We have gathered here at the Table of Christ’s body, and we are offered the cup of the new covenant, which is the cup of Christ’s blood. This means that we have gathered at the Table of Forgiveness. Forgiveness was right at the center of the new covenant, and integral to it. We cannot celebrate …
A Staggering Exchange
Jesus told the story of the shepherd who left the 99 in order to pursue the one sheep who had strayed. Throughout the church, pastors—who are shepherds—have had to carefully balance these tasks. When they miss the biblical balance in this, some act as through there is no such thing as straying. They don’t really …
A Good Pace
Careful study of the gospels shows us five distinctive characteristics of Christ’s table fellowship. First, He consistently sought out fellowship with outcasts. Secondly, those outcasts responded to Him with joy. Third, the religious establishment routinely grumbled about it. Fourth, the table fellowship was preceded by a call to radical discipleship. And fifth, such incidents frequently …
Wanting to be the Third Son
You have heard a number of times that we are an evangelical and Reformed congregation. But to avoid falling into the use of denominational buzzwords, we should remind ourselves from time to time what the words we commonly use actually mean. An evangelical preacher is not someone who waves his arms when he talks. An …
Jesus is the Contagious One
In the Old Covenant, we learn that sin is contagious (Hag. 2:13-14). We see that if a clean object comes into contact with an unclean one, it is the clean object that becomes unclean. We recognize that this principle continues to apply in certain ways in the New Covenant as well, which is why we …
No Miniscule Fraction
The psalmist asks “who can understand his errors?” We often think that it is enough to be ashamed of them, when we are really called to learn, through the Spirit, what the nature of our fault actually is. All such meditations should begin with the cross—God’s reply to our errors. When Jesus died on the …
Show the Lord’s Death
As you all know, we meet together every Lord’s Day. We do this in joyful recognition that Jesus rose from the dead. In this sense, every week contains an Easter. We declare this by our actions. And of course, all of the story of Christ must be present in order for us to understand any …
Feed and Restore
In John 21, Jesus shares breakfast with His disciples on the beach. This is one of His resurrection appearances, and it is quite a striking circumstance. For our purposes here, note two things. The first is that the Lord shares a meal with His disciples, as He is doing here, and secondly, that it is …
A Welcome to Students
We are very pleased to welcome our students back. We rejoice at what God has done for you over the summer, and we are delighted to think about all that you will bless our community with in the coming year. We also welcome our freshmen, and we look forward to getting to know you, and …
Acceptance Moves Both Ways
Allow me to speak a word of exhortation to the covenant children who are growing up in this church. For as long as you can remember, you have been welcome here at this Table. You are baptized, and you are invited to be here, invited to partake. This means that you are just as much …