The King James Bible often introduces events with the words, “It came to pass . . .” A former colleague in ministry used to apply this clause as a word of encouragement in difficult situations. … Read More

The Gospel reading for the first Sunday in Advent is one we might rather have expected for Palm Sunday. It is St. Matthew’s account of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey … Read More

Yesterday, I discovered a disgusting and infuriating injustice. My bicycle—my beautiful practically-brand-new-50th-birthday-present bicycle—was stolen from what I thought was a perfectly secure location: locked with an expensive bicycle lock to the steel railing directly in … Read More

In Isaiah 55, we read: 10 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it … Read More

Reformation is the work of God’s Word both in and through the lives of His people. Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who served a prominent role in the Reformation in the Church of England, emphasized the importance … Read More

This year marks the 500th anniversary of Luther’s Reformation in Germany, which makes this coming Reformation Day (October 31) a special one. But as many are celebrating the life of Luther and looking back on … Read More

In our sermon series from 2 Peter 1, we are considering two kinds of love: philadelphia brotherly love and agape love. The first is the natural affection toward brothers and sisters with whom we hold … Read More

Jesus said it is what comes out of a person’s heart that defiles. So what is in our hearts? Since we do not have spiritual x-ray vision, it is sometimes difficult for us to see … Read More

This past Sunday in our sermon series in 2 Peter 1, we looked at the fifth link in the golden chain of Christian graces the apostle commends to his readers. Make every effort to add … Read More

There is a surprising richness in the language of the epistles of Simon Peter—the fisherman-turned-apostle. Peter was not a man formally educated in matters of Greek syntax and grammar. He was an ordinary man—not a … Read More