Christ is the rock on which we can build our lives. On Easter, we learn that his promises and work can be trusted since God raised him from the dead.
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Humanity is torn down to the ground at the cross. We are revealed to be the sinners we are. Cowards, like the disciples. Helpless, like the women on Golgotha. Indifferent, like the crowds. Self-righteous, like the religious leaders. Cruel and callous, like Pilate and the soldiers. A good and all powerful God should fix this. But “fix” means to start over. Everything must die. Including God's Son.
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Is it Maundy or Holy Thursday? Is there a difference?
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Jesus urges us to build our lives on his promises. He has saved us and will raise us up: what is their to worry about?
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The Lord is bound and determined to have fruit from his vineyard, even at the cost of the Son's life, and the Spirit's work in resurrecting dead tenants to become something new.
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The parable of the prodigal son is really about three people: the younger brother, yes, but also the older brother and the father. The character of the brothers reveals how sin works in our lives; the character of the father reveals the extents to which the Lord will go to reconcile us to him and to each other.
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The Lord allows us to sin against each other, and for creation itself to visit evil on all of us, that some of us might repent and turn to him and each other in forgiveness for the sake of Jesus.
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Aesop's Fables are a collection of short, allegorical stories, often featuring animals, that teach moral lessons. You know who loved Aesop’s fables, and even translated them so more people could read them? Martin Luther.
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The prophets of God have often met with him on mountaintops. But the Lord has always done his best, saving work in both physical and metaphorical valleys.
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What makes for a mature Christian? Our Gospel lesson from Luke 5:1-11 and our Old Testament lesson from Isaiah 6:1-8 give us some good direction.
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Relections on 1 Corinthians 13.
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Canada has it's speeches from the throne, the US it's inaugural addresses, but Jesus sets out his agenda as king in Capernaum by quoting the prophet Isaiah.
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Luke’s Gospel can be read in many ways. A Gospel of reconciliation, a Gospel of mercy towards the least. But it is also a warning. That the Lord’s wisdom is often never appreciated until it’s too late.
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If there are any outstanding models in the Scriptures of patience, surely they would be Simeon and Anna. Both spent the better part of a lifetime waiting for the consolation of Israel. What enabled them to show such patience? What can we learn from them about faith in the Lord's promises?
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All of the best fantasy fiction books move from light to darkness to light again. Star Wars contrasts the light side of the force with the dark shades of the Death Star and Darth Vader. The Lord of the Rings contrasts the lightness of the world of men with the darkness of Mordor, the domain of Sauron and his legions of Orcs. In the Harry Potter series, school headmaster Albus Dumbledore speaks these words right before some very trying times: “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” ("The Prisoner of Azkaban"). Because where there is Christ, there is light, and where there is light, there is life.
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No matter where he looked, or how often he prayed, or how many worship services he attended, the man simply could not find peace. He said that his “conscience could never achieve certainty but was always in doubt and said: “You have not done this correctly. You were not contrite enough. You omitted this in your confession.” The more he tried to please the Lord the more “uncertain, weak, and troubled” he became. Was there nowhere he could go to find a God who forgave him, who loved him, who would show him mercy?
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"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" (Luke 1:39-42, ESV)
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"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” Luke 7:32-35
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John the Baptist certainly sounded like a revolutionary. But he was calling for a different kind of revolution than any we have seen before or since.
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"Peace on earth, peace in heaven." As hard to believe as peace in the Middle East, or Eastern Europe, or Asia - or anywhere. Yet it is the Lord's will to reconcile all things to himself through the blood of his cross.
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You may never have thought about this: when you are asleep you are still alive. Your heart beats, you breathe, and your brain is still firing - you dream.There is therefore a difference between being alive and being awake. What IS that difference? That’s what Jesus is asking us today. Not, “are you alive?” but “are you awake?”
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The Rock of the Resurrection
17:04
Building on the Cross
13:13
Maundy or Holy?
7:29
Building on Christ
12:19
Sending Everyone
16:49
Two Lost Sons
14:38
Pruned by Hardship
11:30
The Fox and the Eagle
12:55
Money, Power, and Fame
17:29
The Lord of the Valleys
15:14
The Map and the Fuel
12:52
The Resurrection of the Dead
16:31
The Mature Christian
14:56
Who is Love?
8:46
The Nazareth Manifesto
14:45
The Best Leader
12:53
The Wisdom of Jesus
13:29
The Gift of Patience
12:08
Christ is the Light
10:23
Finding a Merciful Lord
11:54
In the Hill Country
11:17
Playing the Right Tune
12:27
A Different Kind of Revolution
17:54
Heaven and Earth, Reconciled
12:04
Stay Awake
17:01