The archive of the online Bible study of the book of Psalms is available here or as a YouTube playlist.
The archive of the online Bible study of the book of Acts is available here or as a YouTube playlist.
Pentecost 4C Building on the Promises of God Part 1: Promise, Promises, Promises
2 Peter 1:3-4 Could you live one day, one hour without depending on a promise given by another? Not really! We live by promise. But that is our problem. Promises are broken all the time. One of the great themes of the Bible is the demonstration of God’s ability to fulfill and faithfulness to his promises. So we live by faith in God’s promises. God’s faithfulness to his promises enables faith. This sermon is the introduction to a series on…
Pentecost 3C Overcoming Discouragement
1 Kings 19:1-21 Our text presents a rather surprising scene; the great prophet Elijah struggling with discouragement. But James 5;17 reminds us that “Elijah was a man just like us” meaning that even those of faith can struggle with discouragement. That is helpful to know but of itself is no solution. But the rest of the story is. Elijah’s story helps us to find resources for overcoming discouragement: fleeing to God, being sustained by God, a new vision from God…
Pentecost 2C What Have You to Do with Us Jesus?
Luke 8 26-39 What if you could talk with someone from the community of the Gerasenes where Jesus cast demons out of a man? What would he say and what insights might you gain for your own life? At its core it is a story of tragedy, salvation, and new life. Sermon Date: June 23, 2019
Holy Trinity Oh LORD, How Majestic Is Your Name
Psalm 8 On Holy Trinity Sunday, we would like our readings to give us a nice neat explanation of the Trinity. But they don’t do that! In fact, God never seems to find it necessary to justify or give proof for the mystery of who He is. He simply states what He does and calls us to believe. And so the Scripture is more about what God does for us regarding provision and salvation than anything else. Psalm 8 draws…
Pentecost C Joining Jesus Pt 3: Doing Good and Praying
John 14:23-31 In response to Jesus informing his disciple that he was going away (ascending onto heaven) Judas (not Iscariot) had a question, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Good question right? The sermon today will explore two things. First, Jesus’s answer to the question. Second, how this answer dovetails with the Joining Jesus Mission Practices. Sermon Date: June 9, 2019
Easter 7C Joining Jesus Pt 2: Hearing and Talking
John 17:20-26 In the second part of our series on Joining Jesus we will talk about two more of the five Mission Practices. The first practice is “Seeking what Jesus is up to.” Today we continue with practice #3, “Hearing from Jesus” and practice #4, “Talking with People.” Jesus tells us the wise person puts his words into practice. So we don’t just want to know and believe but also to do. These practices will help us to do. They…
Easter6C
Acts 16:9-15 This is the first in a four-part series on Joining Jesus on Mission. There are three things we want to point out today. First that our world has changed and the methods we use to reach the world with the gospel need to change as well. Second, that being on mission is not going for Jesus but going with Jesus. The call of the Macedonian man in Paul’s vision helps us understand this. And third, as we go…
Easter 5C/Armed Forces Sunday
John 16:12-22 In hearing the Gospel for today it is imperative that we remember the context in which Jesus first spoke those words. He said at the time that there were things his disciples could not bear to hear. But I say to you, you can bear them. Why? Because the circumstances are different now. We are post-resurrection rather than pre-resurrection when Jesus spoke the words. Today we will talk about the things that have changed and that secure our…
Easter 4C/Mother’s Day
John 10:22-30 Mother’s Day and Good Shepherd Sunday share some things. Both have a primary image and secondary image. While one image is dominant, the day can’t exist without the other. For Mother’s Day, it is mothers and their children. For Good Shepherd Sunday, it is the Good Shepherd and his flock. So just as Mother’s Day is primarily about mothers but also involves the appreciation of their children, so Good Shepherd Sunday is primarily about the gifts of the…
Easter 3C
John 21:1-14 In our experience, God is often a hidden God, meaning that we do not or cannot know God and why He does things. That is because we are created beings and God is creator. It is also because of our sinful nature that has stripped us of spiritual discernment. But the good news is that God in his mercy comes to us and reveals himself to us. We see this particularly in the resurrected Christ as he appears…