Where there is Jesus, there is truth, where there is Jesus there is life, even life eternal. Scripture reminds us that Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life.
View SermonIsaiah
Palm Sunday
It is in the nature of God to profoundly love us even though we are broken, lost, and often make bad decisions. It was profound love for you, me, and all of humanity that Jesus took upon the cross so many years ago so that we might know the way to the Father. Jesus’ gift of being willing to suffer so traumatically for all of us was meant to set us free from our brokenness and free from our addictions and free from our thoughts of worthlessness. Come and see that the Lord is good this Holy Week.
View SermonRose-Colored Glasses
Sometimes we see our lives through rose-colored glasses. We see all of the ways that we consider ourselves to be “good Christian people” when the reality is that we could all use a little (or a lot!) of work. Today is a day to admit our wrong-doings and the impurities of our hearts.
View SermonHow Does God’s Kingdom Come?
The Kingdom of God is not a place, it is not the same thing as any of the nations of the world, it is not even precisely the same as the Church. The Kingdom of God is wherever Jesus reigns as King, chiefly in the hearts of believers. In a post-Christendom world we are to do what we should have been doing all along, focus on bearing the light of Christ.
View SermonMeet the Word
John designed his Gospel to introduce people to Jesus and to help them “believe that [he] is the Christ, the Son of God” so that they can “have life in his name” (John 20:31). To really know someone, you have to know their story. How do you introduce yourself to someone you have never met before? What do you say about yourself? What do you want to know about that new person? What is their name? Where do they come from? Who are their people? What are their interests? The prologue to the Gospel of John answers these kinds of questions as it introduces us to Jesus, the Word.
View SermonThe Weary World Rejoices!
When things feel hopeless, we need a source of hope. I don’t mean simply saying, “I wish things were better.” Rather, we need something that makes us say “things will be better.” We can find this hope in something that has happened which points to something that will happen. One night, more than 2,000 years ago, hope entered the world in the form of a baby.
View SermonPreparing a Highway
In Isaiah 40:3-4 the prophet declares “make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” What does this preparation look like? What is the highway for? It turns out that preparing the way of the Lord is not about highway construction at all but about the inward preparation of repentance.
View SermonMade One in Christ
Jesus the Christ is the way the truth and the life into the kingdom of God. He is our garment of salvation, His righteousness bestowed upon us; He is our hope and our fulfillment. In Him we are bound unto the intimate relationship with God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who loves us and calls us to Him in power. We are united to one another and become a member of His glory. Blessed are those invited to the wedding supper of the lamb
View SermonDressed for Salvation
For those of you who are married, can you remember what you wore on your wedding day? If you are not married, think about another significant event in your life. We tend to wear special clothes for special occasions. In Isaiah 61:10, the speaker seems to be the servant of the Lord, the Messiah (see 61:1). Earlier in the chapter, God’s people were given “garments of praise” (61:3). Now the Servant himself is given special garments for a special purpose, Salvation and Righteousness. He is getting prepared to save his people. He is getting ready to visit us!
View SermonExpectations
In business, it is important to underpromise and overdeliver. Sometimes this is referred to as “managing expectations.” It is important to be mindful of expectations in all of our relationships, whether business or personal. Especially in marriage. Unspoken expectations lead to lots of conflict and resentment.
In the Gospel passage today, John the Baptist is in prison for speaking truth to power. John’s role was to prepare the way for the Lord. The Messiah was coming, the time was imminent. John was sure that Jesus was the Messiah, he knew it even while he was still in his mother’s womb, and this truth was confirmed at Jesus’ Baptism. But now John was not so sure. His expectations were not lining up with what he was seeing. Why?
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