A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me’” (Matthew 11:2-6). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! There is a line of thought among some Christians that having questions about God’s dealings with the world is somehow being unfaithful or disobedient. To justify God’s action that seems arbitrary or unjust to us, we are tempted to suppress doubts and stop short of being honest with God and ourselves. This motivation, a desire to trust God no matter what, is well-intended, but the result is often a reluctance to take...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of Him shall the nations inquire, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:10). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Imagine making a long drive to your favorite summer getaway in the woods, only to find that almost overnight every tree has been cut down and only the piles of dried-up branches remain. Further imagine that the cabin that had been in your family for years was burned to the ground, along with the homes of all your neighbors. The initial shock of such a loss is only the beginning. After that comes the grief that much has been taken… and the dread that more could be taken, too. Now put yourself in the shoes of the people of Judea, Isaiah’s audience as he utters his prophecy for the first time. The twelve tribes of Israel have been culled down to two. They look across the border to the northern kingdom and it’s a...

Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus said,] “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming ” (Matthew 24:37–42). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The last three Sundays of Pentecost, the constant theme of our Gospel lesson was that you need to be prepared at all times, because Jesus is coming in glory to judge, and He’s coming at an unexpected time. And today, as Advent begins and we look forward to the coming of Jesus at Christmas, the message of our Gospe...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and remembrance. A time for reflecting upon the bounteous blessings God has so freely bestowed upon us out of His lavish love and abundant mercy. A time for remembering the...