A Lenten message drawing on the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17) and the widow's oil (2 Kings 4), preached as the COVID-19 pandemic began, encouraging believers to name their needs honestly and trust that God delivers tangible, even supernatural, hope in the midst of bad circumstances.
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A Lenten sermon on Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19) and the parable of the minas, teaching that salvation rests on belonging and identity as a child of Abraham rather than performance, and that knowing we belong frees us to repent and live like our master.
Listen & readA Lenten message on the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14), exploring Jesus' unfailing compassion, the disciples' limited compassion, and God's provision, paired with the Lord's Prayer's petition for "daily bread" to encourage reliance on God for our needs.
Listen & readOpening the Lenten season, this sermon works through Romans 1-3 on sin as humanity's attempt to bear God's responsibilities, teaching that righteousness comes not by works but by faith in Jesus, and inviting the congregation to write confessions acknowledging their need for forgiveness.
Listen & readA study of 1 Timothy 2, where Paul urges prayer for those in authority so believers can live peaceful, quiet lives that are godly and dignified, arguing that the "mystery of godliness" in Christ equips Christians to bear God's character and be a beacon of hope.
Listen & readWrapping up the lessons-from-Christmas series with Philippians 1, where Paul writes from prison that the God who began a good work will complete it, to argue that God is committed to each believer's holiness and that trusting his commitments gives confidence and singular focus, since to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Listen & readContinuing the lessons-from-Christmas series on God's commitment to Israel, using the magi and Herod in Matthew 2, the Bethlehem prophecy of Micah 4-5, and God's one-sided covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, to show that God unequivocally keeps his promises and pursues even those who feel like a lost cause.
Listen & readContinuing the lessons-from-Christmas series on God's radical commitment to holiness, working through three linked stories in Luke 5, the healing and forgiving of the paralyzed man, the call of Levi the tax collector, and the new-wineskins parable, to present sin as an ontological reality and forgiveness as a complete new-creation change.
Listen & readPart of a series on lessons from Christmas, opening with the Apostles' Creed and arguing from Jesus' full life story, including the calling of Matthew in Matthew 9 and his Ephraim retreat in John 11, that God is not transactional but is present in and has redeemed every stage and emotion of human life.
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