Proper 19   Exodus 32:7-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 Sunday, September 11, 2022 The covenant saves. Period. Whether in the old or new dispensation, it is not the merit of the Israelites, the merit of the Church, or any personal effort that saves, but the covenant with God...

Whitsunday (The Day of Pentecost) Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:8-17, 25-27 When man rejects God, he makes himself a rival to God. History is the story of this rivalry, between competing visions of unity and of what constitutes the good. But Jesus shows us there can be harmony between...

Easter 6 Acts 16:9-15; Rev. 21:10, 21:22-22:5; John 5:1-9 For healing to occur, the malady must give way. The fever must break. The bone must be reset. Ignorance must be dispelled. The cherished idol must be destroyed. Healing is not painless, and it requires sacrifice. It may even be that we...

Easter 5 Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35 Things the world says it prizes, like goodness and love, are not new. They belong to the original creation. However, they need refreshing. They need regeneration. That is what redemption is all about. Watch or read the sermon here.

Easter 4 Acts 9:36-43; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30 Stories of God's power (like raising Dorcas from the dead) are not ends in themselves, but means of coming to faith. Read or watch the sermon here.

Easter 3 Acts 9:1-20; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 Unlike earthly authorities, the authority of a minister comes from faithfulness to Jesus Christ. The only power the ministry has is from Him. Read or watch the sermon here.

Easter 2 Acts 5:27-32; Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31 The church is sometimes tempted to change the content of Christ's message or can be intimidated into suppressing it, both of which lead to a loss of her authority. Read or watch the sermon here.

Easter Day 1 Cor. 15:19-16 "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." There are some who say, though their number is increasingly few, that religion is a good thing for living life in the here and now. A good thing to pass down to your children...

Lent 5 Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 Sacrifice can seem like a costly waste. Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 122,000 sheep and goats when he dedicated the temple in Jerusalem. Likewise, Judas thought Mary's sacrificial pouring out of expensive oil on Jesus' feet a...

Lent 4 Joshua 5:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Self-righteousness (or self-justification, meaning attempts to reconcile or atone for past mistakes on our own, apart from Christ) prevent actual reconciliation from happening. Yet when reconciliation occurs, it is a...