Baptism of the Lord SundayText: Matthew 3:13-17In going to John the Baptist to be baptized, we recognize that Jesus is one of us. This sign of a life lived completely for God is a model for us; that our lives and our direction also should be lived in complete obedience and faithfulness to God.
“These Words Still Speak”Text: Matthew 2:13-15As Joseph is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt to save Jesus from Herod, Matthew’s Gospel quotes the book of Hosea; “Out of Egypt I called my son.” This reference to older scripture not only highlights parallels to the Exodus story, but also establishes that the life of…
Text: Matthew 11:2-11In response to the imprisoned John the Baptist’s question about who Jesus is, Jesus tells John’s followers about the things that are happening through Him. Like them, we are invited to see Jesus as the Messiah and the One who hears our cries, knows our prayers, shines light in the darkness, and remembers…
Text: Matthew 24:36-44As we begin the season of Advent, we recognize that sometimes we accept that the world is broken and just wait for Jesus to come again to fix things. However, the coming of Jesus and the expectation of His return isn’t an escape; it’s the fulfillment of a lifetime of preparation. We can…
Text: Luke 21:5-19The end of all things – even beautiful ones – is inevitable, as Jesus says about the Temple, but looking for signs of when this happens is not where our attention is supposed to be directed. Instead, we are called to endure through moments by living in the hope of God’s continued provision.…
Text: Luke 19:1-10The familiar story of Zacchaeus reminds us that God has always been looking for us to welcome Him into our lives and change the way in which we live among each other. Our past, titles, and labels do not need to define us because the Son of Man came to save us and…
Text: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5We continue reading Paul’s second letter to Timothy. This week, Paul encourages Timothy to remember the scriptures he read from childhood and recognize how Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the promises made in them. As followers of Christ, we receive our faith from the words found in Scripture which reveal to…
2 Timothy 1:3-14We welcome back Pastor Eric Larsen as our guest preacher. This week, we look at the “pattern of sound teaching” that Paul describes to Timothy. It is a faith that is 1) consistent and prayerful with a connection to Jesus, 2) continually practiced by being put into action, and 3) empowered by the…
Text: Luke 16:1-13Through the Parable of the Dishonest Manager, Jesus says that we must live in a way that practices for being ready to have a home in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Text: Luke 14:25-33This week, we read challenging words from Jesus on what one must do to become a disciple. They are not a call to destructive behaviors, but we recognize they have purpose; a way of setting us forth with a mission to follow Jesus and not let the temptations of other allegiances get in…