Service and Suffering

We all know the priority of service. But how is it possible to serve when you are suffering? That is is an important question because all of us suffer hardship. Christ Himself acknowledged that fact — “In the world you have tribulation…” (John 16:33). And this has been our very own experience. We have various […]

A Good Friday Message

The Triumphant Submission of Christ Mark 14:35-36 April 2, 2021 Of all the things that we don’t like to do and all the things we don’t like to think about, the thing most people most recoil from is death. When I had been a pastor just a few months, Martin’s Funeral Home called me and […]

Jesus’ seven words from the cross

While He hung on the cross, Jesus made seven statements. The first three words concern His personal relationships — a prayer for His executioners, a promise to the thief (His fellow-sufferer on that day), and a provision for His mother. The next three words concern His work of salvation — the cry concerning His moral […]

“Into Your hands I commit My spirit”

What do you say when you are suffering? What comes out of your mouth when you are hurting? Those are not theoretical questions. In the middle of Covid-19, we know what comes out of our mouths when we suffer. We don’t have to guess at what we might do and say when we have troubles. […]

“It is Finished” — a word of victory

What follows is the manuscript of the devotional given at our Good Friday worship service this evening. “It is finished.” “I’m done.” “It’s over.” When we use those words and say something is finished, we might mean one of several different things: We might mean we have simply endured a process — e.g., “the house […]

Final Words

When I take a trip somewhere without my wife, Raye Jeanne, as I recently did, I will remind her of some household essentials — repairs to the house that I have made or need to make, the status of our bills and check book, and similar items. As I leave my home in the morning, […]

“I am thirsty” — a Good Friday meditation

This is the manuscript of my message from last night’s Good Friday service. You may also download a PDF version of the message here. Explanations of why you love whom you love are sometimes difficult. A baby might have been born only minutes earlier, but her new mother or father will undoubtedly be willing to […]

Woman, Behold Your Son

When you talk about Jesus Christ you must talk about the uniqueness of Christ. He is different from every other person that has ever lived. There are similarities between us and Him — He was born, He developed intellectually, physically, and relationally like all others, He experienced physical pain and hunger and weariness, and He […]

A good word for Good Friday

Am I a stone, and not a sheep That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy cross, To number drop by drop Thy Blood’s slow loss, And yet not weep? Not so those women loved Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee; Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly; Not so the thief was moved; Not so […]

Near the cross – and far from it

“The two malefactors were crucified together. They were equally near to Christ. Both of them saw and heard all that transpired during those fateful six hours. Both were notoriously wicked; both were suffering acutely; both were dying, and both urgently needed forgiveness. Yet one of them died in his sins, died as he had lived […]

“Today You Will be with Me in Paradise”

“Today You Will be with Me in Paradise” Luke 23:39-43 March 25, 2016 — Good Friday For reasons that are pragmatic and biblical and theological, I have never gambled or participated in the lottery. And because of that, Raye Jeanne and I taught our daughters not to gamble. And that makes a situation that Emily […]

Good Friday — “Father, forgive them”

It is hard to forgive; it is harder to forgive one who intentionally sins against you. I know of no story that better illustrates that statement than the account of Kevin Tunell. On New Year’s Day, 1982, 18-year-old Susan Herzog was killed in a car accident when her car was struck by one driven by […]

Good Friday: “Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Mark 15:33-34 April 18, 2014 (Good Friday Communion Service) How do you estimate something’s value? If you own a home, you can have a property evaluator or insurance adjuster come to your home and give you and estimate of your property’s value. If you own a car, you can take […]

Who killed Jesus?

The cross of Christ is repugnant to many. Polly Toynbee, one of the most well-known opinion columnists in Great Britain and leader of the British Humanist Association, reviewed the 2005 movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In an article subtly entitled, “Narnia Represents Everything That Is Most Hateful about […]

“Not My will…”

Last night as we read the account of Christ’s betrayal, crucifixion, and death at our Good Friday service, I was particularly struck by Christ’s willing submission to the will of the Father — a will that decreed that the Holy One take on sin and the attendant cup of God’s wrath. “My Father, if it […]