On Good Friday we follow Jesus to the cross where He lays down His life for the world. He was crucified with a sign that said "King of the Jews." This reminds us of the Wise Men who came to worship "the One who had been born king of the Jews" so many years before. Do the gifts of the Magi still mean anything? And why do we need Jesus, on Good Friday?
On Maundy Thursday Jesus washes His disciples' feet, celebrates His Supper with them, and prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. All the while, the betrayer is at work. Would you have betrayed Him? Like Judas did? Like Peter did? How about today in your own life? Why exactly do we need Jesus, on Maundy Thursday?
On Palm Sunday, Jesus journeys into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, and the city welcomes Him with shouts of "hosanna!" Can you imagine what it must have been like back then? And what does it mean for us today? Why do we need Jesus, on Palm Sunday?
We see Paul give a detailed description of himself in Philippians. Who are you? How would you describe yourself? Paul will tell us that ultimately knowing who we are, and how we describe ourselves, is not worth much. What matters is knowing Jesus Christ and what He's done for us. What matters is who He says we are.
We view this as the parable of the prodigal or lost sons, but it's possible to view this as a parable of the lost sons, as both the older and younger son are lost in their own way. But really, this parable is not about the sons, it's about the father and his actions for the sons, which is a reflection of God's actions for us, His people.
God won't give you more than you can handle. A phrase you may be common with may have said yourself or had someone say to you. What does it mean? Is it Biblical? And is it true? One thing that is true: God won't give you more than HE can handle.
A mother hen seeks to gather her chicks under her wings, to keep them close, to protect them, and keep them safe. Jesus seeks to gather His children under His wings, but many are not willing, and they walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Those who are gathered are the ones who have the Holy Spirit working in them, believe, and will receive eternal life.
When God gives what He promised and what we need, His children respond with an offering and rejoicing.
Why we give God our first and our best and not our leftovers.
Transfiguration can also mean Transformation. As we celebrate the Transfiguration of Christ, where his physical appearance is changed, transformed, transfigured, we will also take a look at our own lives and see where, when, and how Christ has transformed and changed us.
In a world full of peril, pain, and problems God can use the bad things that happen to us for the greater good. That is why we always pray ‘Thy Will be done.”
As we enter the 15th chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he is going to tell us what is most important for us. That, of course, being the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means for us. That is of first importance, IF in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.
We are seeing a lot of frustration in our society. People don’t know what to do, but they’ve got to do something, so they protest. Rebellion. Where is that coming from? And what is God doing about it?
As we explore the love chapter of 1 Corinthians 13, we think about hearing these verses at a wedding as the bride and groom are joined together as one. Maybe they were even read at our own wedding. If we look at this chapter in the context of the relationship between the bride, the church, and the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, we will see what true love is about, what it really looks like, and what it means for us.
God led His people out of Babylonian captivity. They responded with utter reverence and adoration for the reading and teaching of God’s Word. As we move out of the captivity of the coronavirus, how shall we respond?
As we see Jesus' first sign or miracle happen at the wedding at Cana, it all begins because His mother, Mary, comes to Him to let Him know there is no wine left. Mary's motivation for coming to Jesus, was from faith in Him as the one who could do something about the situation. What are your motivations for coming to worship? As we explore the answers, we'll see where our motivations line up compared to what actually happens in worship.
Our loving Heavenly Father had the Baptism of our Lord recorded for our benefit. When we know who and who’s we are then we know how we should live and what we should do.
As we begin a new year, with new hopes, new beginnings, new opportunities, many people pick a "word of the year" that becomes a theme to guide them in daily living. As we look to God's Word, we can very clearly see a word that stands out to us every day of every year, because this word is timeless.
Relationships are tested during trying circumstances. Colossians 3:12-17 is a timely word from our Heavenly Father to bring you peace.
God doesn’t just want us to know the truth. He wants us to experience it and be convinced of it. That is why He sent His Son Jesus into our world. John 1:14. Merry Christmas indeed!
When we think about Good Friday, we sometimes hear Seven Sayings from Christ on the cross. This Christmas Eve, we're going to hear seven sayings from God's Word about Christmas. It begins with the first promise of Christmas, another promise of Christmas, the words of an angel, the joy of a baby, the birth of the Savior, the message to the shepherds, and the response from Mary. Promises given, promises realized, promises fulfilled, and promises proclaimed.
The familiar song that is sung at Christmas, lets us imagine the thoughts and feelings that Mary may have gone through as she held the Christ child in her arms. As we read God's Word and hear Mary's song of praise, her Magnificat, we will see if we can answer the question of; Mary Did You Know?
How does God feel about you? The prophet Zephaniah gives us 5 really important truths of what God does and will do, for us. Knowing this verse will help us face each day with confidence and joy.
The season of Advent is a time of preparation. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ. He pointed others to Christ and away from himself. God's Word points us to Christ. It prepares us to celebrate Christ's first coming, and it prepares us to be ready for Christ's second coming.
Jesus teaches us that when we see some of the signs of the end of the world, we should stay awake and watch, so we are ready when He comes.
Soon, we will be celebrating Christ's First Coming at Christmas when He was, as the Magi called Him, " the one who has been born king of the Jews." On this Last Sunday of the Church Year, we hear about Christ's Second Coming, as He comes as our Conquering King of Heaven and Earth.
In a day and age when we’ve had to delete a lot of good stuff from our calendars, God’s Word reminds us of some good events that He has placed on our calendar that cannot be deleted.
As we celebrate All Saints' Sunday, we remember the saints who have gone before us in the faith, those who have died and now rest in the arms of their Savior. While this may be an emotional time for some, we take comfort and hope to know that there will be no more tears in heaven, as the saints on earth follow in the steps of the saints in heaven.
October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Another word that can be used for a pastor is a priest. This message is not intended to focus on pastors, it's intended to focus on the One whose priesthood continues forever. Pastors come and go, but Jesus, our Great High Priest, continues forever.
Behave or Believe, which is it? In Romans chapter 3 Paul makes it very clear how we are justified before God and thus saved. This Good News is the foundation of how we live our lives.
