I was struck by something the other morning as I looked at the beginning of Luke 9. “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And he said …
Evan and Joy
As both scientists and poets have noted, men and women are completely different. At the same time, they are clearly created by God to be one. As a violin and bow are one instrument, or a lock and key one mechanism, so also a bride and groom are one. God made them to be one, …
Surveying the Text: Lamentations
Introduction: This short book is a powerful expression of godly grief. It is also a highly disciplined work of art, and there is something very important that we can learn from this. The authorship of this book is not certain, but a strong tradition connects it to Jeremiah. The Text: “This I recall to my …
The Meaning of Amen
Introduction: Amen is probably the most universally-used and universally-recognized word throughout the world. Each of us probably uses it daily, and perhaps we even understand it. But when we consider what it means, and reflect on how we usually say it, or respond to it, we may have to reevaluate. Jerome commented that in the …
What Brung Us
God in His grace has given us a very robust community. We not only enjoy vibrant worship together, we are also engaged in numerous forms of parish life together, and then, on top of that, ministry outreach together. In recent years, the number of ministry opportunities for members of our church have exploded—from ISF to …
A Eucharistic Commonwealth
This is the place where we glory in Christ, and we glory in what He has given us. We do not glory in the fact that He has everything and we have nothing. Rather, we glory in the fact that we had nothing, He had everything, He came and sacrificed everything, so that He might …
Gospel for Victims
The devil loves to deck his hard-heartedness out as compassion. He is a liar; that’s what he does. One of his techniques is to make forgiveness and vindication a binary operation. He puts the whole thing on a toggle switch. It must either be this or that. But this means if two parties are involved …
The Coronation of Christ
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the …
Kings and Priests With Him
Grace and Peace “At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus …
Surveying the Text: Jeremiah
Introduction: Like Isaiah, Jeremiah is a vast mountain range, rich in ore. But while Isaiah has mines all through it, the number of times that the New Testament quotes Jeremiah is fairly limited. But using the analogy of precious metals, Jeremiah is where the largest gold nugget ever found is located (Jer. 31:31-34). The Text: …