I Quit Making Excuses!

What holds us back from responding to God—fear, doubt, or a long list of excuses? In “I Quit Making Excuses!” from Exodus 4:10–12 and Luke 14:15–24, discover how God speaks into our weakness and invites us to step forward in faith.

Family & Community   |  The Ten Commandments (Part Three)

In the book we call the Bible, God has given us His absolute truth. And one of the clearest places we see that truth is in the Ten Commandments. They help us understand what is right and wrong, what is true and false, and what is upright and what is off track.

But the commandments were never given to keep God’s people in bondage. They were given as protection — to guard our hearts, guide our steps, and keep evil from taking root in our lives. God’s commands are not chains; they are care. They are not meant to crush us; they are meant to keep us safe and lead us into life.

So today, let’s turn together to the commandments God gave to Moses and begin asking the most important question of all: Is God really number one in your life?

God's Last Name is not D@mn!   |  The Ten Commandments (Part Two)

In the book we call the Bible, God has given us His absolute truth. And one of the clearest places we see that truth is in the Ten Commandments. They help us understand what is right and wrong, what is true and false, and what is upright and what is off track.

But the commandments were never given to keep God’s people in bondage. They were given as protection — to guard our hearts, guide our steps, and keep evil from taking root in our lives. God’s commands are not chains; they are care. They are not meant to crush us; they are meant to keep us safe and lead us into life.

So today, let’s turn together to the commandments God gave to Moses and begin asking the most important question of all: Is God really number one in your life?

Is God #1 In Your Life?   |  The Ten Commandments (Part One)

In the book we call the Bible, God has given us His absolute truth. And one of the clearest places we see that truth is in the Ten Commandments. They help us understand what is right and wrong, what is true and false, and what is upright and what is off track.

But the commandments were never given to keep God’s people in bondage. They were given as protection — to guard our hearts, guide our steps, and keep evil from taking root in our lives. God’s commands are not chains; they are care. They are not meant to crush us; they are meant to keep us safe and lead us into life.

So today, let’s turn together to the commandments God gave to Moses and begin asking the most important question of all: Is God really number one in your life?

Trinity Sunday

We Cannot Fail

"We Cannot Fail" is a message for anyone who has ever felt small, overlooked, or uncertain. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me… And surely I am with you always,” and that changes everything.

What started with 11 disciples, some of them doubting, has become a movement of billions across the world. Historians may explain the growth, but the real answer is simple: Jesus kept his word. When Jesus says, “Go, and I will go with you,” the mission cannot fail.

“I Will Pour Out My Spirit On All People"

Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost reminds us that it is always easy to find reasons why God won’t do something, but the greater truth is that God is more willing to pour out His Spirit than we are to receive His outpouring. The problem is never with God; it is always with us. And yet God has more He wants to do in our midst, more grace to give, more power to release, and more hope to awaken in His people.

In these last days, we should not be surprised to find both trouble and blessing. Hard times come, the world shakes, love grows cold, and God’s people face persecution—but even then, the Lord still says, “I will pour out my Spirit in the last days”. That means we are not called to retreat to the sidelines but to catch the wave of the Spirit and live with renewed passion, zeal, and spiritual power.

So today, as we hear the promise of Pentecost again, let us reject the idea that our hope rests in formulas, rituals, or religion itself. Our only hope is in the Lord, and we need Him to ignite a kingdom fire in our hearts today. We have not yet arrived, and God is not done with us yet—so may He pour out His Spirit in our midst, and may each of us be able to pray, “O Lord, begin with me.”

Mission: Unstoppable!

Sunday After Ascension (Year A)

Today is our missional rally call.

The Sunday after the Ascension always brings us to this moment—this threshold between what Jesus has done and what He now calls His Church to do. In Acts 1, the disciples are still looking upward, still wondering if this is the moment when everything will be set right. But Jesus redirects their gaze. He tells them that something far greater is about to unfold—not just for them, but through them.

Because what happened in Acts 1 means that we now have something to say.

The risen and ascended Jesus has entrusted His Church with a message—a living, powerful, world-changing message. And now is precisely why we must say what we have to say. This is not a time for silence or hesitation. This is the moment when the Church finds its voice.

Jesus uses a particular word to describe that voice. He says, “You will be my witnesses.”

And a witness, according to the law of the land, is simply someone who speaks from personal experience about what is true. Not speculation. Not theory. Not secondhand opinion. A witness tells what they have seen, what they have heard, and what they know to be real.

Which brings us to the question that sits right in front of us this morning:

How are you doing at telling people the truth about Jesus?

Because a first-hand witness reports what they have personally seen, what they have personally heard, and in some cases, what they have even touched, and the risen Christ has not only revealed Himself to the first disciples—He continues to make Himself known to us.

So if we are His witnesses, then the mission is clear.

The only question is, are we living as if it’s unstoppable?

Building Bridges Not Barricades

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

As we wrestle with a crucial question: if Jesus Christ is truly the only way to the Father, then how do we bring that message to the world around us? How do we tell the city?

In this podcast, we continue that conversation by turning to one of the most fascinating encounters in the book of Acts. In Acts 17:16–34, the apostle Paul shows us how to speak the truth about Christ in a way that genuinely connects with unbelievers.

Picture the scene.

Imagine arriving alone in the capital city of a foreign nation for the very first time. You don’t know anyone. You’re surrounded by brilliant minds, competing philosophies, and countless idols demanding people’s devotion.

There are no churches. No Christian schools. No Christian bookstores. No Christian voice in the public square.

And you realize something staggering: you are the first Christian this city has ever seen.

As you walk through the streets, everywhere you look there are statues to pagan gods. Temples. Altars. Shrines. The city is overflowing with worship—but none of it directed toward the true and living God.

And suddenly your heart breaks.

You become sickened by the darkness around you, and you begin grieving because these people have never even heard the name of Jesus.

So what do you do?

Where do you begin? How do you find an opening for the gospel? Who will listen? How do you speak truth without compromise in a culture drowning in unbelief?

That’s exactly the moment Paul steps into in Athens—and it’s exactly the challenge Christians still face today.

The Scandal of Particularity: Is Jesus Really the Only Way to Heaven?

The Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

In a world that often bristles at the Christian claim that Jesus is the only way to God—a tension scholars have called the “Scandal of Particularity”—many believers find themselves quietly on the defensive. Those ideas have moved from academic circles into everyday conversations, leaving Christians in workplaces and social settings wary of being labeled ignorant, intolerant, or worse. We may try to brush it off, but the weight of those accusations lingers. In this sermon on John 14:6, I invite you to explore not only the truth of Jesus’ words, but also how we can hold to them with both conviction and grace in a skeptical world.

The Third Sunday of Easter (Year A)

But We Had Hoped

On this Third Sunday of Easter, we find ourselves walking a strangely familiar road—the road to Emmaus. It’s a road marked not just on a map, but etched into the experience of every human heart that has known disappointment, confusion, or the quiet temptation to give up hope.

If we listen closely, we recognize this road by a single, haunting phrase: “But we had hoped.” These are the words we speak when expectations collapse, and faith feels uncertain. And yet, it is precisely on this road that the risen Jesus draws near, often unrecognized, gently restoring what we thought was lost. Today, we walk that road again—together.

Easter Sunday (Year A)

Do Not Be Afraid!

On this Easter morning, Matthew gives us a resurrection scene unlike any other—a moment of holy drama and divine power. The angel who appears at the tomb knows exactly how to make an entrance: a sudden earthquake, blazing like lightning, and a mighty flourish that rolls back the large sealed stone. This is no gentle figure from a greeting card—this is an angel with attitude. He rolls the stone away, then casually sits on it, crossing his great arms as he looks over at the guards—men who are now showing all the symptoms of sheer terror. Matthew says, “they became like dead men.”

But notice—this angel says nothing to them. The message “Do not be afraid” is not for the guards, nor for Caiaphas or Pilate, nor for the powers that tried to hold the Christ in the tomb. For them, the message is on hold. Instead, this angel’s words are reserved for those who seek the Lord—those women who come in love and faith to the place where hope seemed lost. The tomb will not be a prison, and death will not be the Son of God’s final resting place. On Easter morning, God turns every fearful silence into the sound of resurrection.

The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday (Year A)

The Suffering Substitute

Why did Jesus die? That question has echoed through the centuries, and Isaiah 53 gives us one of the clearest answers in all of Scripture. The prophet tells us that Christ was “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities,” showing us that the cross was not an accident, but the saving plan of God for sinners like us. In this message, we’ll look closely at Isaiah 53:4-6 and see what it teaches us about the burden Jesus carried, the guilt we could never remove, and the grace God freely gives. If you’ve ever wondered what the cross really means, this passage points us to the heart of the gospel: the Servant of the Lord suffered in our place so that we might be brought back to God.

Liturgy of the Palms Homily (Year A) Who Is This?

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, Matthew tells us that “the whole city was stirred up, asking, ‘Who is this?’” It’s a simple question—just three words—but it carries the weight of Holy Week. These weren’t the cheering crowds waving palms. They were the city folk, settled into the routines of power and politics, commerce and conversation. They heard the commotion at the gate, saw a small procession of peasants and children crying out “Hosanna,” and wondered, “Who is this?"

Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year A)

Set Your Mind on the Spirit 

Today’s message for the Fifth Sunday in Lent is titled “Set Your Mind on the Spirit.” Drawing from John 11, Romans 8:1-11, and 2 Corinthians 6:2, we will listen for God’s voice in the midst of silence, struggle, and hope. In the raising of Lazarus, we see that what looks like delay or distance can become the very place where God’s life and power are revealed. Romans 8 then calls us to a new way of thinking and living—no longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit who brings freedom and life. And 2 Corinthians 6:2 reminds us that “now is the day of salvation,” inviting us to respond today to the Spirit’s gracious work.

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year A) 

Who Sinned?

Welcome to today’s message, titled “Who Sinned?”—a reflection on John 9:1–13, 28–38. It’s a natural question, isn’t it? When something terrible happens, our first instinct is to ask why. Why this city and not that one? Why this person, and not another? Earthquakes, floods, wars, wildfires—each disaster stirs our hearts to cry out, “Why here? Why now? Why them?”

We ask the same question in the deeply personal moments of life: Why did this man get cancer, and his brother didn’t? Why was one spared while another suffered? No question pierces us more profoundly than, “Why me?” The question of why pushes us to wrestle with the connection between God's goodness and the reality of human suffering—a tension that challenges faith for many and even leads some to doubt God altogether.

Into that universal struggle, John 9 opens quietly—with a man born blind, and a question on the lips of the disciples: “Rabbi, who sinned?”

Third Sunday in Lent (Year A)

Revelation Knowledge

“Welcome to today’s message, ‘Revelation Knowledge.’ You and I cannot change our own hearts, and God will not force our minds, but when we choose to change our thoughts, God begins to change our hearts. As we bring Him our doubt, our unbelief, the condemnation we’ve agreed with, and the scars of our past, the Holy Spirit moves through our thinking and into the deep places of who we are. In that mysterious moment, God reveals who He is in our lives and who we truly are in Him—that’s what revelation knowledge is all about.

Second Sunday in Lent (Year A)

Just One More Verse

When Jesus says, “God so loved the world,” it is not a sentimental slogan for coffee mugs and bumper stickers; it is a staggering claim about the very heart of God.  God loves people who don’t love him back, people who would rather stay hidden in the dark, even the very world that will eventually crucify his Son.  If we wanted to feel the shock of John’s language, we might almost hear it like this: “For God so loved the God-hating world that he gave his only Son,” and, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn even this world that despises God, but so that the world that rejects God might still be saved through him.” In other words, God’s love is just that audacious and just that unexpected.  Verse 17 pulls back the curtain on God’s motive: “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  The mission is not condemnation but salvation; Jesus doesn’t show up to point out a problem that wasn’t already there, he comes to address the problem we could never fix on our own. In this episode, as we sit with John 3:1–17, I want to invite you to lean in with me to “just one more verse”—to see how this famous passage is not about a distant, generic love, but about a relentless, pursuing, saving love for a resistant world, and for people like us.

First Sunday in Lent (Year A) 

Identity Theft | Satan's Greatest Crime Against Humanity 

On this First Sunday of Lent, it’s a good time to pause and take stock—to reflect on where we are and what’s shaping our hearts. Think back to a moment when you felt inadequate or unworthy. Maybe it was just this past week, or sometime in the last month. Hold that memory in your mind for a moment—that attempt at “identity theft” when something tried to tell you that you are less than God says you are.

Today’s scriptures speak clearly and powerfully against that lie. They remind us that in Jesus Christ, God has declared you—and all of us—to be enough. In fact, more than enough. Because if you are following Christ, God has already claimed you as His own beloved child.

Ash Wednesday Homily (Year A)

I wish you a holy and joyful Lenten season—a time to grow closer to the Lord and to turn away from sin. The Lord meets us with a unique grace in every season; may the grace He gives us in this Lent not be in vain.

Transfiguration | Last Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)

The Transfiguration is that extraordinary moment when someone—or something—is seen for who they truly are, in all their beauty and glory. In Matthew 17:1–9, we discover that the Transfiguration isn’t about Jesus changing into something new. It’s about the disciples finally seeing Him as He already is. Transformation is about becoming—like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. But transfiguration is about revealing—it’s the unveiling of reality. It’s the moment we see Jesus not as we imagine Him, but as He truly is.

Fifth Sunday of Epiphany | World Mission Sunday (Year A)

God calls every Christian to influence the world around them. Jesus began teaching this concept early in his ministry, telling his disciples that he would make them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). Then, in the Sermon on the Mount, he used the illustrations of salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). Both salt and light have properties that affect their surroundings. Salt is used to enhance flavor and as a preservative. To 'be salt' means to deliberately seek to influence the people in one's life by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through good deeds. Light is a symbol of awareness, knowledge, and understanding. To 'be light' means to be a witness to others concerning the truth of God's Word, especially about who Christ is and how he died and rose again for our salvation.

Second Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)

Our Gospel text today is full of John the Baptist’s powerful words about Jesus. In verse 29, John says that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world:   “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” That’s the best news anyone could ever hear—the eternal Son of God came into the world not to condemn us, but to take away our sin. So if you’re a follower of Christ this morning, I hope you’re living in that freedom from guilt, resting in the forgiveness He gives. Now, I want us to look at another powerful testimony John gave about Jesus—that He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. In verse 33, John says:   “I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’”

First Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)

Jesus revealed the essence of the Holy Spirit's mission in John 16:14: "He will glorify me."

"The essence of the Holy Spirit's ministry is, at this or any time in the Christian era, to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ" (J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit, p. 55).

In other words, the Spirit is sent to make Christ real to people, and to show us who he really is in his glory, so that we come to love him and trust him and obey him and, in turn, show him to the world. What this means is that the Holy Spirit is more likely to come in power where the truth about Jesus is being lifted up and made plain. The Spirit loves to come and take the truth about Jesus and turn it into an experience of Jesus.

That's what happened in Acts 10:36-48: Peter presented a verbal portrait of Jesus, and the Spirit transformed the portrait into the living reality of Jesus himself.

Second Sunday of Christmastide (Year A)

If you’re someone who really believes the Bible is the Word of God—and that Jesus was truly born of a virgin in Bethlehem, surrounded by angels, shepherds, and Wise Men—it’s still pretty easy to let the Christmas story slip into the category of “something sweet and familiar.” We’d never come right out and say it’s just a story or a myth, but after seeing it acted out year after year in Christmas plays—with the perfect lighting, the adorable kids, the beautiful music, and everything neatly in place—we might start to picture it that way in our minds. But that’s not how it really was. The first Christmas wasn’t tidy, comfortable, or calm. It didn’t happen on a polished stage but in a messy, ordinary world filled with indifference, fear, and even hostility. When we turn to Matthew 2:7–12 and read about the Wise Men coming to find Jesus, we step into that very real world—a world that desperately needed a Savior but didn’t fully recognize Him when He came.

First Sunday of Christmastide (Year A)

In a little town called Bethlehem, a baby was born—and at first glance, it looked like any other birth, but this child was different; this was God Himself stepping into our world, taking on human flesh, becoming one of us. That is the heartbeat of the Christian faith: the God who made us came near enough to be held, to be heard, to be rejected or received. Everything else Christians believe, everything we cling to and hope in, flows out of that one stunning truth we remember at Christmastide.

Christmas Day (Year A)

A couple of Christmases ago, as a family, we vacationed in New York City the week before Christmas Eve. Up on 5th Avenue, right by the Rockefeller Center, there was a life-size Nativity Scene. As expected, it offers all the usual characters; however, if you looked closely, you could see that baby Jesus was chained and bolted to the ground, ensuring that no prankster would carry him off, because, seemingly, it happened every year.

In fact, out of curiosity, I discovered that if you Google "stolen baby Jesus," you will find dozens of news stories of the infant Jesus being taken from manger scenes all across the country. Year after year, in town after town, from church corners to front yards, someone will think it sport to steal baby Jesus out of the manger, and he is often never to be seen again.

Christmas Eve (Year A)

Luke’s literary masterpiece is “the Christmas Gospel”; even secular minds and hearts far from God are moved by its message. The imagery of families gathering the candlelight and carols all reach into lives troubled with pain and despair and offer the incredible promise of hope to people who may show up only once a year. How can this promise be trusted in a world that is lonely and unforgiving?

Herod’s murderous response in Matthew’s Gospel to Jesus’ birth may be more believable to a contemporary society hardened by harsh political realities. Still, the wonder of the Christmas Gospel is not mere sentiment. The question is: how can the strong, gentle truth be told?

Fourth Sunday in Advent (Year A)

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Augustine of Hippo

There is a great yearning inside every person to know God. From the very beginning, we were made to know God, and there is something in us that wants to know our Creator. We yearn to know that God has broken through into our world, and it is not enough to know that God is "up there" or "out there" somewhere.

We want to know that God has come down to where we are. We want to know that he knows where we live, that he knows our name, that he cares about us, that he has "walked this lonesome valley" the same way we do. We want to know that we are not alone in the universe.

All the prophets spoke of this universal yearning in the human heart. Joel spoke of it, as did Malachi, Hosea, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Zechariah. But no one spoke more eloquently than Isaiah. Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, during the reign of a king named Ahaz, Isaiah predicted the birth of the One who would be God coming to dwell with humanity.

Second Sunday in Advent (Year A)

Advent is a significant season. The Sundays in Advent become a microcosm of all of our Sundays — and, indeed, all of our days. The microcosm of Advent gives us opportunities to discern God’s call; to where we have left the path and to turn once again toward God’s vision.

First Sunday in Advent (Year A)

The most significant event in Bible prophecy is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It’s an event so significant that there are over 300 separate prophecies about it in the Word of God, making it one of the most crucial doctrines in the Bible: the key that unlocks the door to the future. No Christian can be considered to have a complete faith without understanding the fundamental truths about the Second Coming of Christ. All the roads of history and prophecy converge at this point.

Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost (Year C)

The big question from our gospel story is found in v. 16: Is it right to take risks for God's cause?

It may not be right to risk much for personal prosperity or public prestige. Not every risk for God's cause is necessarily right, either. Jesus refused to jump off the temple, and Paul snuck out of Damascus in a basket to escape the governor.

Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost (Year C)

Let me have a show of hands. Has anyone ever met a Sadducee? No? Me either And that’s not surprising considering that the last one died 2000 years ago. And even back then, there were never very many of them. It was always a very exclusive group akin to a club for the super wealthy.

If you lived in Jericho, you were much more likely to run into a Pharisee than a Sadducee. They were a very select group with some extraordinary views, and that’s part of what makes this story so interesting. It begins with a peculiar question and culminates in a startling answer. If we just skim the surface of this story, we might assume that it has nothing to say to us in the 21st century But we would be wrong about that. This story presents us with an issue of profound importance.

Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost (Year C)

Our text states that when Jesus visited Zacchaeus' house and Zacchaeus said,

"Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham."

In that moment, Zacchaeus shows great generosity with an entirely unsolicited offer. That moment was made possible at the sycamore tree, not at the house.

The moment that Jesus stood at the base of that sycamore tree and looked up, he said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Jesus was telling Zacchaeus, “I am including you today, and you're up a tree because you're excluded, and I am bringing you into my circle because nobody else has ever included you.”

It was at that moment that God began to work in Zacchaeus’ heart. By the time they sat down to dinner at his home, Zacchaeus had completely softened, as goodness leads people to change.

Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost (Year C)

Many of the prayers we pray should not be answered because they are so shallow. If God answered every prayer the first time we prayed, we would quickly become complacent in our faith. And so, because God conditions His answers on our persistence, we realize how helpless we are and how totally dependent we are on Him for everything.

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost (Year C)

Surrender to the Savior.

The first step is to ensure that you are saved and surrendered. After you surrender, you will want to serve Him, not because you have to, but because you get to. You will live as a servant because you love Jesus as your Savior.

Let’s make sure our time, talents, and treasures are at the disposal of the Master. Choose to be a servant, not a volunteer. There’s a difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant.

Read Habukkuk 3:1-19

Join me for the third of a three-part sermon series on the Book of Habakkuk, a profound exploration of faith in the face of uncertainty.

In our modern world, we often grapple with the same questions that Habakkuk faced—questions about justice, suffering, and the apparent silence of God in times of trouble.

As we delve into this prophetic text, we will uncover how Habakkuk challenges us to confront our doubts and embrace the mystery of God’s ways.

In a society that often seeks clear answers and reasons for every hardship, Habakkuk reminds us of the foundational truth of our faith: “The righteous live by faith.”

Together, we will journey through Habakkuk’s anguish and ultimately discover how faith can transform our responses to the chaos around us, giving us hope and assurance that God is always at work, even when we cannot see it.

Read Habukkuk 2:1-20

Join me for the second of a three-part sermon series on the Book of Habakkuk, a profound exploration of faith in the face of uncertainty.

In our modern world, we often grapple with the same questions that Habakkuk faced—questions about justice, suffering, and the apparent silence of God in times of trouble.

As we delve into this prophetic text, we will uncover how Habakkuk challenges us to confront our doubts and embrace the mystery of God’s ways.

In a society that often seeks clear answers and reasons for every hardship, Habakkuk reminds us of the foundational truth of our faith: “The righteous live by faith.”

Together, we will journey through Habakkuk’s anguish and ultimately discover how faith can transform our responses to the chaos around us, giving us hope and assurance that God is always at work, even when we cannot see it.

Read Habukkuk 1:1-17

Join me for the first of a three-part sermon series on the Book of Habakkuk, a profound exploration of faith in the face of uncertainty.

In our modern world, we often grapple with the same questions that Habakkuk faced—questions about justice, suffering, and the apparent silence of God in times of trouble.

As we delve into this prophetic text, we will uncover how Habakkuk challenges us to confront our doubts and embrace the mystery of God’s ways.

In a society that often seeks clear answers and reasons for every hardship, Habakkuk reminds us of the foundational truth of our faith: “The righteous live by faith.”

Together, we will journey through Habakkuk’s anguish and ultimately discover how faith can transform our responses to the chaos around us, giving us hope and assurance that God is always at work, even when we cannot see it.

The Journey

Join me for the second part of a transformative two-part sermon series called "Forgetting You," based on the powerful truth of John 3:30: "He must become greater; I must become less” (NIV).

In a world that often pressures us to focus on our desires, ambitions, and identities, we will explore the freeing journey of surrendering ourselves to God’s greater purpose.

Together, we will examine what it truly means to let go of self-centeredness, allowing Christ to increase His presence in our lives so we can reflect His love and grace to those around us.

Second Place

Join me for the first part of a transformative two-part sermon series called "Forgetting You," based on the powerful truth of John 3:30: "He must become greater; I must become less” (NIV).

In a world that often pressures us to focus on our desires, ambitions, and identities, we will explore the freeing journey of surrendering ourselves to God’s greater purpose.

Together, we will examine what it truly means to let go of self-centeredness, allowing Christ to increase His presence in our lives so we can reflect His love and grace to those around us.

How Should We Live In An Apostate World?

“An Apostolic Postcard” is a unique four-week sermon series that explores the four smallest letters of the New Testament, which are essentially postcards: Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

A Story of Three Men

“An Apostolic Postcard” is a unique four-week sermon series that explores the four smallest letters of the New Testament, which are essentially postcards: Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

Balancing Truth and Love

“An Apostolic Postcard” is a unique four-week sermon series that explores the four smallest letters of the New Testament, which are essentially postcards: Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

“An Apostolic Postcard” is a unique four-week sermon series that explores the four smallest letters of the New Testament, which are essentially postcards: Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude.

The Sunday After Ascension — A Greater Glory

Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus has been stiff-arming human popularity. Up until now, he hadn’t been ready to go big, but now he is. The moment has come for God to be glorified in Christ, Jesus’ relatively localized Palestinian ministry is about to step onto a cosmic stage through the Cross.

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

One of the most wonderful and sweetest things in the Bible is that just hours before Jesus' crucifixion, he was concerned for his followers' peace, joy, and faith. Think of it, He is about to be tortured to death with one of the most horrific means of torture ever devised, and his burden was to reinforce in the souls of his followers peace, joy, and faith.

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Sometimes, the most familiar passages in the Bible are the most challenging to preach. This Sunday’s gospel reading is a great example. It contains Jesus’ famous “love command.” It is one of the better-known passages in the Bible, and for that very reason, it is challenging. The passage is so familiar that most assume they know it before hearing it. Moreover, what can you add to “love another”? At the same time, these words are ridiculously easy to understand and ridiculously hard to do.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

For the two and a bit years of the COVID-19 pandemic, I averaged roughly one funeral a month, sometimes two. I regret that experience because the congregation could not share in that ministry with me. Because I know that even today, some of you would not live the way you do if once a month you had to spend three or four hours writing a funeral meditation about the meaning of death, that if you had to think and pray about what you would say to the family, and if you had to stand beside the open grave and the mound of dirt, and try to make the critical farewell significant for the grieving family and friends.

I regret that I was the one who did all of this once or twice a month. Not because it was a hard job and I wished someone else would do it, but because it was a gift (a gift of eternity) to me, and I wanted to share this with my congregation.

The Third Sunday of Easter

Fishing, Breakfast, and the Care of Christ

John 21:1-14 is a lot like a seven-layer bean dip because, on the surface, we have a very straightforward story: some disciples go out to fish; however, they don’t catch anything during the night. Then Jesus tells them where to find fish, and they make an enormous catch, and then they eat breakfast on the beach with Jesus.

But after reading this passage, we can’t help but ask ourselves, what does all of this mean? What’s the significance here? Well, scripture must be mined. We have to dig beneath the surface, sort of like a seven-layer bean dip.

To keep my seven-layer bean dip metaphor going, when you dig a little deeper and get a full scoop of refried beans onto your chip, you will realize that this passage reminds us that Jesus will provide for his church. He will be her influence. He will be her strength, and he will be her power.

The Second Sunday of Easter

As we examine Jesus’ first appearance to all his frightened disciples after the resurrection, let us ask how the risen Jesus acted and what he said.

Easter Sunday

The tomb is empty, and as the angels told the women, “He is not here, but has risen.”

A Question of Greater Significance

Read Luke 22:39 - 23:56

We are close to the end. For the last five weeks, we have traced Jesus’ steps toward the cross, and this Sunday, we reach the sobering and even brutal conclusion to Luke’s account of our Lord’s Passion.

Read Luke 19:29-40

"Hosanna" is a Hebrew word that translates as "Save us" or "Grant salvation." Hosanna is a plea for help and a declaration of the need for salvation. We see this in Psalm 118:25, which says, "Save us, (Hosanna) we pray, O LORD!"

Read Luke 20:9-19

Traditionally, this parable from Luke’s Gospel is called “the parable of the wicked tenants.” However, considering the context, the vineyard owner is the story’s hero because he exhibits restraint.

This teaching from Jesus follows on the heels of His confrontation with the temple leadership. They asked Him a loaded question intended to trap Him. He answered their question with one of His ownand they faltered claiming they did not know the answer. Jesus, therefore, refused to answer their question, but He did tell them this parable.

Read Luke 13:1-5

Jesus's words in verses 1-5 have astonishing implications about the true nature of the world, which differ significantly from what people often think. I aim to deeply impress upon our consciences the reality that people are perishing and to be the kind of witnesses for Christ that we should be. We must come to know and feel the gravity of what is truly at stake: the perishing of those who remain unrepentant.

Read Luke 13:22-30

v. 23 And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?”

In other words, Jesus, how many will be saved? I can think of only four ways to answer that question:

1. Everyone will be saved.
2. No one will be saved.
3. Some will be saved; some will be lost.
4. There is no way to know.

Read Luke 4:1-14

This morning, we will explore the Holy Spirit's role in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the events surrounding Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. As we study the story, keep in mind that Luke, our Gospel writer, presents Jesus as the perfect man and the model we should follow. This one thing we learned very clearly during Epiphany now has a laser focus as we enter the Lenten season.

Blessings & Woes

I don’t know about you, but today’s gospel is hard to hear. I’d rather be rich than poor; I’d rather be full than hungry; I’d rather laugh than weep and be spoken well of than hated, excluded, reviled, and defamed. Does anybody find today’s gospel hard to hear?

Today’s gospel doesn’t align well with the values of a capitalist society. It doesn’t align with our constitutional right to “the pursuit of happiness” or our programs for happiness.

Our Gospel text is the story of how Christ called Peter to be his disciple. At the beginning of the story, he is fishing for fish by the end of the story, he is fishing for men. It is fascinating to consider the men Jesus chose as his first disciples. He didn’t go to an executive search consultant or visit the placement office at the local college. He started by calling men with dirt under their fingernails—blue-collar workers, men without much education, men who knew about hard work and the value of perseverance.

The progress of this story is very simple. First, Peter caught fish, then Jesus caught Peter, and then Peter caught men. It all begins with a frustrated fisherman cleaning his nets after a long and hard night.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Today's Gospel reading is a story full of joy—the joy of parents faithfully fulfilling their faith practices, especially the joy of two older people who see the baby's identity and testify to his world-historical significance.

Good News is Bad News is Good News

This morning's gospel reading is undoubtedly about the good news in connection with Jesus as he preaches his first hometown sermon in Nazareth. But like a lot of good news, there is often a little bad news lurking quietly. Perhaps Martin Luther was not too far off when he famously said, "The gospel is bad news before it's good news."

Jesus' Glory and a Wedding

After the story of the Cana wedding, John adds his narration in v. 11.

"This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him."

John focuses on seeing Christ's glory: "His disciples saw his glory, and they believed in him."

That's why John is writing this Gospel. He wants to reveal the glory of Christ to us, and he wants us to receive the grace of believing. So it would be perfectly in accord with John's intention if we ask the question:

What is the glory of Christ revealed in this story of the wedding at Cana?

Read Luke 3:15-22

1. Baptism is about identity

2. Baptism is about God’s work

Six Miles From Jesus

How long would it take to walk six miles? If you’re fit and the terrain is relatively flat, you can walk it in a couple of hours.

The most important event in the Bible—and in all of human history—took place six miles from Jerusalem.

When Did Christmas Begin?

When did Jesus Christ's earthly life really begin?

John 1:14 tells us that "the Word (referring to Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us." That takes us back before Bethlehem to the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb. Christmas began not in Bethlehem but nine months earlier when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and implanted the divine-human Person of the Lord Jesus Christ within her.

CHRISTMAS DAY  | THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF CHRISTMAS

Our text is the second part of the Christmas Gospel we heard last night. It shows that Christmas has a ripple effect. The good news radiates outward, just like when a pebble is thrown into the still waters of a pond.

To catch up with Christmas Eve, preached by Bishop Mark Engel, go to https://youtu.be/kb3Bg5fI7zghttps://youtu.be/KnlHkNscllI

ADVENT 4  | JESUS, THE REVOLUTIONARY: MARY'S SONG

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

We anticipate and celebrate the arrival, work, and person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world.

Daily Advent devotions will be posted at  www.facebook.com/HolySpiritAkron

To catch up with Advent 3, preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/kb3Bg5fI7zg

ADVENT 2  | PREPARING THE WAY

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

We anticipate and celebrate the arrival, work, and person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world.

Daily Advent devotions will be posted at  www.facebook.com/HolySpiritAkron

ADVENT 1  | CHRIST'S COMING BRINGS HOPE

THE SEASON OF ADVENT

We anticipate and celebrate the arrival, work, and person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in this world.

Daily Advent devotions will be posted at  www.facebook.com/HolySpiritAkron

I BELIEVE... in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting | Part Seventeen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us in this final message as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... In the Communion of Saints | Part Sixteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... In the Church | Part Fifteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... In the Holy Spirit | Part Fourteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... He Will Come Again | Part Thirteen

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... He Ascended | Part Twelve

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

To catch up with PART ELEVEN of "I BELIEVE," preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/_hic_Ra-RD8

I BELIEVE... He Descended to the Dead | Part Ten

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, Buried | Part Nine

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, Crucified | Part Eight

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, He suffered under Pontius Pilate | Part Seven

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

To catch up with PART SIX of "I BELIEVE," preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/2ctfTqlesr4

I BELIEVE... in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord | Part Five

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... in God... Maker of Heaven and Earth | Part Four

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

I BELIEVE... in God the Father Almighty | Part Three

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles' Creed says.

To catch up with PART TWO of "I BELIEVE," preached by Rev'd Mark Hottel, go to https://youtu.be/MQ7mbcuGhSk

Humanity can never build a dwelling place for God; rather it is God who makes humanity the dwelling place of divinity. It is God through Jesus who tabernacles among us and this is most profoundly revealed in the Transfiguration of Jesus.

I BELIEVE | Part One

Saying the Creed is one of the most radical things you could ever do. So, join us over the next several weeks as we explore what the Apostles’ Creed says.

Part Four | A Better Life — Watching the Finacial Gap

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Feast Day of St. James the Elder (Greater) | July 25, 2024

Little did this brash disciple, who left his nets on the shores of the Sea of Galilee,  know that he would be the first Apostle martyred for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, James, the son of Zebedee, was the first of the Apostles to win the crown of martyrdom and the only Apostle whose death is recorded in the New Testament. In Acts 12, we read that the outstretched hand of King Herod Agrippa put James to death by the sword. James paid the ultimate price and, in doing so, obtained eternal glory and the eternal crown of obedience.

Part Three | Moral Spaces

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Read John 20:1-2, 11-18

Our Christian faith, in the resurrection of Christ, our risen Lord, depends principally on the testimony of Mary Magdalene. This fact speaks eloquently of the important role of women in the Church universal, and Mary Magdalene stands in a long line of women who have loved and served Christ. Women, who have told others about him, who have witnessed the truth of the Gospel, and who have been the first teachers and preachers of the Gospel.

Part Two | Planning Sacred Spaces

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

Part One | Managing Life's Sacred Spaces

Sometimes, the only way to keep up with all the demands on our lives is to run at maximum capacity and then some. But there is another way...one where we have room to breathe and space to respond to what life brings our way. Join us as we explore what it means to WATCH THE GAP and live with Margin over this four-week sermon series.

"When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

Here is the Pharisees' question asked differently: "What is your teacher's philosophy of ministry?"  "What is He all about?"

Jesus heard them and said in verse 12, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."

That is what being a Christian is all about; it's not about you and me, the strong and the believing, holding one another up constantly. True Christianity is the strong ministering to the weak; it is the well ministering to the sick.

The Pharisees are totally befuddled by Jesus' conduct. "What's the connection?" "Why are you with these people?" The Pharisees don't understand that this is what it is all about. Jesus is showing them who they were meant to be with and who they were to minister to.

The two leading Apostles of the early Church are celebrated together in the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, which is observed on June 29th. This liturgical feast honors Peter and Paul's martyrdom in Rome.

When an angel told Zechariah that his aged wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant, Zechariah began asking questions that betrayed his disbelief. It was then that Zechariah's voice failed him. Because of his lack of faith… his powers of speech were temporarily taken away.

In the gospel reading, Zechariah's voice is restored when he signals that his newborn son will be named "John" according to God's set plan and purpose. When Zechariah's tongue was loosed, he uttered a beautiful canticle that described the mission of the child whose birthday we celebrate.

We know more about Barnabas than most of the Saints of the apostolic age. What we know is found throughout the Acts of the Apostles, which are commented on in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians. We can determine that he is a native Cypriot, a Levite, and a leader in the church in Jerusalem; tradition says he was an evangelizer of his native Cyprus and died around 61 A.D. at Salamis. He is commended in Acts 11:24 as “being a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”

The Feast of the Visitation

In our lectionary lessons, we are reminded that, whatever happens to us on our journey, God is in charge And He will and can use whatever it is you’re going through for good and to bring us joy and to help us get home. 

SPIRIT

In the Bible's very beginning, the Spirit is involved in the birth of Creation, and in the New Testament, the Spirit is involved in the birth of the believer. The Spirit is the giver of new life, and it is this "new life" that we want to explore.

If you want to take things further, there are some great resources you can tap into, such as "Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit" by Frances Chan.

Seventh Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Our reading from 1 John 5 shows us and helps us keep our eyes and will on the finish line.

Third Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Witnessing is not optional. It is not a sporadic or patchy activity of faith. It is not something you can decide to do one day and then resolve to take the next day off. It is constant. It is a way of life. It is who you are.

WE ARE WITNESSES.

Second Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Unfortunately, Thomas is remembered solely in a negative light; there is more to this man than doubt.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ requires a response. It is impossible to confront this historical reality and walk away unchanged. As we will see, people did not anticipate Jesus’ resurrection because they weren’t expecting Him to rise from the dead.

It was the single most horrible day in the history of the world. No incident has ever been more tragic, and no future event will ever match it. No surprise attack, no political assassination, no financial collapse, no military invasion, no atomic detonation or nuclear warfare, no cataclysmic act of terrorism, no large-scale famine or disease — can eclipse the darkness of that day.

No suffering has ever been so unfitting, no human has ever been so unjustly treated, and no other human has ever been so worthy of praise. No one else has ever lived without sin, and no other human has ever been God himself. No horror surpasses what transpired on a hill outside Jerusalem almost two millennia ago, yet we call it “Good” Friday.

Of all the direct descendants of King David, Joseph was beyond all comparison the most faithful, the most just most obedient, the most holy.

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

The Book of Jonah is more than a colorful story about a man being swallowed by a fish; it is a tale of God’s redemption in a lost world. If that is true, here's a great question: What is God willing to do to bring us back to Himself? Maybe you left God because you carelessly drifted from Him or consciously disobeyed Him. Regardless, what is God willing to do now? Those who desire to see God move in the church must grasp this truth: God will do whatever it takes to bring us back to Him.

Read Matthew 20:1-16

Did Jesus really call his followers to change the world? Over the next 3 weeks we're asking the painful question of why the church haven't changed the world more profoundly. The church is surely big enough, but it would seem that bigness is not the answer. Jesus often thought small. So let us put aside our measuring sticks and look at where the power of the church to transform culture really lies.

Third Culture | Love God, Love People

Read Romans 12:9-21

Did Jesus really call his followers to change the world? Over the next 3 weeks we're asking the painful question of why the church haven't changed the world more profoundly. The church is surely big enough, but it would seem that bigness is not the answer. Jesus often thought small. So let us put aside our measuring sticks and look at where the power of the church to transform culture really lies.

Third Culture | Love God, Love People

Read Leviticus 19:9-18; Psalm 96; Acts 17:16-23; Matthew 22:36-40

Did Jesus really call his followers to change the world? Over the next 3 weeks we're asking the painful question of why the church haven't changed the world more profoundly. The church is surely big enough, but it would seem that bigness is not the answer. Jesus often thought small. So let us put aside our measuring sticks and look at where the power of the church to transform culture really lies.

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

St. Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He instantly saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “…entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior.

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

Fed up with the status quo? The way things are isn’t the way things have to be. Are you willing to see what happens when you’re ready to say, "I Quit!".

The audio of the first 4.30min is a bit rough — Mea culpa!

Zechariah praised God when his son was born. He praised God for the promises that God made, the promises that God kept the promises that were in his son. Because he knew that his son was created for a purpose. He knew that his son John would be called a prophet and would “go before the Lord to prepare a way.” He knew that his son would “tell the people how to be saved through the forgiveness of their sins.” Zechariah was filled with joy at the birth of his son… so he praised God.

However, I want you all to know that God rejoices no less for you than did Zechariah for his son. Zechariah so loved his son that he got a glimpse of him through God’s eternal eyes. Therefore, God so loves you that he has laid out a path for you to follow.

John the Baptist appears at the beginning of John’s Gospel (and the other Gospels) and then falls into the background because he is a link or a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is prominent at the beginning of the Gospel because he is part of its roots. The roots of Jesus go back to eternity (John 1:1), and his roots go back to the Old Testament. John is like one of those great tree roots that protrude above the ground a few feet out from the tree trunk.

Over and over, we will see in this Gospel that John the writer explains Jesus in terms of the Old Testament. Jesus doesn’t appear on the scene of history without historical preparation. God had been at work in Israel for two thousand years, and even before that, putting in place a historical backdrop that would make Jesus’ life and ministry more intelligible.

John the Baptist is a root partly underground in the Old Testament and partially exposed in the New Testament. He has a foot in both worlds—a prophet something like Elijah (but not Elijah reincarnate 1:21) and a voice crying that the long-expected Messiah has come.

To understand our New Testament reading from 2 Peter 3:10–14 and to understand the season of Advent and all things apocalyptic, we need to realize that there are false teachers that saturate their false teaching through the media, academia, and once-trusted institutions, and they all in lockstep say:

“Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4)

Therefore, the false teachers of this age reject the reality of the second coming. They deny that with the coming of the Lord, there will be a world-transforming upheaval. They reject it as unbelievable and unimaginable. Because for thousands and thousands of years, the world has gone on just the way it did from the beginning. They tell us that nature is steady and constant. And this thought of an inbreaking of the Son of God and a transformation of this created order is out of the question.

As we come to the Advent worship season, it can be enjoyable to ride this wave of enthusiasm and expectation as we revel in the flourishes of the season like the advent candles and the steady influx of Christmas cards and gifts.

But in preparing for Advent, we miss something crucial if we overlook the fact that there is a deep wound at the heart of Advent; God’s groaning and limping creation still waits for its healer to appear in glory. As Christians, we still await the reality we only know by faith. To use the language of this week’s epistle:

1 Corinthians 1:7 “[That we] eagerly wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The word “revelation” is translated from the Greek word apokalypse. Advent is a time when we wait for the apocalypse.

Jesus describes the final judgment of the world as a shepherd separating the righteous sheep from the unrighteous goats. The shepherd distinguishes between the two groups by examining their sacrificial love toward the “least of these, my brothers.” There is nothing uglier than hypocrisy, is there? Especially Christian hypocrisy. There is nothing quite as disheartening, dishonest, and disorienting as a professing Christian who does not love others.

5 Life Lessons from the Parable of the Talents

The Parable of the Talents teaches us valuable life lessons that can strengthen our relationship with God. In this parable, we learn the importance of using our gifts for His glory and God's varying expectations for His children based on their abilities. Here are five key lessons we can learn from this parable.

1. God has gifted and entrusted us with blessings.
2. He expects us to use our gifts wisely.
3. God judges us based on our abilities.
4. We will be held accountable.
5. We are called to grow in the Lord.

In applying these lessons from the Parable of the Talents, we can align our lives with God's expectations, grow in our faith, and use our gifts to bring Him glory. Let us strive to be faithful stewards of the blessings entrusted to us and fulfill our purpose as children of God.

There have been a lot of predictions about the end of the world and if and when the Second Coming will happen. The scriptures teach us that Jesus Christ will return. However, the Savior taught, “You do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).

Whether He comes today or years from now, Jesus told us to “Watch” and prepare ourselves. Through the parable of the Ten Virgins (Bridesmaids), He impressed the importance of unwavering diligence in preparation for His coming. Will you be ready? Are you like the wise or the foolish women in the story?

Read Matthew 9:9

How do you see yourself? A masterpiece or a mess? Survivor or struggler? Advocate or critic? Getting perspective on how God sees you might give you a new view of yourself.

Read Matthew 5:13-16

How do you see yourself? A masterpiece or a mess? Survivor or struggler? Advocate or critic? Getting perspective on how God sees you might give you a new view of yourself.

Today is the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, the physician and companion of Paul whose gospel contains the most extensive biography of Jesus.

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Sunday Worship 10 am 1446 S. Main Street, Akron, OH

Read Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37

How do you see yourself? A masterpiece or a mess? Survivor or struggler? Advocate or critic? Getting perspective on how God sees you might give you a new view of yourself.

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

How do you see yourself? A masterpiece or a mess? Survivor or struggler? Advocate or critic? Getting perspective on how God sees you might give you a new view of yourself.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

How do you see yourself? A masterpiece or a mess? Survivor or struggler? Advocate or critic? Getting perspective on how God sees you might give you a new view of yourself.

Read Matthew 9:9-13

ABOUT ST MATTHEW

Before Jesus called him, Matthew was a publican, i.e., a tax collector for the Romans based in Capharnaum. As such, he was viewed by most people as a great sinner: publicans were not allowed to trade, eat, or pray with other Jews.   In calling Matthew, Jesus showed that his message was for sinners and the righteous. Matthew's response demonstrates repentance.

He was originally called Levi, in Hebrew, meaning "Adhesion". Matthew's new name in Christ means "Gift of God."

After Jesus' death, Matthew wrote the first Gospel in Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke. The purpose of this book was to convince the Jewish people that the Messiah, whom they anticipated, had come in the person of Jesus.

Tradition says that he preached in Palestine, Egypt, and in Ethiopia. Some sources say he lived until his nineties and died peacefully, while others hold that he was attacked and killed while leading prayer.

Matthew is symbolized by an angel (the winged man) taking the form of a man.

Do you find yourself carrying burdens that weigh you down? Are you longing to find freedom from the things that hold you back? This sermon series will explore how God is ready to take hold of your baggage if you are willing to let it go. This is not just a temporary solution but a permanent release that will set you free. Discover how to leave pain, addiction, and torment behind and break free from the battles that keep you grounded.

Do you find yourself carrying burdens that weigh you down? Are you longing to find freedom from the things that hold you back? This sermon series will explore how God is ready to take hold of your baggage if you are willing to let it go. This is not just a temporary solution but a permanent release that will set you free. Discover how you can leave pain, addiction, and torment behind and break free from the battles that keep you grounded.

Saint Bartholomew the Apostle – Feast Day

Saint Bartholomew is one of the Twelve Apostles, mentioned sixth in the three Gospel lists (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14), and seventh in the list of Acts (1:13). The name (Bartholomaios) means "son of Talmai" which was an ancient Hebrew name. According to Martyrology, Saint Bartholomew suffered martyrdom in the Roman province of Armenia. It is recorded that he was first skinned alive, crucified, and then put to death by decapitation.

Part Two: The Baggage of Addiction

Do you find yourself carrying burdens that weigh you down? Are you longing to find freedom from the things that hold you back? This sermon series will explore how God is ready to take hold of your baggage if you are willing to let it go. This is not just a temporary solution but a permanent release that will set you free. Discover how you can leave behind pain, addiction, and torment and break free from the battles that keep you grounded.

Part One: Checking Your Baggage

Do you find yourself carrying burdens that weigh you down? Are you longing to find freedom from the things that hold you back? This sermon series will explore how God is ready to take hold of your baggage if you are willing to let it go. This is not just a temporary solution but a permanent release that will set you free. Discover how you can leave behind pain, addiction, and torment and break free from the battles that keep you grounded.

The only reason we don’t have a God-like glow about us is we choose to veil his Glory by not being renewed in our minds, By not spending time daily in His Word, by not praying daily, by not allowing all of those things to transform us as we surrender to Him and His will. We are to be a reflection of the Lord Jesus, and unlike Peter, James, and John, we do not have a command of silence. We must trust God completely and allow Him to mold us into what He wants us to be even when we go through the peaks and valleys of life.

Many years ago, I read a newspaper article entitled “Who am I, and What am I worth?” The article talked about what the human body is worth from a chemical or raw material point of view, and so we have enough iron in our bodies to make six nails; we have enough calcium in our bodies to paint one chicken coop; we have enough phosphorous in our bodies to tip 1000 match heads; we have enough potassium and sulfur in our bodies to blow up one toy car; we have enough fat to make 10 bars of soap; we have enough sugar to sweeten 1 cup of coffee. However, when you add all 39 chemical components together by weight, we are worth $1,985.77. That will buy a top-of-the-range laptop computer or 2,722 Snickers Bars, or if you can find seven friends willing to donate their bodies to you, you can buy an early-model Compact SUV. So who am I, and what am I worth?

"Wheat has a natural principle of increase, but the tare is reprobate or degenerate wheat. Tares look like wheat and have all the outward principles of wheat, but they are degenerate and baseless and bring forth no fruit." — Rev. Adam Clarke, Methodist Theological Scholar.

At the end of the message, Bishop Mark Engel's prophecy to Holy Spirit Anglican Church is included.

Good soil is out there, even though it’s not always easy to find. If we keep sowing the Word, we will reap a harvest in God’s time, by his grace and for his glory. Amen.

This message was preached at Holy Spirit Anglican Church's outdoor event—Church Without Walls—it was recorded on an iPhone, so apologies in advance for the sound quality.

Jesus talks about rest in our passage but not just physical rest or mental rest. He is talking about a rest, which is much more important. He’s talking about a deeper rest and spiritual rest – a rest for your soul.

We are restless people our lives are often filled with hurts, regrets, and guilt, and to top all that off, there are many distractions. Sometimes we try to tune it all out with music, television, or various activities. But none of that cures the restlessness in our souls; none of that can make us whole again.

Augustine once prayed, “O Lord, you have formed us for yourself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in you.”

Week Four | A Grander Vision

I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one (Ezekiel 22:30).

 “Someone” (Hebrew) אישׁ – ‘eesh’ means a human, but in this context, it infers a certain person, a constant or a consistent person, a steward, a champion, a worthy person.

The Hebrew word “gap” פּרץ – ‘perets’ means space and emptiness between two places. God says I looked for someone to fill the gap to minimise the space, and there was no one to be found, not one man or woman who would stand in the gap.

A gap, by definition, represents a place of weakness a place of vulnerability and danger. So today, I am asking you to be the “eesh” of our text to be that certain person, that worthy person that champion that man or woman who recognises gap situations and trusts God to use them to make a difference even if it is the smallest difference.

So the question is, are you that person? Because, in reality, God is still looking for somebody to stand in the gap.

Week Three | The Generous Life

The generous life remembers where our blessing comes from because generosity is the most natural response—in all of life—to a generous God. To a God who first gave toward us, generosity is a natural response.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Week Two | How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart

Thankfulness and Gratitude are, first and foremost, a matter of the heart. It’s not about what we do or don’t do; it’s the heart that must be changed. After all, we may do many good deeds, and yet we might do them in bitterness or reluctantly or resentfully or out of a sense of duty or to win God’s favour because we believe that mercy is earned and not given.

I have learned and am learning that thankfulness is a gift. First and foremost, if you want to exercise a spiritual gift, show some gratitude, be thankful and then you might, and we might see some fruit of the Spirit.

Thankfulness and Gratitude are a Gift of the Spirit and a matter of the heart, and it flows down to us, dropping like the gentle rain from heaven. Mercy and Gratitude always go together; what starts as mercy in heaven ends as Gratitude on earth.

Week One | Defeating Discouragement

So how should we apply the truth from this passage?

• Bloom where you are planted.
• Serve the Lord right where you are.
• Stop moping!
• Don’t let your emotional life live in the past or the future
• Let God define your life, not your earthly circumstances.
• Don’t expect change to make you happy.
• Never forget that you won’t be here forever.

Finally, that brings us to a fundamental spiritual truth; the only thing that matters is knowing Jesus and growing closer to God daily through him. Nothing else matters; if we know God in Christ, then we are the most blessed and highly favoured of all people on planet Earth.

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

Like most people today, chances are you do not know any shepherds. For the first Christians, who were familiar with shepherds, the Good Shepherd was a favorite image to associate with Christ.

The shepherd has a rod to fend off wild animals that might harm the flock. Jesus saved us from evil.

Jesus restores our souls. Shepherds feed their flocks. Jesus feeds us with the excellent bread of the Eucharist and brings us to living waters: baptism and the Holy Spirit.

The image of shepherds is that they are kind, loving, patient, strong, and self-sacrificing. They are a good image for Jesus. And sheep, who can be rather stupid and foolish creatures, are a good symbol for us!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want!

Answering the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?"

Ash Wednesday

Lent is a great ancient Christian tradition and a favourite of any Christian who likes to dip into the monastic custom of "going without" for the sake of Christ. But as much as self-denial and abstinent commitment can be a good and worthy endeavour, they can quickly become just another way to puff oneself up; self-denial can be a way to proudly show the world just how much of a martyr we are as we give up certain pleasures in pursuit of Christ.

Seventh Sunday After Epiphany (Year A)

The rules of this earthly kingdom are well known — it’s a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong survive. Jesus isn’t trying to modify the rules of the world. Jesus is not inviting us to figure out how to make the most of this world or how to live our best life now. And he’s not asking you to find a safe port amid the storms of this world. Instead, Jesus is starting a revolution by calling the rules of this world into question. And at the same time, redeeming this world that he loves.

Sixth Sunday After Epiphany

Let me start this morning by asking a question. What do you think of when you think of God? What picture comes to mind when you imagine what God is like?

I suspect that most of us carry around a picture of God or, in some sense, a view of what we think God is like. It’s a view that profoundly shapes what we expect from God. It’s a view of how we feel about our faith and perhaps even how we think about each other. A typical person or, for that matter, a typical congregational member, in some part or maybe even a significant portion, would picture God as an enforcer of rules. Or God as a law-giver. Or God as the one sitting in heaven with a perpetual finger upraised in a warning and perhaps accusation.

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

The focus and emphasis on Jesus’ words… and what his followers become… are on being rather than doing—this is an essential concept for us to understand. Jesus wants us to be something before he asks us to do something. That Jesus holds a greater weight on our character and identity; in other words, who we are rather than our actions. This is where the second half of the Beatitudes focuses—on our actions and conduct.

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Beatitude goes deep into the core of Christian character and identity. The question that Jesus is asking is, “Who are you?” 

Jesus begins his sermon on the mount with the Beatitudes, eight statements that we have to be careful not to make some trite one-liners or something that we just put on the wall or the refrigerator door because it’s sweet and nice.

These eight statements that Jesus makes are critical… to comprehending Christian character and identity.

Third Sunday After Epiphany

In our Gospel text, Jesus said, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ (Matthew 4:19), our part is to follow him, and his part is to make us fishers of people. So I challenge you this week to go ahead and put your hook in the water. And don’t be surprised if the fish bite all over the place.

Let’s go fishing for people this week!

Second Sunday After Epiphany 

The ultimate point of John’s testimony is that under God the Father, all things are from Christ, and all things are for Christ, including the Holy Spirit.

The main reason we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the great outpouring of the Spirit, and the great immersion of every part of our lives in the Spirit is because God’s aim, in every aspect of our lives, is the glory of Jesus Christ.

First Sunday After Epiphany

Is there any correlation between the way Peter preached and the coming of the Holy Spirit in power? I believe the answer is YES. The correlation is that Peter painted such a picture of Jesus that the Spirit saw a very attractive opportunity to come and glorify the Son of God—which is what he is appointed to do. That is his mission. That's the essence of his ministry. So he is very likely to come in power when Jesus is lifted up in truth and made the centre of our focus. So if you want the Spirit's power in your life, I encourage you to make Jesus the centre of your life.

Epiphany, January, 2023

How long would it take to walk 10km? If you’re fit and the terrain is relatively flat... you could walk it in a couple of hours. If you want to walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, it’s only 10km. So you could start in the morning... and be there in the afternoon. In January 2019, Giselle and I went on a 2-week Holy Land pilgrimage, and we realised that the land of Israel is tiny compared to Australia. The whole country is only about 22,000 square km.

Christmas Day, December 25, 2022

Have you ever felt, like me, tiny and insignificant in a world of 8 billion people? In a world where all the news is of big political, economic, and social movements. In a world where all the news is of outstanding people with lots of power, money and prestige? And if you have felt tiny and insignificant, don't let that make you disheartened or unhappy because it is implicit in the Bible that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God. Not for their own sake but for the sake of God's people.

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022

Quoting from Isaiah 7:14, Matthew explains that while “Jesus” is his birth name, Immanuel is his factual reality. Whereas in the Old Testament, Immanuel was manifested by God’s spirit in a place, such as in the Holy of Holies or the burning bush, Immanuel is the factual reality of God’s manifest presence. Now God’s presence is manifested in a baby born in Bethlehem. So what was transient and temporary in the Old Testament — the dwelling of God’s Spirit with Israel — was now made permanent and eternal.

Advent 4, December 18, 2022

Who is that baby born on Christmas day? He is the divine Son of God from heaven who, in his earthly birth, took on a fully human nature. All that God is and all that man is meet in perfect union in Jesus Christ. He is fully God and fully man—the God-man who came to earth to save us from our sins.

Advent 3, December 11, 2022

A man called Thomas Flynn, a once author, journalist and executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism, who has now passed away used to explain to rational, freethinking people why they shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. As a secular humanist, Flynn urges other non-believers to ignore Christmas altogether: “If Jesus is not your Saviour, Christmas is not your holiday.”

Flynn had a point, after all Christians believe that over 2000 years ago something happened. Something supernatural. Something totally out of the ordinary. Something humanly unexplainable. We believe God invaded our world in the form of a tiny baby boy. Now that’s a stunning thought. Something happened that had never happened before. Something happened that has never happened since.

Advent 2, December 4, 2022

John’s baptism was unique. However, not the same as Christian baptism, but similar. This is where the controversy swirled around John’s baptism. The only people baptized in the Old Testament would have been Gentiles who had decided to become followers of God. This Old Testament baptism symbolized an acknowledgement of being an outsider, a need to repent of sins and proclaim faith and total dependence on God.

And so here is the uniqueness. The people baptized by John were not outsiders, not Gentiles, but devout Jewish people!

Advent 1, November 27, 2022

Here’s the biblical balance as we await the return of the Lord; live as though he might come today. I do not claim to know when Christ will return, but I hope and pray that it will be soon.

It seems to me that many of the pieces are in place, the table is set, and we are not far from the moment when the curtain will rise on the final act of human history. Of this much, I am sure Jesus Christ is returning to Earth. I don’t know when Jesus is coming; it may be soon, maybe today. In the meantime, what should we do to be ready for his return? Matthew 24 has the answer:

• Live each day as though it might be your last—and one day, you’ll be right.
• Be faithful to do what God gives you to do each day, and if Jesus comes back on that day, you’ll be ready to meet him.

Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost, October 30, 2022

There is no more pressing question today: why did Christ come to the earth? It is not enough to know who Jesus is. By and large, the world knows what Christians believe about Jesus. But what the world wants to know is why he came, and what difference does it make?

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost, October 23, 2022

It is impossible, Jesus said, for those who love their money to enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, we start to ask the same question the disciples asked in v. 26b “Who then can be saved?”

The answer comes in v. 27 ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’ The message is that even rich people can be saved if they give up their trust in their riches.

But the problem is that for the wealthy, money makes rich people feel so secure. Money makes rich people feel in control. And the message is yes; they can be saved, but they have to stop trusting in their riches and start trusting in Jesus Christ and him alone.

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

Kerygma vs Didache

Theologians use these imposing and distinct Greek words when explaining the church's ministry.

• Kerygma (or gospel proclamation) is used to ignite faith.
• Didache (or biblical and doctrinal teaching) is used to build up an understanding.

In preaching, it is essential to keep a balance between the two. However, the texts demand that we receive instruction (Didache) about the basics of the faith they seek to profess. The appointed readings for this Sunday give us an excellent opportunity to learn about the nature of faith.

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

A student once asked Swiss theologian Karl Barth whether the serpent literally spoke in the Garden of Eden. Barth answered, “The important point is not whether he spoke, but what he said.” And so this parable of Jesus is more than a mere explanation about the furniture in heaven and the temperature of hell.

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

This gospel text is called "The Parable of the Unjust Steward". If you're not sure what to make of the parable from Luke 16:1-13 take some comfort because I've come across at least four interpretations of the parable that ends somewhere in v. 8

1. The children of the light Christians need to act more shrewdly.
2. Christians should make friends by "Unrighteous Mammon" or using the KJV "filthy lucre."
3. If you're not faithful with Unrighteous Mammon, who will trust you with the true riches?
4. You cannot serve two masters.

Part of the problem is that terms like "Unrighteous Mammon" and "true riches" are not made very clear, and how are we to make friends with "Unrighteous Mammon" that v. 9 says will welcome us into our eternal homes? But the most vexing question is why the rich man commended his dishonest manager. In this last question, we will hear the faint heartbeat of a challenging message in this passage of scripture.

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Pharisees and scribes are grumbling about it: "What is he doing eating with the outcasts and the unimportant?" God intends for his house to be full and for his eternal food to be enjoyed. So God sends his Son to give his life as a ransom for many; the ransom (Jesus) is the one who was sacrificed in our place. The one who lived the life we should have lived: Jesus, our exemplar. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, personally called the guests to God's heavenly banquet. But the scribes and Pharisees are too much in love with the seats of honour, the ordinary things of this world, their fields, their oxen and their families. They are too much in love with their stuff to care much about heaven, to care much about people with bad reputations. So what does Jesus, our exemplar and the author and finisher of our faith, do? He goes to the roads and lanes to find the poor, the crippled the blind, the lame and the tax collectors and sinners, and he eats with them.

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 4, 2022

The early part of Luke 14 emphasises the redemption and freedom that Jesus brings and the inclusive nature of God’s kingdom. However, those inclusive and redemptive themes should not dull our sense that here in today’s Gospel texts are some hard sayings of Jesus. We would all prefer for the preacher to tell us about God’s covenant loyalty, His redemption, and salvation, but here’s where the rubber meets the road we cannot neglect what is expected from us (his followers) in return. Salvation in Jesus is not merely a transaction, it is a heart relationship, and no relationship lasts without loyal commitments and actions. Because the one who redeems us also calls us into costly discipleship. Jesus’ command to “Follow me” is both a gift and a demand.

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

Why does it make such an eternal difference whom you invite to church? It’s not so much that Sunday morning is all-determining or even that a church meeting is all-determining. It makes an eternal difference because, along with many other occasions, it reveals where our treasure is. Is Jesus, with his commands and promises, more valuable to us than tradition, convenience, and preference? Is Jesus our treasure? Or are the things and pleasures of this world our treasure? That question is not decided by you inviting someone to church—however, you should ask people to church—but by the question: is Jesus your treasure? Which is determined hour by hour and day by day as to whether we are willing to inconvenience ourselves for those who can’t repay or whether we avoid them, and so preserve our placid routine.

Is Jesus our treasure? Or are the things and pleasures of this world our treasure?

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Jesus is on the offensive here. He has something he wants to say. He wants to say something about the Sabbath day and what it means to keep it holy. He wants to say something about the synagogue leaders’ hypocrisy; men who water their oxen on the Sabbath but get twisted and bent out of shape at Jesus’ healing. And he has something he wants to say about women and men.

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

The Lord's Prayer is not a set or group of words to be recited. The Lord’s Prayer is a gift of example/pattern/standard. Jesus intended that this pattern would be personalised and retaught by faithful men and women until he returned. When you pray, pray like this.

Let us drill down and unpack together and find out what it means to pray like Jesus prayed. What would that look like in our lives? What should we say? What are the things we should do? 

We’re going to see 5 things that Jesus asks of us as we spend time with God in prayer.

Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

There is nothing complicated about this text. The words are straightforward, and there are no unusual theological problems. Jesus comes to the home. Martha reacts one way and Mary another, and Jesus comments on the difference. That is all there is.

Yet this simple story has confused and sometimes frustrated people. Perhaps because of its simplicity, the urge to take sides is almost irresistible. Which sister was right? Was Martha justified in what she said? Should Mary have done more than sit at Jesus’ feet? And behind those questions are deeper issues involving personal identity, individual preferences and what it means to truly give, and how we can best serve the Lord.

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Do you love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, strength and all your mind? Is your whole person completely focused on God?

“Your religion is what you do with your solitude” – Archbishop William Temple (1881-1944)

What does that mean? William Temple is saying when there are no distractions in your life, when you have time to let your mind wander, where does it go? Does it go the excellences’ that are God? Do you begin to think about the glory of God and His salvation naturally? Or does it go somewhere else? Career; sport; sex; family; money, where ever it goes, William Temple said that’s your religion, that’s your God.

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Over the years, I have had this discussion with people many times, and that is how strange and how not so strange it is that the more mature you become as a Christian, the less worthy you feel. It seems strange because the closer you come to Christ, the more his character rubs off on you. But it's not so strange because the closer we get to the real beauty of Christ, the more obvious and uglier our remaining sin appears. So we who are Christ-followers are destined for now to live with a mingling of joy and remorse.

Third Sunday after Pentecost

God has called us to the freedom of fullness which overflows in love, not to the slavery of emptiness which bites and devours and is never satisfied. In Jesus Christ, God offers us forgiveness daily help and guidance and hope for the greatest future imaginable and it is all free purchased by the death of Jesus received by faith alone. The secret of love is freedom and the secret of freedom is utter confidence in the love of God.

Fighting the good fight of faith is:

• Do I believe that when Jesus died, all my "curse" was lifted so that I could say, "What can mere mortals do to me" (Hebrews 13.6; Romans 8.31–34; Psalm 118.6-7)?
• Do I believe that the death of Jesus is the pledge of God to withhold no good thing from those who trust him (Psalm 84:11; Romans 8:32)?
• Do I believe all things work together for my good (Romans 8:28)?

This is the struggle of the everyday Christian life; it is our most important work every day. How we keep our day's activities from becoming works of the law, and how to live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us to redeem us from the curse of legalism.

Trinity Sunday, June 12, 2022

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

God’s love poured into your heart is not the same as God’s love proven to your mind. The longest distance in the world is 47cm, or in the old language 18 inches. That is the distance from the head to the heart. That is also the distance from heaven to hell. God’s love poured into your heart is a real heart experience of being loved by God. God’s love proven to your mind is the conclusion of an argument, with or without the sweetness of feeling loved by God in your heart.

Pentecost Sunday

The two questions I want to try to answer:

1) What did Joel mean when he predicted this outpouring of God's Spirit before the great and terrible day of the Lord?

2) What is the fuller significance of this event now as we view it from the standpoint of New Testament revelation?

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Anyone can sing “Shine, Jesus, Shine” when life is good when you’ve got money in the bank, when your marriage is strong and when your job is secure, when you love your church, and all is right with the world. If, with Paul and Silas, you can sing praise to God at midnight in jail, then what you’ve got is real. Not only will you discover what you believe in times of trouble, but that’s when the world discovers what you believe.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Our Gospel passage today is impressive in what it shows us about Jesus, but it also shows us and gives us pause to think that despite Jesus’ power to heal, our world is still riddled with sin, disease, calamity, and death.

Fifth Sunday of Easter

The verse that I want to focus on is John 13.34.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

This morning we’re going to look at one verse and one question, and that is what’s new about the commandment to love each other?

Fourth Sunday of Easter

One of the most devastating feelings in the Christian life is fatalism, and that is the feeling that this is the way it will be forever and nothing is going to change it.

However, one of the enduring messages of the book of Acts is that this is not true. Jesus Christ is not dead, he is not distant, not silent, not weak, and he is not uninterested in the world and the progress of his mission, and he is defiantly not uninterested in you. Jesus is alive, and what he began to do in his earthly life, he is continuing to do. He is full of surprises for his church, nations, families, and individual people.

Third Sunday of Easter

On Tuesday morning, the churchwardens and I talked about the year so far, and we got into an excellent conversation about “what initiates church growth? We identified having a professional and informative website helps. Having a presence on social media with good branding helps. Make sure families with children feel welcome, and finally, essential church growth happens, when leaders are feeders—when God’s people step up and take ownership of God’s mission.

This is the central point of Jesus’ conversation with Peter; that the pastoral priority of the church is to lead and feed. When that is a priority in the church's life, growth and new life ensue.

Easter Sunday

What is Psalm 103 telling us about Easter? We’re richer than we think, we’re more blessed than we know, and we have more than we realise.

We frail, mortal sinners are rich in the mercy of God, and we have found that mercy, or rather, that mercy has found us in the cross of Jesus Christ.

This Easter morning, all that we believe, all that we have,  all that we hope for is found in the cross of Christ and at the empty tomb.

It was the single most horrible day in the history of the world. No incident has ever been more tragic, and no future event will ever match it. No surprise attack, no political assassination, no financial collapse, no military invasion, no atomic detonation or nuclear warfare, no cataclysmic act of terrorism, no large-scale famine or disease — can eclipse the darkness of that day. No suffering has ever been so unfitting. No human has ever been so unjustly treated, because no other human has ever been so worthy of praise. No one else has ever lived without sin. No other human has ever been God himself. No horror surpasses what transpired on a hill outside Jerusalem almost two millennia ago, and yet we call it “Good” Friday.

Palm Sunday

Jesus was indeed the misunderstood Messiah. His own people misread him completely; they had him in a box labelled “Insignificant Rabbi from Nazareth”; the more he proved he didn’t belong in that box, the more they hated him, counted him a nobody and ultimately despised him. No wonder they were so rabid to kill him in the end. Jesus is still misunderstood today. The greatest mistake is to ignore him as if he doesn’t matter or to think that you can postpone a decision.

Fifth Sunday in Lent

What a beautiful story and a lovely thing when the worth of Jesus and his followers' love match — when the value of his perfections and the intensity of our affections correspond. Let's take a slow walk through these eight verses and ponder what they mean to us.

Seventh Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

In one or two words I’d like you to think how can you describe a love that has vitality. In contrast, maybe also think about how you’d describe a love that is tired. Tired doesn’t mean old; in the same way as vital doesn’t mean young. Although sometimes it can seem that way.

Therefore, what do we believe about love? We know that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. This is a great introduction for many to the Christian story, that God is love, and in, and through that love, God gave us Jesus our Redeemer.

So I want to challenge you if you are a follower of Jesus because this great redeeming love is reciprocal.

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

I heard a story once about an old Methodist preacher who every time he preached, someone would give their life to Jesus. But when his young assistant would preach, no one would come forward and give their life to Jesus. After a year, the young minister went to him for some clarity and some coaching. The wise old minister asked his young protégé, "When you preach, what do you expect to happen?" She thought about it and said, "I expect to tell the Good News. I expect to be eloquent and to enlighten people." He said, "You are doing those things. But when I preach, I expect to win people to Jesus Christ, that's all."

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

These texts are rich with power and images that tell God’s continuous story in the world. And that is, we all share a call to be God’s prophets in the world, even though that can be a terrifying thing at times.

There is a God-given invitation before us:

• To join together to embody Paul’s prophetic words more fully
• To explore just how much a part of the Jesus-rejecting crowd we can be
• Sing the song of reclaiming joy just as the Psalmist did
• And finally, allow the Holy Spirit to stir something in you as you seek to speak God’s word

Third Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

When you hear the word “power”, what comes to mind? Is it significant influence or wealth as one who strides down the “corridors of power”? Or is it great physical strength? 

Let’s think about the line that introduces our gospel passage, “Then Jesus, filled by the power of the Holy Spirit…”. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus does what he does and says what he says precisely because he is filled with power great power the power of the Holy Spirit.

Second Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

John’s Gospel reminds us that grace isn’t just a religious ideology, that grace isn’t only about making up for something we lack; it is not transactional. God’s grace, and only God’s grace, provides more than we’d ever imagine or deserve.

First Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

Though conducted only once, baptism was never intended to be a one-and-done event. Our baptism is something we remember and renew daily, baptism like marriage may be a one-off event, but it is lived out daily.

Christmas Day

For years I have wondered whether the Christmas Day sermon is of any consequence. I’ve wondered if we’re better off reading or telling Luke’s account of the Nativity of our Lord well, and allowing the carols, the candles, and Christ incarnate in bread and wine to proclaim what Luke 2:10-11 says:

[the] “good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”  

Quite frankly, that would be enough.

Christmas Eve

Zechariah saw a significant purpose in his son’s life. People wondered, “What then will this child be?” John grew to be the voice in the wilderness that cried out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

As we reflect this Christmas Eve on Zechariah’s song of praise, what then will you be? For what purpose have you been created?

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C)

As Mary meets with her cousin Elizabeth the intimate conversation that follows portrays Jesus as more important than John. It also shows God is already at work to overturn the world’s structures and expectations.

Third Sunday of Advent (Year C)

John the Baptist helps us perceive and make use of the riches of the faith, helping us live faithfully here and now, even as we look forward to God’s redemption. John encourages us to be who we are called to be, where we are, in the meantime.

Second Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Advent suggests that God seems to want us to wait. God seems to expect expectation. God seems to know that the proximity of desire is not the same as experiencing the fullness of life in the moment.

First Sunday of Advent (Year C)

From Pharaoh in the first chapter of Exodus to today’s tyrants and autocrats, fear is how we turn those who are different from us into an enemy. Fear causes us to horde. Fear causes us to assume we will never have enough and to see those around us as competitors. Fear drives wedges of distrust into our communities that fracture solidarity and compassion. Fear causes us to define ourselves and those around us not by what we share but by what makes us different. Fear creates an “either/or” and “us/them” mentality. It is nearly impossible to find common ground with that mindset, let alone see each other sympathetically. Fear, in short, drives us inward, hardens our hearts, darkens our vision and stunts our imagination.

Throughout human history, it’s always been true; that is why the most spoken command and promise in all of Scripture is “Do not fear”.

The Feast of Christ the King | Pentecost +26B

Pilate wavers back and forth between Jesus and his accusers, like a drunken sailor trying to walk from the pub back to his ship. And that’s just the point, Pilate wavers! He knows what is right, but he also knows what is easy. He also knows what is politically expedient, and he’s torn between the two. Ultimately he takes the easy road, and he caves into political pressure. Pilate denies the truth that he sees right in front of him.

Pentecost +25B

In time—in God’s time—what is said by Jesus will happen. Of course, we would like to know when that is; however, that is not our calling. We are called to live now, allowing the promises of God about the future to infuse our every present moment. Because when we live looking for the activity of God, here and now, we will begin to see it.

All Saints Sunday | November 7, 2021

The question that needs asking is will you love the legacy? Laying hold of the future; laying hold of a refreshed and reengaged assignment? A refreshed and reengaged calling? A refreshed and reengaged mission because my Bible says: “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The legacy is the same; it is unchanging; this is a fantastic concept; our true north is this legacy. Because our roots and our foundations are set in this legacy, the legacy of the past, the legacy of the present, and the future. We are not called to create an atmosphere or an ambience for a Christian audience. 150 years ago, Christ Jesus called this Church to discipleship, “Therefore go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).

Pentecost +23B

For his first-century listeners, Jesus probably could have stopped with, "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart". Because all that follows (soul, mind and strength) are implied in the biblical understanding of "heart". But for us as twenty-first-century listeners, we have shrunk the definition of heart to emotions. So when we hear "Love God with your whole heart," we might think Jesus means "Have only happy feelings about God."

Pentecost +22B

As believers in Jesus, we love this story. It is such a lovely warm story that shows the loving care of Jesus toward a man in desperate need. Here’s an interesting fact. This is the only person healed by Jesus recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, who is actually named — Bartimaeus. It’s as though by the time Mark wrote this gospel, this man had become one of the well-known members of the early church. Maybe Bartimaeus never got tired of telling his story, and he never forgot that day when he first saw Jesus. And so here we have this true story of Bartimaeus, a person who responded well to the fact that Jesus was passing by.

Pentecost +21B

That’s the big question in our gospel text today, Who will you serve? I don’t know if you got a prickly feeling when you heard those words, or you just glossed over them, not noticing how much the words in the question run against your grain. Either way, I’ll ask the question again: who will you serve?

As a culture and as a species, we tend to prize freedom. We tend to prize accomplishment and autonomy, and self-determination and the list could go on.

This is why, if we slow down and take the question seriously, we will recognise how much it grates against our deeply held beliefs and our culturally formed sensibilities.

Yet perhaps one of the most dangerous misconceptions of our culture is that we are, indeed, free. We are autonomous beings who can live independent of all bonds of loyalty, devotion, and service.

Pentecost +20B

"Lack" takes on many forms in our life. This story asks us to ponder how we might complete the sentence, "I lack ....................." All of us have at least one thing we lack, and that needs to be figured out, but the issue of lack takes on a particular meaning in this story; it is that which prevents you from a full expression of faith. What is the one thing at the core of who you are that keeps you from being the follower, the disciple, the believer, the witness that God wants and needs you to be?

Pentecost +19B

This passage is often listed among the “hard sayings” of Jesus, but “painful,” “distressing,” or “agonising” would be more like it because each time this passage is read and heard in a congregation, many of us cringe. We cringe feeling assaulted by it directly, or we start worrying that others are being assaulted.

Bridesmaids

Read Matthew 25.1-13

We all have stories. Stories help us make sense of who we are and the world we live in. They shape our culture. They shape our relationships. They shape our decisions. They shape us. Jesus is the most famous storyteller who ever lived. Throughout His ministry, he taught with thought-provoking ‘parables’ — stories coloured with provocation, humour, intriguing characters, twists and turns — where His story is our story, and our story is found within His story. So, let's unpack Jesus' parables of sadness, joy, death, life, darkness, light, hell, heaven, abandonment, acceptance, repentance, and grace.

Dives & Lazarus

Read Luke 16.19-31

We all have stories. Stories help us make sense of who we are and the world we live in. They shape our culture. They shape our relationships. They shape our decisions. They shape us. Jesus is the most famous storyteller who ever lived. Throughout His ministry, he taught with thought-provoking ‘parables’ — stories coloured with provocation, humour, intriguing characters, twists and turns — where His story is our story, and our story is found within His story. So, let's unpack Jesus' parables of sadness, joy, death, life, darkness, light, hell, heaven, abandonment, acceptance, repentance, and grace.

Brothers

Read Luke 11.11-32

We all have stories. Stories help us make sense of who we are and the world we live in. They shape our culture. They shape our relationships. They shape our decisions. They shape us. Jesus is the most famous storyteller who ever lived. Throughout His ministry, he taught with thought-provoking ‘parables’ — stories coloured with provocation, humour, intriguing characters, twists and turns — where His story is our story, and our story is found within His story. So, let's unpack Jesus' parables of sadness, joy, death, life, darkness, light, hell, heaven, abandonment, acceptance, repentance, and grace.

A Certain Rich Man

Read Luke 12.13-21

We all have stories. Stories help us make sense of who we are and the world we live in. They shape our culture. They shape our relationships. They shape our decisions. They shape us. Jesus is the most famous storyteller who ever lived. Throughout His ministry, he taught with thought-provoking ‘parables’ — stories coloured with provocation, humour, intriguing characters, twists and turns — where His story is our story, and our story is found within His story. So, let's unpack Jesus' parables of sadness, joy, death, life, darkness, light, hell, heaven, abandonment, acceptance, repentance, and grace.

Midnight

Read Luke 11.5-13

We all have stories. Stories help us make sense of who we are and the world we live in. They shape our culture. They shape our relationships. They shape our decisions. They shape us. Jesus is the most famous storyteller who ever lived. Throughout His ministry, he taught with thought-provoking ‘parables’ — stories coloured with provocation, humour, intriguing characters, twists and turns — where His story is our story, and our story is found within His story. So, let's unpack Jesus' parables of sadness, joy, death, life, darkness, light, hell, heaven, abandonment, acceptance, repentance, and grace.

The Good Samaritan

Read Luke 10.30-37

We all have stories. Stories help us make sense of who we are and the world we live in. They shape our culture. They shape our relationships. They shape our decisions. They shape us. Jesus is the most famous storyteller who ever lived. Throughout His ministry, he taught with thought-provoking ‘parables’ — stories coloured with provocation, humour, intriguing characters, twists and turns — where His story is our story, and our story is found within His story. So, let's unpack Jesus' parables of sadness, joy, death, life, darkness, light, hell, heaven, abandonment, acceptance, repentance, and grace.

Pentecost +18B

I think this week’s reading from Mark’s Gospel contains a heart-breaking line of Scripture: “...and we tried to stop him because he was not following us” (v. 38). Just pause and think about that for a moment. The disciples come across someone who, as they report to Jesus, was “casting out demons in your name.” That is, they came across someone who was easing intense misery, they came across someone who was following Jesus’ example and doing so in Jesus’ name, but none of that is enough. Why? “Because he was not following us.”

Pentecost +17B

Greatness, we assume, implies power. It means accomplishment, fame, wealth, and other things that allow you to do something, such as influencing people to go your way. But that’s not what Jesus says, and to drive his point home, he scoops up a young child into his arms and tells them: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (v. 37)

Pentecost +16B

Self-denial and cross-bearing are not about being less happy. Self-denial and cross-bearing are about discovering real and abundant life. This culture can hardly imagine the kind of life that comes through sacrificial love in service to another.

Read Mark 7.24-37

The Stranger's Blessing

Jesus begins this tradition vs. moral argument with the Pharisees early on in His ministry when He defended His disciples as they picked heads of grain on the Sabbath. It's interesting to note that the traditions the Pharisees value serve more to make them look good than to worship God.

We Christians still argue about tradition, like what should a minister wear, what songs should we sing, what instruments should we use, if we should celebrate Christmas, etc, etc. We forget that tradition is merely an optional tool designed to point us to God. It is never meant to take the place of obeying God's law to love Him and others. When it does, it becomes an idol.

Read Mark 7.1-23

Rules & Regulations

Jesus begins this tradition vs. moral argument with the Pharisees early on in His ministry when He defended His disciples as they picked heads of grain on the Sabbath. It's interesting to note that the traditions the Pharisees value serve more to make them look good than to worship God.

We Christians still argue about tradition, like what should a minister wear, what songs should we sing, what instruments should we use, if we should celebrate Christmas, etc, etc. We forget that tradition is merely an optional tool designed to point us to God. It is never meant to take the place of obeying God's law to love Him and others. When it does, it becomes an idol.

Read John 6.59-69

“Words of Eternal Life”

Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship with God plain, simple, and available for everyone. The bread of life will sustain the believer.

Read John 6.51-58

A "Living" Bread

Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship with God plain, simple, and available for everyone. The bread of life will sustain the believer.

Read John 6.35-41-51

Ordinary Time

Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship with God plain, simple, and available for everyone. The bread of life will sustain the believer.

Read John 6.24-35

Just Believe

Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship with God plain, simple, and available for everyone. The bread of life will sustain the believer.

Read John 6.1-21

Where is God's Address?

Jesus identified Himself as the bread of life, the living water, and the way. He did not present Himself as a source of salvation but as the only way to salvation. Without Him, without the bread of life, there is no hope for salvation. By identifying Himself as the source of forgiveness, Jesus makes the path to repentance and a relationship with God, plain, simple, and available for everyone. The bread of life will sustain the believer.

Family & Community

This is the final week of a three-part teaching series called “10 - The Decalogue,”; an exploration through the Ten Commandments. And the idea we will be exploring is that God desires a special relationship with us, as His people, and this union is distinguished by living according to His ways. When we follow the commands God gives us, we honour Him and invite His blessing and protection over our lives.

God's Last Name is not ‘Damn’!

This part two of a three-part teaching series called “10 - The Decalogue,”; an exploration through the Ten Commandments. And the idea we will be exploring is that God desires a special relationship with us, as His people, and this union is distinguished by living according to His ways. When we follow the commands God gives us, we honour Him and invite His blessing and protection over our lives.

Is God No.1 In Your Life?

This is part one of a three-part teaching series called “10 - The Decalogue,”; an exploration through the Ten Commandments. And the idea we will be exploring is that God desires a special relationship with us, as His people, and this union is distinguished by living according to His ways. When we follow the commands God gives us, we honour Him and invite His blessing and protection over our lives.

Pentecost +19A

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently.

Join me as we will discover, over this four-part sermon series, the needed resource of JOY―an eternal perspective that comes only from knowing Jesus Christ.

Pentecost +18A

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently.

Join me as we will discover, over this four-part sermon series, the needed resource of JOY―an eternal perspective that comes only from knowing Jesus Christ.

Pentecost +17A

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently.

Join me as we will discover, over this four-part sermon series, the needed resource of JOY―an eternal perspective that comes only from knowing Jesus Christ.

Pentecost +16A

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, by all accounts, is one of the most beloved books in the whole New Testament, and one of the main reasons the book is so loved is because it’s the happiest letter the apostle Paul ever wrote. Its main premise is JOY, and the apostle Paul uses that word JOY frequently.

Join me as we will discover, over this four part sermon series, the needed resource of JOY―an eternal perspective that comes only from knowing Jesus Christ.

Pentecost +15

How many times are we REALLY supposed to forgive someone who has wronged us? Is it 77 times (as the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible has it)? Or is it “unto seventy times seven” as my trusty King James Bible has it? Which are 490 pronouncements of forgiveness.

This question seems to infiltrate the hearts of so many Christians, it’s a kind of hawkishness that approaches faith, not as a relationship with Jesus, but as a task that has a checklist of dos and don’ts. And so long as we stick with the dos we’ll be fine.

Such a posture hears Jesus’ words, and they figure they’ve got it figured out. Jesus says to forgive 77 times— or 490 — so that’s what I’ll do. And I’ll keep a running count just to make sure I get the number right. Sorry, my friends, but it isn’t about the math!

Pentecost +14

So what do you think? Is Jesus talking about a set of rules or the development of healthy relationships?

This is the central question to answer from this passage in Matthew, is Jesus giving us rules to live by? Or is he favouring healthy relationships over everything else in our lives as Christians?

Pentecost +13

Can you imagine? One moment, Jesus is saying you’re “the rock on which I will build my church” and the next he’s calling you “a stumbling block.” That’s not just great wordplay – from cornerstone to stumbling block, but it’s also such a massive reversal of relational fortune, and because of that it had to be incredibly painful for Peter.

Can you imagine? And perhaps that’s the difficulty, Peter couldn’t imagine. He couldn’t imagine that Jesus had come not just to comfort people but to free them.

Pentecost +12

There’s a lot of nuance in our scripture readings. Isaiah 51:1-6 references Abraham and Sarah as the rock out of which God’s people are fashioned. This matches the rock metaphor for Peter in the Gospel.

The promise of salvation and deliverance at the end of Isaiah 51:1-6 is extraordinary; this promise goes far beyond any temporal salvation. Isaiah is prophesying a salvation and deliverance that will survive even the decay of creation; it promises deliverance even in the face of death.

Isaiah’s prophesy looks ahead to our Gospel lesson. To a Messiah who establishes His church, not as a beachhead of political deliverance against the Romans or any other dominant world power. But as one which will prevail against the “gates of Hades” — or, less literally, the powers of death. Jesus will build a church,  that will not only prevail against the final horizon, but against the Satanic powers of death in our present age.

Pentecost +10

In the Gospel reading, Jesus indeed calls to his disciples in the midst of the wild and restless sea, but Jesus does not beckon them away from the storm. Instead, Jesus’ voice calls them into the storm.

Pentecost +21

Stop for a moment, and close your eyes, and be mindful of God’s presence. What does it feel like for God to be near you? Perhaps it’s like the golden light of a sunrise shining through the window or like feeling safe and held, feeling unafraid.

As believers, in and followers, of Jesus, you and I are as close to God as our own mindfulness, as our own soul’s desire, as our own being.

Pentecost +9

When is a miracle more than a miracle? When it’s about discipleship. Because discipleship is is rarely tidy, rarely practical, and never convenient.

However, discipleship may be a miracle in itself.

The people who heard Jesus speak this parable understood the gravity and tension in his story. It is important that we understand what the pearl is, and who the merchant is, this is more than just another parable. Jesus says twice,“This is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like”. In other words, "This is what eternity is all about…”. So, let’s have a have a deeper look at what Jesus is saying about the Kingdom of God.

Our Gospel text opens with the statement, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark...”. This is where the Easter story really begins, this is where our Christian faith begins, it begins in darkness. It begins with fear, bewilderment, pain, and a profound loss of certainty. The creeds, clarifications and commentaries we cherish nowadays came later. What came first were many variations on the same theme, such as, hope amid struggle.

Join me as we look at what happens when ordinary people brush up against an extraordinary God. What does it look like when broken, hungry humanity encounters a bizarre and inexplicable Love in the half-light of dawn.

This story is about the Church. The Church is wheat and weeds both; however, we like to think we know who’s who. The big question is, why can’t we leave judging to God? What is it in human nature, that is somehow heightened in Christian human nature, that has to judge? Join me, as we ask the question: does Jesus condone weeds?

We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

We want a big change and we want it now. But maybe taking your life in a new direction has a lot more to do with the little things. Join me, as we learn how to embrace the small things that make a big difference.

The “Word of God” is an abstract and complicated topic. When you hear the phrase “Word of God” what comes to your mind? What do you picture? What do you envision?

Join me as we look at what Matthew suggests, that the Word of God is an experience, and listening is the key to that experience.

John has a way of teaching us who Jesus is, and what faith looks like. John does this by giving us a glimpse into Jesus' encounters with various people. We saw it with John the Baptist. We saw it with Nicodemus. And now, surprisingly, this encounter with a Samaritan woman, who is shunned by her own townspeople for her immoral behaviour.

Join me as we encounter what faith in Jesus looks like.

Wednesday | Pentecost +4

We have two very interesting texts before us the deal with the issue of evil. One presents itself supernaturally -- in people and pigs. While the other is embedded in our human condition -- the people we are without God.

Join me as we wrestle with the perennial question: Are so concerned with our own livelihoods, that we overlook the need of others?

One phrase that jumps out when reading Jesus' words in our Gospel text, is the last line:

“...and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

It's such a little thing to give a cup of cold water, and Jesus even emphasizes the modesty of the act by his use of the word “even.”

Join me, as we discover that there are no small gestures is service to the Lord.

In this well known Gospel text from Matthew, Jesus is telling us that fear is the opposite of faith. And yet, fear, unlike faith hangs on us like humidity on a hot summer’s night. Fear coats us from front and back and attracts all kinds of grunge and stains. So that even when it dries it’s still sticky. Fear has a terrible effect on the heart, spirit and soul.

Join me, as we discover together how Jesus’ words about fear and faith can speak into our lives today.

Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

As modern believers, we might express or perceive the above verse differently. For example, our treasures are expressions of our hearts rather than our hearts expressing our treasure. But Jesus tells a more challenging truth for us, and that’s as obvious as the nose on our faces. Join me, as we look at how our hearts are so easily swayed by treasure, whether that be money or the lack of it, or the reward of being noticed and honoured by our peers. Our hearts are so easily swayed by earthly treasure.

Mission will always take us into unchartered territory. As humans we don’t like the phrase "unchartered territory" it makes us nervous, but as disciples of Christ, that’s our calling. Join me as we discover together that we called into "unchartered territory" for the sake of the Gospel. 

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

No one knows what the future holds. We live somewhere between yesterday and tomorrow. Egypt is far behind us; the kingdom is yet to come. Therefore it is so important that we live in the light of biblical truths as we journey through this life.

Click here for further study notes

A group of people who see themselves called and sent by the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ, in word and deed, for the sake of the world God created and loves so much.

Join me as I look at, in essence, how a congregation must see itself called and on a mission by the Trinitarian God that the congregation confesses.

Jesus schools a group of Sadducees; who were priests with great power and prestige. However, they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead or an afterlife. They did not believe in angels, and they only believed the Torah to be true. Jesus is basically asking these so-called priests, who have great power and prestige, along with some very poor theology; Who is your God? Because they do not seem to know. Join me as I look at what it means to know the power of God and the true meaning of the Torah (the basis for most of Jesus' teaching).

We are Easter people, that is, we live in the light of a post-Easter experience. We have the Word of God. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus has risen, and we live our lives in that knowledge. Therefore, in the same sense, we are also Pentecostal people. We live in the age of the Spirit, which is the age of the church, which is the Christian age.

In the final section of his Farewell Discourse to the disciples, Jesus focuses further on the role of the Holy Spirit. Most of what is said in this section repeats themes that have already appeared. The gift of the Spirit to the disciples (or more specifically the church). The Spirit’s relation to Jesus. The Spirit being the continuing presence of Jesus. The Spirit of truth reminding the disciples of all Jesus had taught. Now we hear these themes again, but with tones that take us deeper into their meaning. What might Jesus mean by the phrase “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now”? 

According to John’s Gospel Jesus will continue to be with his disciples forever. So how will Jesus continue to be with them (us) as they continue their earthly journeys? That’s a good question, and John’s Gospel tells us. Jesus will continue to be with them by way of the Advocate -- the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they needn’t worry about being left orphaned.

Interestingly, within the synoptic parables of the vineyard (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are stories of violence and greed; but not so in John’s Gospel. In John, the vineyard is an image of fruitfulness, intimacy and love. Join me as we explore what it means to be "pruned".

Philip makes a reasonable request on behalf of the group: "Show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus chastises him in front of the whole group: "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?" (14:9). Is Jesus being blunt, and if so, why? Join me in this devotion as we explore Jesus' "I am the Way" monologue.

When I read these passages I’m struck that the active language is not always sin and forgiveness, but the active language is life and light and love and abundance. Which leads me to wonder, have we narrowed how we understand and talk about the salvation Jesus brings? “All who enter by me,” Jesus says, "will be saved.” Have we adopted a largely negative view of salvation? Salvation is often understood as the removal or deletion of our sin and failure. But here Jesus tells us salvation is the creation of new life and possibility. Join me in this short devotion as we explore "abundant life now".

In chapter 4 of Matthew’s Gospel after his baptism, Jesus went out into the wilderness and fasted for forty days and nights. By the time the fast ended Jesus was famished. Then the tempter came and said to him: “If you are the Son of God command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Though Jesus was very hungry, he told the tempter that “one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:1-4). However, in the Gospel of John, we find Jesus facing another temptation concerning bread.

We find ourselves travelling an uncomfortably familiar road. Every one of us, regardless of identity or circumstance, knows this road. We’ve walked it. We’ve lost our way on it. We’ve left it behind and then returned to it again, and that road is the road to Emmaus, and we recognise it every time by the words we speak “But we had hoped.”

We live in a time where words and their meanings are changing. Join me as we recapture the true representation of the word “virtue.” As Jesus followers, we are called to live by a different standard, a higher way of life. We are called to filter every difficult decision through the Word of God and choose to do the right thing based on those standards.

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We live in a time where words and their meanings are changing. Join me as we recapture the true representation of the word “virtue.” As Jesus followers, we are called to live by a different standard, a higher way of life. We are called to filter every difficult decision through the Word of God and choose to do the right thing based on those standards.

Click here for further study notes

Click here for further study notes

We live in a time where words and their meanings are changing. Join me as we recapture the true representation of the word “virtue.” As Jesus followers, we are called to live by a different standard, a higher way of life. We are called to filter every difficult decision through the Word of God and choose to do the right thing based on those standards.

Click here for further study notes

We live in a time where words and their meanings are changing. Join me as we recapture the true representation of the word “virtue.” As Jesus followers, we are called to live by a different standard, a higher way of life. We are called to filter every difficult decision through the Word of God and choose to do the right thing based on those standards.

Click here for further study notes

Part Two: The Power of Faith - Matthew 8:5-10, 13

Join me as we explore one of the fundamental truths for understanding "the meaning of life"; and how without faith, we are instead living a lie.

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Part One: The Heart of Faith - 2 Kings 20_1-6

Join me as we explore one of the fundamental truths for understanding "the meaning of life"; and how without faith, we are instead living a lie.

Click here for further study notes

Second Sunday of Easter

To live in Jesus’ name I need to know Jesus and walk in his presence. I believe Jesus was resurrected and lives among us. I believe Jesus presence is alive with us now. And I believe he did not leave us orphaned, that Jesus is alive and in relationship - in resurrection relationship - with us. Amen.

Wednesday in Easter Week

Just as Peter returned to his true self by deciding to follow Jesus, we, by deciding to follow Jesus, return to our true selves, beloved of God. Our lives imitate Christ’s life, our joys Christ’s joy, our heartaches Christ’s heartache.

Easter 2020 Devotion

In the Gospel of Matthew, the good news from an angel is only ever preceded by one short and preliminary sentence, "Don't be afraid." Join me in this Easter devotion and discover why we should never be afraid again.

A Maundy Thursday Devotion, April 9, 2020

What a contrast between hate and love; Judas, the named disciple, one of the twelve, hates Jesus and sells Him out for money. The unnamed woman loves Jesus and spends a whole year's wages in a demonstration of her love.

Wednesday of Holy Week, April 8, 2020

We have historically assumed Jesus is commending the widow’s example to us. Before we can jump to a personal application, we need to make sure we understand Jesus’ original meaning. Is the point of Jesus’ observation to praise the sacrificial heart and actions of the widow? Join me as we explore, is it the widow's mite or might?

No one is exempt from the storms of life. But just as the disciples who initially feared the storm later came to revere Christ more, so the storms we face can bring us to a deeper knowledge of God. “Who is this,” the disciples pondered, “even the wind and the waves obey him!” However, through our trials, we can learn that no storm is big enough to prevent God from accomplishing His will.

No one is exempt from the storms of life. But just as the disciples who initially feared the storm later came to revere Christ more, so the storms we face can bring us to a deeper knowledge of God. “Who is this,” the disciples pondered, “even the wind and the waves obey him!” However, through our trials, we can learn that no storm is big enough to prevent God from accomplishing His will.

We can either set our minds on “the flesh”, or we can set our minds on “the Spirit.” To take the first path, he warns, is to propel ourselves toward the endpoint of uselessness and death.