“Who Do People Say That I AM?”

When George H. W. Bush was President of the United States, he made a visit to a Virginia elementary school. And although he was introduced as the President and was surrounded by his Secret Service detail, one skeptical third grader refused to believe that Bush really was who he said he was. How do you […]

Amazing Condescension

“Reader, here is amazing condescension. The Lord of all becomes a servant, the Lord of glory becomes of no reputation, the bread of life is hungry, and the only rest is weary, and the prince of life is put to death. This is that which angels pry into with such astonishing pleasure, that God should […]

Who Could Have Imagined…

“Who could have imagined that God should become man, infinite become finite, the Creator a creature; the Father of spirits become flesh, and the Lord of life be put to death? Who could conceive, that he who made all things of nothing, should be made himself of a woman, made by him? That he whom […]

The Training of the Twelve, Pt. 2

“The Training of the Twelve” Pt. 2Luke 9:12-17December 21, 2025 Christmas brings anticipation of many good and encouraging things. We anticipate worship (Christmas Eve), and music (the Messiah!), and fellowship, and reconnection with friends who have moved away, and time with family. And yet there is also the conundrum of the gifts. What do we […]

God Sent His Son

God Sent His Son1 John 4:7-10December 24, 2024 The theologian Karl Barth was once asked, “what is the greatest truth about God you have ever learned?” “Jesus loves me…” That statement is both simple, and deeply profound… At Christmas, it’s easy to talk about the love of God and the love of Christ. As we […]

Having Seen God’s Salvation

Having Seen God’s SalvationLuke 2:21-38September 15, 2024 At least for some things, I am not the most patient person in the world. I have been known to get a little hangry while waiting for dinner to cook. I don’t like waiting for traffic lights or for accidents to clear. I don’t like waiting in checkout […]

Christ Has Come

Christ Has Come: Give Glory to GodLuke 2:8-20September 8, 2024 Five years ago, prior to moving to California, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle had a baby. While babies are born every second of every day, this birth captured the attention of royal followers around the world. Like many other parents, the birth was first […]

The Birth of the Son of Man

The Birth of the Son of ManLuke 2:1-7August 25, 2024 While perhaps not the most significant authority on the subject, a couple of years ago the India Times compiled a list of “The 10 Most Important Events in Human History.” They didn’t reveal what the criteria for making the list was, or who voted on […]

Come, Lord Jesus

On this Christmas morning, the words of Charles Spurgeon help us orient our hearts towards Christ: MANY are celebrating our Lord’s first coming this day; let us turn our thoughts to the promise of his second coming. This is as sure as the first advent, and derives a great measure of its certainty from it. […]

At the Right Time

At the Right TimeGalatians 4:4-5December 24, 2023 A couple of days ago I thought of something that might be a nice gift for someone, but I didn’t have time to look for it, so I quickly went to Amazon and found what I was looking for. The right price! But when will it arrive? I […]

Have you worshipped this Christmas?

And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord,And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Lk. 1:46-47) These familiar words introduce one of the great Christmas hymns — Mary’s poetic response to the announcement of the birth of Jesus to her by the angel (vv. 26-38) and the following affirmation from Elizabeth (vv. 39-45). […]

Christ’s Two Appearances

Christ’s Two AppearancesTitus 2:11-14December 17, 2023 ’Tis the season for waiting. And waiting. Maxine Bland can empathize. A couple of decades ago she showed up to work and found a letter for her that was postmarked 14 years earlier. It had the correct postage for the time, the correct address and zip code; it […]

Treasure Hunting

For some children (ok, for some adults too), “Christmas season” is a code term for “hunting season” — as in “let’s hunt through all the closets and crevices in the house to find unwrapped Christmas presents. Even as a child, that was never my temptation. But one year I did find myself outside a store, […]

Sermon: Pray for God’s Glory

Pray for God’s GloryJohn 17:1-5January 15, 2023 Relationships are hard work. Communication is hard work. Listening carefully, thinking rightly, talking, and talking graciously are all hard work. There are times it seems like it might just be easier or better to be silent. (It’s not better.) Unfortunately, we sometimes consider the hard work of […]

Sermon: A Heart for the Word

A Heart for the WordPsalm 119:161-168January 8, 2023 This morning, at the beginning of the new year, we want to remind ourselves about the importance of the Bible. What do you know about the Bible? There are 66 books in the Bible (39 in the OT, 27 in the NT). There are 1189 chapters […]