Mar 31, 2019
Love is Not Irritable
Series: Love Is
In Jesus’ parable, a judge gives a woman what she wants because she won’t stop bothering her and it irritates him! Jesus promises that, no matter how many times we “bother” God, He will never become irritated with our pleas!
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  • Mar 31, 2019Love is Not Irritable
    Mar 31, 2019
    Love is Not Irritable
    Series: Love Is
    In Jesus’ parable, a judge gives a woman what she wants because she won’t stop bothering her and it irritates him! Jesus promises that, no matter how many times we “bother” God, He will never become irritated with our pleas!
  • Mar 27, 2019Love is Not Self Seeking
    Mar 27, 2019
    Love is Not Self Seeking
    Series: Love Is
    In a culture that is selfish, we are called to be selfless. Being selfless helps us connect with others better because it focuses us on them and their needs.
  • Mar 20, 2019Love is Not Arrogant
    Mar 20, 2019
    Love is Not Arrogant
    Series: Love Is
    The ancient Israelites relied on themselves and their own spiritual desires rather than on God and His revealed spiritual order. Solomon reminds us, “An arrogant spirit comes before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). How can we humble ourselves under God?
  • Mar 17, 2019Love is Not Envious
    Mar 17, 2019
    Love is Not Envious
    Series: Love Is
    It was envy that got Jesus killed. The religious leaders were jealous that Jesus was smarter than them and had a more devoted following than them. Their envy led to death. Envy always kills – it kills joy, it kills fulfilment, and, many times, it kills achievement, because it’s so busy complaining about what it doesn’t have that it forgets to grow into what it could have.
  • Mar 10, 2019Love is…Patient
    Mar 10, 2019
    Love is…Patient
    Series: Love Is
    Saul was not patient in waiting for Samuel to make a burnt offering and give him a word from the Lord. Because of Saul’s lack of patience, Israel’s kingship was lost to his family. Impatience results in loss. This is why God is so patient with us – because He wants to keep us (cf. 2 Peter 3:9)!
  • Mar 3, 2019Gracious Giving, Generous Living
    Mar 3, 2019
    Gracious Giving, Generous Living
    Series: (All)
    The Apostle Peter is known for “stepping out of the boat” on faith (Matthew 14:22-33). He was able to do that because it was Jesus who was calling Him out of his position of relative security to one of apparent danger. Our leaps of faith aren’t as risky if God is the One calling us to leap. Truthfully, Peter was never in danger because Jesus was right there with him. Likewise, God calls us to step out of our safe comfort zone, into the seemingly dangerous water of generous giving. May we, like Peter, trust God to allow us to do what we ourselves are unable to do – give graciously and live generously!
  • Feb 24, 2019Miracles of Provision
    Feb 24, 2019
    Miracles of Provision
    Series: Miracles
    Each kind of miracle we’ve seen so far - deliverance, healing, protection - comes when we recognize that there’s no natural way out of the situation, so God must intervene.  It can be tempting, however, to assume that when the situation doesn’t seem desperate, that God doesn’t need to get involved.  But we must ask ourselves, when we are experiencing good health, deliverance from evil and protection from danger… isn’t God acting then too?  Today we will see something similar with God’s gift of provision.  Sometimes our need for food, shelter or some vital resource is so desperate that our only solution is a miracle of provision.  But what about when we are well fed and resourced?  Isn’t that a miracle too?
  • Feb 17, 2019Miracles of Protection
    Feb 17, 2019
    Miracles of Protection
    Series: Miracles
    Have you ever had an experience where you feel that God protected you?  Why is it that sometimes we are more inclined to think something is a coincidence rather than a miracle of protection?  Clearly we have many biblical examples of God protecting His people.  We see God protecting the Israelites as they pass through the Red Sea, Joseph as his brothers sell him into slavery, Daniel as he's thrown into the Lion's Den, and the Apostles as they are persecuted for the Gospel of Jesus.  Time and time again, God shows us that He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  May we take great comfort knowing that He is with us - in the storms of life, and even through the valley of the shadow of death. This is a miracle, isn’t it? 
  • Feb 10, 2019Miracles of Healing
    Feb 10, 2019
    Miracles of Healing
    Series: Miracles
    Have you ever heard about or even experienced a miraculous healing? It’s a wonderful thing. Just when the worst seems inevitable, God brings about healing that would otherwise be impossible.  From Elijah, to Jesus, to Peter, to Paul—miracles of healing are all throughout the Bible. Yet, when it comes to physical, mental, or emotional illness in our own lives, it gets harder to believe, doesn’t it? What do you do when you pray for healing and don't see the miracle you're looking for? It can be tempting to believe that God isn’t close to us, He doesn’t care, or maybe He’s not even real.  Shall we stop praying for healing?  By all means no.  We learn in God's word to ask, seek, and knock.  Jesus always hears us.
  • Feb 3, 2019Miracle of Deliverance
    Feb 3, 2019
    Miracle of Deliverance
    Series: Miracles
    We throw around the word “miracle” a lot. An underdog team pulls off the upset. A new diet pill helps you lose weight without even trying. A flight with engine trouble lands safely. But what about real miracles, when the truly impossible becomes reality? Do we really believe that can happen? For many of us, if we’re honest, the answer is “no.” We’d just as soon expect to see a pig fly. Around Jesus, though, it happened a lot. Eyesight to the blind. Diseases healed. The dead raised to life. Miracles happen. They still happen today. If we open our eyes, we might actually see the miracles God is doing around us, and if we look with the eyes of faith, we might even see one in our own lives.
  • Jan 6, 2019A Legendary Gift
    Jan 6, 2019
    A Legendary Gift
    Series: (All)
    Today is Epiphany.  It is one of the principal feasts of the Church, formally known as 'The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles'. This festival emphasizes that, from the moment of the Incarnation, the good news of Jesus Christ is for all: Jew and Gentile, the wise and the simple, male and female. Matthew’s account of the Magi is a familiar text. But it is interesting that we have become familiar with the magi - those gift bearers from the east - standing alongside the shepherds in our nativity scenes as if they all belonged there together.  It is, in fact, unlikely that these pagan worshipers would be standing alongside Jewish believers.  Yet, Christ draws all people to Himself. Epiphany Sunday, therefore, is a great opportunity for us to remember how wonderful it is that Christ has come not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles - which is most of us here today.  
  • Dec 30, 2018Destiny Certain
    Dec 30, 2018
    Destiny Certain
    Series: (All)
    We have been building up to Christmas for weeks, but now we celebrate that Jesus is born! His parents then bring Him to be circumcised and give Him the Name that God told them to name the Child ... the Name that is placed on us in our baptism - the Name of Jesus.  This means that as you head into your New Year you go with a Name, the Name of Jesus - a name at which every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.  A name that goes before you so you can praise and give thanks.  A name that is in you that has the power of life and victory over all evil.  A name that is on you so that on Judgement Day there can be no argument as to whom you belong.  Your destiny is certain.
  • Dec 25, 2018The Child Who is the Lord
    Dec 25, 2018
    The Child Who is the Lord
    The angel answered the carol’s question, “What child is this?” with the announcement, “a Savior, Christ the Lord.” And today that proclamation echoes through the Scripture we read, the creed we profess, the songs we sing, and even the prayers we bring for His sake. No matter what other people might think of the Babe of Bethlehem, we trust—because of the faith given to us by grace—that He is the one owning the titles bestowed on Him by the words Isaiah penned. In our worship, though, we must admit that we do indeed need the Savior; we need no one less than the Creator of all that exists to pay for both the sins we commit and our own sinful condition. Christmas is the time to celebrate the beginning of the fulfillment of all that God had promised, and it’s all wrapped up in the Babe, the Son of Mary, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
  • Dec 24, 2018The Christmas Story
    Dec 24, 2018
    The Christmas Story
    Series: (All)
    Regarding The Christmas Story, you may have some questions: What is this story about? Is it just a series of random events: a decree from an emperor, a virgin expecting a child, angels appearing to make an announcement, magi from the east, and no room at the inn?  Is there any reason to think that these events really happened? And if so, why do they matter to me?
  • Dec 16, 2018The Child Who is John’s Joy
    Dec 16, 2018
    The Child Who is John’s Joy
    It was a joyous scene when the ark of God drew near to Jerusalem in King David’s day. The ark of the covenant was such a gift of grace and mercy, David did something that adults—especially kings—never do. He leapt for joy before the ark. But it was an even more joyous scene when John the Baptist, the forerunner, met Jesus, the Savior, for the first time, while they were both still in their mothers’ wombs. John, in the womb of an elderly, formerly barren woman, leapt for joy at the voice of Mary, the Virgin carrying God’s Son in her womb. God’s special presence on earth would no longer be tied to a gold-covered box but rather to the incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Our hearts have every reason to leap for joy as John the Baptist leapt. God’s presence is among us as Christ draws near to us in His Word and Sacraments, and He has promised to be near to us forever when He comes again on the Last Day.