The Book of John was written for the purpose of proving that Jesus is the Messiah, the Word and Son of God in the flesh. The text makes many declarative statements. Does anyone remember from grammar school what declarative statements are? They are sentences that...
Hypothetically speaking, an affluent man who owns money and slaves is about to leave town. Apparently, he doesn’t have family or business partners to turn to so he summons persons obligated to serve and obey his every word or else face his wrath and suffer...
As a person who never likes to run out of what I deem “essential” and who tends to buy multiple boxes, cans, or jars of frequently used items, it’s hard for me to relate to the five foolish virgins who don’t bring extra oil for...
Did you know that the world’s two greatest religions determined as such because they each have the largest number of total followers throughout all of history are Islam and Christianity? And did you know that the major difference between them is precisely related to the...
In our first reading, “The Lord grabbed Cyrus by the hand, went before him opening doors, subduing opposing powers and removing barriers,” so that he and others would see God as the agent, the active doer who accomplishes things with purpose. The reason for the...
Celebrations in the ancient world didn’t come any bigger than a king giving a wedding banquet for his son. Today, the phrase king-size represents many things deemed ultra. Perhaps you once considered how luxurious or fun it might be to sleep in a king sized...
Let’s begin with a quote from Paul’s letter to the Phillipians, “It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” It’s important to realize that it is God who is at work, who...
Today's sermon has been provided by guest pastor Seth Roseman...
Peter asks a lot of questions. Sometimes, by doing so, he’s fishing for real answers, but at other times, it’s pretty clear that Peter is fishing for Jesus’ approval. Peter also has a habit of turning his thoughts into verbal sentences without hesitation. By personality, he...
The five gospel verses I just read are cross-referenced elsewhere in the Bible over thirty times and I want you to know that I looked up every single one in an attempt to understand their meaning and purpose of this gospel passage. I mean, what...