Another Pandemic
“My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the House of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the […]
Better Together
“And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24–25) William Blake famously said, “A bird, a nest; the spider, a web; […]
Living Stones
“And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” (1 Peter 2:5, NLT) We live in a world of 7.9 billion people; yet we’ve never been lonelier. We’ve never felt so […]
Do You Want to Get Well?
“One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’” (John 5:5–6) Over the past few weeks, we’ve diligently studied the Scriptures together in order to […]
Where is He?
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2) That’s the question the magi asked King Herod following their 900 mile trip from Persia to Bethlehem. Here’s the thing. Every one of us knows that things aren’t […]
Am I in the Place of God?
“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’ Jacob became angry with her and said, ‘Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?’” (Genesis 30:1-2) Essentially, Jacob came to […]
Where is the Lamb?
“Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, ‘My father.’ And he replied, ‘Here I am, my son.’ Isaac said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’” (Genesis 22:7) That haunting question was asked atop Mount Moriah 4,000 years ago. Little did ten-year-old Isaac know […]
Where Are You?
“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:8–9) In my sermon […]
Thanksgiving
“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.” (Luke 17:15–16) The story of the ten lepers healed by Jesus reminds me of the church sometimes. The fact that God healed ten men, and […]
Independent but Destitute
“Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. […]
No Other Gods
“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exo. 20:3) John Calvin once said, “The human heart is a factory of idols. Every one of us is, from his mother’s womb, an expert in inventing idols.” We can turn even good things, like a child or a spouse or a job, into something that has […]
The Waiting Game
“Hope delayed makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) When something we’ve hoped for has been delayed for many years or seems a long way off, we can despair and be tempted to give up hope. When that which we’ve longed for comes to fruition, it is like […]