodus 3 (CSB) 1 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. 3 So Moses thought, “I must […]
In today’s passage, we see a story of trying to carry out God’s work in our own timing and in our own strength and with our own wisdom, and how this always brings about disaster. Last week, we studied the narrative of Moses’s birth and God’s amazing protection and providence in his being saved from genocide, and being adopted by a princess of Egypt. In today’s passage, the narrative fast forwards through all of Moses’s upbringing and early adult life, […]
In this passage, God is at work in his providence through simple human deeds, all of it working towards sending a deliverer to redeem Israel from centuries of cruel bondage.
We are beginning a sermon series for the Fall on the Book of Exodus. Exodus is filled with many well-known stories: These are all remarkable, inspiring stories that tell us who God is, and we see examples of both faith and unbelief. Examples of great deeds of faith, and extraordinary acts of evil. Almost 2/3 of the book is stories. Yet Exodus has even more to offer us than those stories. For there is something grand going on at the […]
Last week we took a look at one of the points of our ministry emphasis at Stonebrook: “every member a minister.” We have four points to this emphasis that is directing our ministry programs this year. They are: Last week we looked at the second point: “every believer a member”, how the scriptures call each believers to commit themselves to a local fellowship, a local congregation, and how we work that out here at Stonebrook through a membership process. This […]
I have a question to start us off this morning. How many memberships do you have? Think about it for a second. Costco, Amazon Prime, Sam’s Club, The ISU Alumni Association, Maybe a golf club, a gym membership, Rotary, Toastmasters, Kiwanis, maybe you are a member of a professional association related to your vocation. You can be a member of a coffee shop rewards program, or if you’re like me, you can be a chick-fil-a signature status rewards member because […]
If you were to know the end of your life on earth was very close….say, you have a terminal disease…what would you want to say about your life? Specifically, what would you want to say about your life following Christ? We would not want to hang our heads in shame, thinking of a lifetime of regrets. Of the many choices we made that were not in line with the will of God. Instead, we would want to worship God for […]
Before the Apostle Paul was the “Apostle”, he was a religious leader who hated Jesus Christ and any of his followers. In his obsession against Christ, he persecuted many men and women, unjustly dragging them off to prison, and even having some of them put to death. A few years later, Paul had an encounter with Jesus, and he repented of his rebellion against God, he believed in Christ, and then he became the most well-known follower of Christ in […]
Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 19. When I talk with my non-Christian friends about my job as a Bible teacher, I often describe my task as something like that of a historian. My job is to understand and to teach what the church has taught about this book since the beginnig of the church and for the last 2000 years. My job is not to find some exciting new understanding that has been hidden throughout the ages, […]
Please open your Bible with me to Revelation chapter 22. Today our Revelation series comes to a close. What a great Spring it has been walking through this book with you all. I’ve appreciated the feedback, the questions, the conversations, the encouragement, the little bit of debate, and you know, even the tiny bit of criticism here and there. I trust that as we’ve walked through and made this book more clear over the past 16 weeks that its been […]
Please turn with me to Revelation chapter 19. Today is Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, and it might seem a little strange that our text for the morning is Revelation 19. But we made the decision not to take time out of this important series for this week, but rather, we worked to schedule the series so that chapter 19 fell on this morning, because in our chapter today, we get to see a powerful image of the risen Jesus, and […]
Please open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 17. We are now down the home stretch of this great book. We’re on week 12 of 16 of this series. And it has been a wild ride! Last week we Brad taught through chapters 15 and 16—the seven bowls of judgement, which depict the final pouring out of God’s wrath on an unbelieving world on judgement day. Where John goes next in this book is sort of a zoom-out, with a series […]
We are 2/3 of the way through our sermon series on this mysteriously wonderful book of Revelation. Back in January when we started, we saw that the first 3 chapters tell us much about the purpose of this book. It was written to seven churches in Asia (modern-day Turkey). These were churches that the Apostle John probably knew well. Here are the very first words: Revelation 1:1–3 CSB The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his […]
The last several weeks have been spent studying a pretty intense section of Revelation. In chapters 8 and 9 we read about the “seven trumpets” signaling God’s judgement, in 10-13 we read of beasts and dragons and the martyrdom of believers. Today is a little more highly concentrated good news. (Though none of the previous pieces were bad news.) So this week, we’ll be in chapter 14, but to be perfectly confusing, I am going to start by dipping back […]
Please open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 13. The Beast, the antichrist, the false prophet, the mark, 666, one world government, and one world currency. All those interesting topics most of us are curious about when it comes to end times theology and the book of Revelation. Today we are studying the chapter in Revelation where all those concepts are found. Should be a good time, are you ready? Last week we studied chapter 12, where John has a series […]
In our section today we continue to look at an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. In this interlude, from chapters 11-14, some count another seven visions (The Mighty Angel, Two Witnesses, Woman and the Dragon, Sea Beast, Land Beast, The Lamb and his 144,000, and the proclamation of the three angels) – All with their own message, leading up to the final judgement described in the the seven bowls in chapter 15 and 16. Some have called chapters […]
In Week 5 of our series on the mysteriously remarkable book of Revelation, we read in chapters 8 & 9 of the seven trumpets of judgment. We will notice two crucial aspects of God’s nature that impact all of us. First, the Lord notices injustices on the earth and he will someday soon act with perfect and final justice. Second, even in his wrath we see hints of his offer of mercy, though people still refuse to repent and receive that mercy.
In Week 2 of our series through the mysteriously remarkable book of Revelation, we discover Jesus, the glorious head of all the churches as he directly speaks to his people who are engaged in holy war. He calls them to pay attention, walk with him, and place their hope in the glories of eternal life. In letters he wrote to seven Asian churches, we will find some words to challenge and strengthen us as individuals and as a church.
Please open your Bibles with me to Revelation, chapter 1. I’m very excited this morning, and also somewhat reverently fearful and humbled this morning to open up to this important and often neglected or misused book of the Bible as we begin a sixteen week walkthrough. This book is perhaps one of the hardest to understand in the entire Bible, and there is certainly a lot of debate surrounding it, and a variety of opinions about its meaning. Yesterday morning, […]
SERMON POWERPOINT Sunday, November 13, 2022 Brad Barrett The Story of God and Man: The Church— Week 10 Why are we here? Why are we gathered? Habit? We like people? It seems like a good thing to do? Someone invited me so I thought, “Why not?” Or perhaps we’re simply unsure. We are nearing the end of a sermon series going through what could be described as an overview of the Bible. It’s Stonebrook’s Statement of Faith where we examine […]
SERMON POWERPOINT Sun, 10/16/22 Brad Barrett The Story of God and Man: Blessings and Curses— Chapter 5 More than 75% of the Bible is something we call “Old Testament.” Even though it’s the vast majority of the entire Bible, I suspect many of us are relatively unfamiliar with it. So we may have questions about it. What’s it all about? Why so confusing with so many people, places, and events? Why do we have a NEW Testament? Was something wrong […]
In the biblical recounting creation, man’s rebellion, and the judgement of God through the flood, mankind’s core problem is starting to come into focus: “the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward” (Genesis 8:21 CSB). This week we focus on God’s initiation of a rescue plan to deliver humanity from their slavery to sin: by making a covenant with Abraham that will bless the whole world. In this, we will see God’s covenant-making with mankind is the framework of the entire Bible, helping us make sense of even the confusing stories and prophecies of the Old Testament: God offers a covenant relationship to humanity. How will we respond?
SERMON POWERPOINT Sun, 10/02/22 Brad Barrett The Story of God and Man: The Flood— Week 4 Every Sunday we read something from the Bible. We do this because we believe the Bible is inspired by God and intended to be useful to us. Useful to know God and to understand life. So that makes the Bible extraordinarily relevant to us. But quite often as we read the Bible, we read stories that are not within the realm of our everyday […]
For our culture today, the most controversial thing Christians believe is that each of us was created by Almighty God, who designs and reveals our identity and purpose, and to whom we owe love, worship, and obedience. We are not our own. We belong to God. Join us this week as we marvel at the glorious truth of our wonderful, sovereign, loving creator, and the impact of that reality on our daily life.
A Look Back at Luke 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you […]
Though Jesus’ own disciples were highly skeptical that he actually rose from the dead, they were persuaded when they saw him and when he proved from the Scriptures what they should have already seen and believed. This Sunday we will read about what is arguably the most important event in history: the resurrection. We’ll discover some powerful implications for us in our daily lives, such as addressing our doubts and our source for truth.
Have you ever wondered, “What is God’s will for me?” Just one week before he is crucified and resurrected, Jesus tells his followers in a parable what his will for them is after he ascends into heaven. He says, “Engage in my business until I come back,” and he promises great reward to all who do. This Sunday’s passage will look at this parable plus some other words from Jesus that may surprise us, pleasantly so.
Recommended Resources The Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life – Don Whitney Habits of Grace – David Mathis A good reading Bible(s) New Morning Mercies – Paul Tripp (devotional) The Valley of Vision – Banner of Truth (prayer book) The New City Catechism and Paired Devotional – Crossway (app also available for free in the app store ) Every Moment Holy – Douglas McKelvey / Rabbit Room (prayers, liturgies, etc. for the daily life)
Though few of us like to admit that we are weak and even lost, such an admission is a beautiful place to find intimacy, strength, and help from the God of all power and mercy. This Sunday we will look at two stories that will powerfully inspire us to humbly seek after our merciful Savior.
The Pharisees ask Jesus about the timing of the arrival of God’s Kingdom on earth that He has been talking about. Jesus response to this question in the gospels is always the same: No one can know the timing, but it will happen suddenly, without warning, that is, without further warning than the one he continually gives: be ready today. In our eating, drinking, getting married, buying, selling, planting, building, sleeping, and milling, are we also praying: “Lord let your kingdom come!”
This week, we’ll look at a perplexing parable about a master, a manager, and money. The details are confusing to our modern understanding of business, but Jesus’s message is clear nonetheless. The problem that Jesus was pointing out was that we, like the disciples and the Pharisees, don’t know what money is really for, and we forget who it really belongs to. When we see how Jesus uses this parable to instruct the disciples and rebuke the Pharisees, we’ll gain great insight into God’s economics. How does he want us to use “our” money?
After Jesus’s crucifixion and burial, even the apostles were devastated and confused, going only by what they could see. Their entire world was crashing around them, or so they thought. When Jesus finally does show up on that first Easter morning, the surprising ways he reveals himself to his despairing flock can teach us much about what we need from him today.
Jesus was frequently accused of being friends with the worst sinners in society. The outcasts. The untouchables. And the accusations were true. So he opens wide the heart of God in an astonishing trio of parables, including his best known one, the Prodigal Son. This Sunday from Luke 15 we will seek to have hearts full of gratitude, for God has diligently and actively sought us out in the gospel story. And we will seek to have great joy, for God joyfully loves and welcomes us.
The way of a disciple of Jesus—the life and heart of a disciple—is not intuitive due to our sinful tendencies and the world’s influences, but it is beautiful and glorious. This Sunday in our sermon we will examine Jesus’ surprising words as he calls us to be true disciples.
What is the purpose of the Sabbath? In Luke 13-14, Jesus confronts the Pharisees’ answer to this question and will similarly challenge our preconceived notions about how God goes about his work and what his kingdom work looks like in this world.
In our passage this week, Jesus tells us to think forward to judgement day, The Day of The Lord, The Return of Christ, and teaches us something remarkable: Christians never need to fear death, because they never die. He confronts us with a question: Are you ready for that judgement day? Or are you living like it’s not coming?
The natural way to look at life is from a short-term, temporary view, and when this is connected to the topic of money, two outcomes result: greed and worry. In this passage from Luke 12, Jesus calls us to an eternal and heavenly-minded view that leads to something glorious: a contented and peace-filled life that centers its trust in our great God and Father.
From our passage, we will learn of the simplicity and beauty of following Jesus: whoever hears and obeys him will have God’s rich blessings upon us. And there is no middle ground, for we are either for him or against him.
In our sermon text this Sunday we will read the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the purpose and meaning behind the story may surprise us. However, an application from the story may not surprise us: that God would empower us through the gospel to show Good Samaritan type of compassion, even to someone who may not like us. How can we prepare ourselves in the Spirit for opportunities—expected or unexpected—to show life-giving compassion?
What awaits us after we die? Is there life beyond the grave? In one of the more unusual events in Scripture, Jesus’ earthly body is glorified in blazing light—he is transfigured—and then Moses and Elijah appear with him. This unique experience points us today to the glory of Christ in heaven, strengthens our faith in all that Christ did and will do, and increases our hope in God’s promised resurrection life for us after death.
This week we will examine the one glimpse the Bible gives us of Jesus’s childhood. That he sought to learn in the temple. That he “grew” in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man, has spoiled many formulas of theologians throughout the ages. God, incarnate, had to learn and grow! As we explore this mystery, we learn some encouraging things about our faith.
The time of John the Baptist’s birth were days of wonder and praise, for after 400 year of silence from heaven God powerfully visited his people. Like a psalmist, Zechariah sang praises to God, declaring the mighty attributes of God and his Son and prophesying about events that would soon shake the world. This Sunday we will read of these extraordinary days and the fullness of God through his Son, learning that through this we can love him and trust him more.
This Sunday we will be looking at Mary's response to God's promise and we will ask the question "How do we respond to God's Promises?