A Christmas meditation on the names of Jesus: Mighty God. Isaiah 9:6
What Child is This #1 - Wonderful Counselor
A Christmas meditation on the names of Jesus. Wonderful Counselor. Isaiah 9:6.
The Way Up - Psalm 123
An Advent meditation on Psalm 123.
The Way Up - Psalm 122
An Advent devotion on Psalm 122.
The Emotions of Christmas #3 - Patience and Perseverance
Patience. It is the endurance and perseverance that God develops in us so that we do something for a long time. We hope, waiting for what God has promised, patiently. We live enduring hardships as discipline; we live patiently. James calls us, yes, exhorts us to live patiently like farmers. To be patient like the prophets and like Job, trusting in the mercy, kindness, and overwhelming generosity of our King. We’ll look at James 5:7-11.
The Way Up - Psalm 121
An advent devotion on Psalm 121
The Way Up - Psalm 120
Psalm 120
The Emotions of Christmas #2 - Hope in Christ
Hope is such an important thing. When hope fades, discouragement and despair creep in. When hope fades, our bodies themselves curl up. Yet, even when earthly wishes fade, we have hope that springs eternal. We have been given a new birth into a living hope. We’ll look at Romans 15:4-13.
The Emotions of Christmas #1 - Joy in Closeness
There are a lot of emotions that come along around this time of year. Grief. Sadness. Loneliness. Anxiety. Fear. Joy. Hope. Excitement. Anticipation. Lots of emotions surface in preparation for Christmas. It has always been like that. As God’s people waited for the coming of Christ, for the coming of that first Christmas, they were filled with many emotions. This Advent, we will walk with God’s people we will see how they waited and wait with them in joy, hope, patience, and confidence. Philippians 4:4-7.
Long Live the King #3 - This Time Tomorrow
We’re in the last part of the last chapter of the gospel of Mark. It’s been quite a journey from “in the beginning” of Mark 1 to this ending. What we want to think about on Sunday is what the next chapter might look like. We have some sense of what the next chapter looked like for the disciples from the book of Acts.
We have some sense of what the next chapter looked like for Jesus as he ascended into heaven and took his seat at God’s right hand, far above all power and authority, King of kings and Lord of lords. We even have some sense of what our next chapter looks like. At least, we have a vision for it. That’s our simple goal on Sunday. I really hope to give you a vision for your tomorrow and what it can look like, even if we don’t know what the particulars of tomorrow will be. We’re considering Mark 16:9-20.
Thanksgiving Sermon - When God says "no."
A sermon on 2 Samuel 7:18-22.
Long Live the King #2 - Watching for the King
We see, experience, consider, discuss, and even be a part of the rule of the King. We are a part of his rule as a child is welcomed into his family through baptism. We celebrate his rule as we remember the saints who have gone to glory with him. And we celebrate the rule of the King and live under him in his kingdom. Mark 13:20-37.
Long Live the King #1 - The Return of the King
We're diving back into the Gospel of Mark as we turn our attention to the return of the King and our life in these last days. Even while he rules for and over us, Jesus has much to teach us. Long Live the King! We’ll be looking at Mark 13:1-12.
Life in Babylon #9 - The Odds for Exiles
When you’re living in exile, when your kings are getting hauled off to exile and executed before your eyes, when your city is destroyed and you are forcibly relocated, it’s hard to imagine a hopeful future. What are the odds that things will turn out well? God wants his people to have hope and a future, a certain expectation. The future belongs to the exiles. Jeremiah 52:31-34.
Life in Babylon #8 - Songs of Deliverance
Today we celebrate the Festival of Reformation. And it will be more than a celebration. It will be a call to war, a call to sing, a call to celebrate even before the final victory. Yes, it’s true. We’re in the middle, between the not yet and the already of our salvation. Yet, we sing as those who are confident of the victory. God taught his people to sing and even gave them songs to sing even before they came home from exile. Jeremiah 51:54-64.
Life in Babylon #7 - The Paper Shredder
The king didn’t care much for Jeremiah or the word from God that Jeremiah presented to him. In fact, he showed so much disdain for this word that after reading a page, he cut it out of the scroll and used it to keep his fire burning. How offensive can you be? How could he? Yet are we so different in our handling of God’s Word. Picking and choosing the verses we want to apply, use, listen, and accept. Do we take it all to heart? Or do we cut corners off the Word of God? Either way, God will not let his Word be silenced or destroyed. The cry rings out: The Word of the Lord endures forever. May we ever read, learn, and take it to heart. Jeremiah 36:1-7, 20-24, 32.
Life in Babylon #6 - An Unbreakable Covenant
The question is: how can we be so sure? Surely, Israel was asking that question. How can we be so sure that we’ll build houses back home again? How can we be so sure that the temple will be rebuilt? That’s the question we often ask. How can we be so sure about forgiveness? About God’s care and guiding of our lives? About any of God’s promises? Consider this. If you can break God’s covenant with the day and night, then you can break this one. How’s that for certainty? Jeremiah 33:14-26.
Life in Babylon #5 - The Testimony of a Lived Faith
All the time we say, “We live by faith, not by sight.” But what exactly do we mean? What does it mean to look like to live by faith? It means that we’ll buy property when Nebuchadnezzar is coming to take over our homeland. It means that we’ll make our life in this world even though it is not our home. Next week, Jeremiah shows us through what it means to live by faith. Jeremiah 32:6-15.
Life in Babylon #4 - God's Firm Resolve
What do you do when your girl cheats on you with another guy? What do you do when she breaks your heart? There are two dominant metaphors in these chapters of hope within Jeremiah. The metaphor of a father/son relationship. The metaphor of a husband/wife relationship. Last week, we considered the father/son relationship. This week, we see God’s husband heart. He does not discard his bride, whom he draws with cords of kindness. Again, he makes their relationship/covenant new. Jeremiah 31:2-6, 31-34
Life in Babylon #3 - Fatherly Attention
Israel has been given a deep wound because of their own rebellion. That’s why they were in Babylon. But Jeremiah wants them to know that the Lord was not trying to get his pound of flesh out of him. This was discipline, discipling, not punishment. He was calling out to them as a father through the exile. Can we start to see our own waywardness as we live in the fallen world? Can we start to see how we have lived farther and farther from God’s way? Can we sense the Lord’s discipling hand in our life? “Our wound is incurable” (Jeremiah 30:12), but the LORD “will restore you to health” (Jeremiah 30:17). A look at Jeremiah 30:10-17.