Grab bag

Some helpful and interesting articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently): No, you don’t need to unplug from social media, but these two articles might help you think about how to use social media wisely: “Digital Detox, Intentional Ignorance, and the Proximity Principle” and “I Changed My Mind About Social Media: Why I Decided […]

The Messiah’s Return

The Messiah’s ReturnZechariah 14:1-5September 10, 2023 In February 1942, the American war against the Japanese in the Philippines was not going well. It was going so poorly that by March 12, 1942, President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur, who was stationed in the Philippines, to leave and relocate his command in Australia. MacArthur briefly considered […]

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work, Pt. 2

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work, Pt. 2Zechariah 13:7-9September 3, 2023 In his book, Rejoicing in Christ, Michael Reeves writes, “On the cross we are given not only the sweet salvation of God but the counterintuitive revelation of God. On the cross we see how humble, how self-giving, how perfectly generous and compassionate the living God is. […]

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work

The Messiah’s Redeeming WorkZechariah 13:1-6August 27, 2023 A few years ago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Invention Index conducted a poll, asking what five inventions Americans believed they could not live without. The answers (in reverse order) were: 5. The microwave4. The cell phone3. The personal computer2. The automobile1. The toothbrush Another survey found that the […]

God’s Salvation of Israel

God’s Salvation of IsraelZechariah 12:10-14July 30, 2023 John Piper writes about the unlikely conversion of a sinner — A great testimony to the power of the Word to beget and sustain faith is found in the story of the conversion and execution of Tokichi Ishii—a man who was hanged for murder in Tokyo in […]

Sermon: God’s People? Saved! (Pt 2)

God’s People? Saved! (Pt 2) Romans 11:28-32 July 19, 2020 I like a good “who dunnit?” Sunday evenings, our family has enjoyed many hours of watching Masterpiece Mystery — Foyle’s War, Sherlock, Inspector Lewis, Miss Marple, Poirot, and Endeavour among them. I have read quite a few Agatha Christie mysteries, and other similar fare. In […]

Promises, Promises

We are used to people breaking promises. We assume politicians — Presidents, Senators, Representatives, State legislators, city councilmen and more — will break their promises. We know that some marriage vows being given in earnest this year will be broken in years to come. Promises to children for vacations and days away (“Six Flags!” and […]

Sermon: God’s People? Saved! (Pt 1)

God’s People? Saved! (Pt 1) Romans 11:25-27 July 12, 2020 How have you spent your COVID? It’s not the only thing we have done, but we spent at least four days attacking trees and shrubs in our yard — trimming, cutting down, and then digging out roots. By my count, I have dug out 10-12 […]

Sermon: Israel, God’s Promises, and Unexpected Favor

Israel, God’s Promises, and Unexpected Favor Romans 11:17-24 July 5, 2020 In Romans, Paul is establishing his credibility as an apostle and as a missionary. He wants the Roman church to be his sending church on his journey to Spain, and he is giving them his understanding of the gospel — man’s sin and lostness […]

Sermon: Failure and Faithfulness

Failure and Faithfulness Romans 11:11-16 June 28, 2020 The past four months of COVID-19 and unrighteous killings and riots have led to many questions, and few answers. Many questions have not just been asked about our political leaders, but also about God. All the questions about God might be summarized by three questions asked by […]

Sermon: What Happened???

What Happened??? Romans 11:7-10 March 8, 2020 I suppose that the most asked question in the universe is “why?” Because 2-4 year-olds ask that question so many times, no other question gets asked more often. But perhaps the next most-often asked question is, “what happened?” As in, “I just received this month’s credit card bill. […]

Sermon: What God Has Not Done (and Cannot Do)

What God Has Not Done (and Cannot Do) Romans 11:1-6 March 1, 2020 Rejection is hard. No one wants to be rejected and most people don’t like telling people, “No.” Sometimes saying, “no” is unavoidable, though. For instance, editors regularly have to tell authors “no” to book or article ideas. Here is how Brian Doyle, […]

Sermon: Gospel Longings

Gospel Longings Romans 9:1-5 May 26, 2019 What makes you sad? What makes your heart ache? What are your greatest sorrows? We likely have similar kinds of lists of sad things: Illness of a loved family member Cancer and terminal diseases in children (I was often profoundly sad walking halls of Cooks Hosp) Broken and […]