Dear friends in Christ, It seems like most of us have experienced someone asking us about being tired and then we’re left trying to recall the last time that we weren’t tired. Weariness seems to be a way of life, and it’s caused by life in this fallen world. It...
Dear friends in Christ, It’s June? The pascal candle has been put back in its place by the font. The paraments have changed. Why are we talking about Easter? The Easter proclamation of “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” echoes far beyond the fifty days of the Easter...
Dear friends in Christ, We all know that we live in a world that is increasingly unstable with culture shifts, economic pressures, family struggles, and unrest in our nation and world. We see and feel these struggles in our congregations too with aging memberships, financial struggles, and cultural pressures. In...
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2 ESV). Dear friends of Jesus, St. Paul’s words cut straight to the marrow. In a world fascinated with novelty, personality, and spiritual technique, Paul narrows everything down to one blazing center: “Jesus Christ...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV). John 3:16 is not a slogan; it is the Gospel in its purest form. Notice first the subject: God. The movement begins not...
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16 KJV). The Epistle to the Hebrews does not invite timid speculation about God’s favor. It commands something astonishing: “Let us therefore come boldly.” The...
“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10 ESV). The sons of Korah are not exaggerating. They are confessing faith. The psalmist has tasted something...
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1 ESV) Psalm 118 is a song of triumph and trust, a hymn of thanksgiving that resonates deeply with God’s children, pointing us to the comfort and hope found in God’s unchanging love and...
“I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy” (Psalm 116:1 ESV). Psalm 116 rises like a grateful song after the longest night, a heartfelt thanksgiving from one pulled back from the edge of death itself. It speaks straight to the soul weighed down by...
“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!” (Psalm 148:1, ESV) Psalm 148 rises like a mighty chorus on a still morning, calling every corner of creation to lift its voice in praise. From the highest heavens to the deepest seas, from shining stars to...