Our Savior, the Son of Man

“Our Savior, the Son of Man”Luke 1-9 SummaryMarch 29, 2026 When you think about Christ, how do you characterize Him?  What is He like?  What does He do?  How is He different from everyone else that has walked on earth so that we should believe in and follow Him?  John Newton said that Christ is […]

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Our Great God

“Our Great God”Luke 9:37-45March 15, 2026 In recent years, it seems that there has been a fair bit of talk about GOATs.  Not goats, as in “domesticated, social, and intelligent mammals in the Bovidae family, related to sheep, known for providing milk, meat, and fiber.”  GOATs as in the Greatest of All-Time.  As in Willie […]

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The Son of Man, Revealed

“The Son of Man, Revealed”Luke 9:28-36March 1, 2026 In Luke 14, Jesus offers two parables to explain the importance of considering the cost of believing in Him and following Him:  a builder who makes sure he has enough money to construct his tower and a king in battle who first determines if he has enough […]

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You Will Lose Your Life

“You Will Lose Your Life”Luke 9:23-27February 22, 2026 Perhaps no advertising campaign has ever been as successful as the one undertaken by the US government in 1917.  Initially designed to promote patriotism and enlist men into the military for World War I the campaign has persisted and remained an iconic slogan in American culture:  “[Uncle […]

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Building the Church

“Building the Church”1 Corinthians 12February 15, 2026 Someone called this maze of relationships, “the theory of relativity:” …consider the marriage mayhem created when 76-year-old Bill Baker of London recently wed Edna Harvey. She happened to be his granddaughter’s husband’s mother [granddaughter’s mother-in-law]. That’s where the confusion began, according to Baker’s granddaughter, Lynn. “My mother-in-law is […]

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Teach Us the Gospel

“Teach Us the Gospel”Selected ScripturesJanuary 18, 2026 Ask the question, “What is the gospel?” (even in the church) and you will get almost as many answers to that question as there are people.  There just does not seem to be much consensus on that question. In his book, What is the Gospel? Greg Gilbert recounts […]

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Teach Us to Pray

“Teach Us to Pray”Selected Scriptures in LukeJanuary 11, 2026 After quoting Luke 18:1, J. C. Ryle writes —  I have a question to offer you. It is contained in three words, DO YOU PRAY? The question is one that none but you can answer. Whether you attend public worship or not, your minister knows. Whether […]

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The Rest of the Word

  “The Rest of the Word”Hebrews 4:12-13December 28, 2025 I’ve finished six pillows in Needlepoint,And I’m reading Jane Austen and Kant,And I’m up to the pork with black beans in Advanced Chinese Cooking. I don’t have to struggle to find myselfFor I already know what I want.I want to be healthy and wise and extremely […]

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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 […]

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The Training of the Twelve, Pt. 1

  “The Training of the Twelve” Pt. 1Luke 9:1-11December 14, 2025 It’s Christmas season.  And there is a common question being asked these days:  “Do we have enough?”  E.g., Do we have enough food? Do we have enough cookies? Do we have enough gifts? Do we have enough decorations (lights on the house, tinsel on […]

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The Tale of Two “Daughters”

  “The Tale of Two ‘Daughters’”Luke 8:40-56November 30, 2025 Pain is universal.  Suffering is common.  Illness, though frequent and normal, often surprises us.  Death is one out of one.  We recoil against all of these.  And God uses pain, illness, and death to sanctify us.  Samuel Rutherford wrote that believers should “praise God for the […]

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Jesus, in the Storms of Life

“Jesus, in the Storms of Life”Luke 8:22-25November 2, 2025 Call it what you want — affliction, calamity, difficulty, disaster, disease, hardship, horror, illness/sickness, pain, persecution, suffering, tragedy, trial, trouble — life is filled with events and circumstances that seem contrary to us.  It has always been that way, the Bible is filled with it: Murder […]

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How is Your Hearing? Pt. 2

  “How is Your Hearing?” Pt. 2Luke 8:16-21October 26, 2025 I have some tools in my workshop and some more in our kitchen that need some attention: My air compressor hose has a leak at the joint where the tool connects. The tools still work, but while I’m working there is a constant sound of […]

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