E100 #12: “Stepping Down into Darkness”Text: John 1:1-18By celebrating Christmas in August, we hope to get a fresh reading of the Christmas texts, hearing again what it meant for Jesus to empty Himself and step down into our darkness. The Incarnation provides us with a model of how we ought to live, walking through dark…
Baptism and Temptation – Matthew 3:13-4:17 They seem like such small things – commanding stones to become bread… or jumping off a high point. In fact, this first temptation doesn’t seem all that different from the temptation given to Adam and Eve–that was a pretty simple thing, right? Just eat this fruit from the tree,…
John the Baptist – Luke 3:1-20 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. – Luke 3:8a When Luke introduces John the Baptist to us, we meet a prophet who boldly speaks the truth without fear of offending anyone. Calling your audience a “brood of vipers” is not exactly at the top of the list of ways…
The Birth of Jesus – Luke 2:1-40 Merry Christmas! Angels, shepherds, mangers and swaddling clothes – the Christmas story is full of images that fill us with joy as we consider the “old, old story!” Carols, bells, candles and presents – our celebrations of Christmas are full of nostalgia as we remember the old-fashioned Christmases…
Gabriel’s Message – Luke 1:1-80 May it be to me as you have said. – Luke 1:38b In the middle of this familiar Christmas story, we find this one sentence, the importance of which cannot be overstated. Mary has just been given unbelievable and unimaginable news… she has no idea exactly how this will come…
The Word Became Flesh – John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1 These beautiful words are the opening to the Gospel according to John–and the beginning to a sequence of verses that are powerful, poetic, and full of meaning! John…
E100 #11: “Broken Cisterns”Text: Jeremiah 2:1-12; 31:31-34After providing an overview of Jeremiah’s life, Pastor Jon explores the words of Jeremiah, which reveal to us the character and nature of the heart of God. God continues to remember His people, even though they have forgotten Him and traded the Glory of the Living God for gods…
The Day of Judgment – Malachi 1:1-4:6 “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ – Malachi 1:7b Seven times in the book of Malachi we see a similar phrase. God makes an accusation against the people, and the people respond by saying “How have we ________?” They had apparantly become so wrapped up in…
The Story of Jonah – Jonah 1:1-4:11 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. – Jonah 1:16 Did you notice that the first converts in the book of Jonah were not the sinful residents of Nineveh? It was a group of…
Daniel in the Lion’s Den – Daniel 6:1-28 They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. – Dan. 6:4b The story of Daniel and the lion’s den is one of the earliest Bible stories we learn as children. Daniel gives us an example of unwavering commitment… a…