A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well” ( Luke 17:11–19).   Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Every year, the Gospel reading for Thanksgiving is the cleansing of the ten lepers. That’s unfortunate, for there are many Gospel read...

"The Healing of Peter's Mother-in-Law" by James Tisso t Click here to listen to this sermon. And immediately [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told Him about her. And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening at sundown they brought to Him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him. And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him, and they found Him and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” And He said to them, “Let us go on to the nex...

"Jesus and the Canaanite Woman" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs” (Matthew 15:26). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Western society, for the most part, has a high view of dogs. We invest a lot of emotional and financial resources in taking care of them. For many, probably for many of you, dogs are part of the family. A significant number of modern young couples have opted to have fur babies rather than bringing children into the world. The average dog owner spends about $1,200 a year for each dog. Many others splurge on spas, designer dog collars, gourmet food, and even electronic devices that allow them to “facetime” their dogs during the day. But throughout most of history and all around the world, people had a rather low opinion of dogs. We see that throughout Scripture. In Exodus 22:31, the term “dog” refers to the dogs that roamed...

"The Blind Man Washes in the Pool of Siloam" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Today we have the third of a series of sermons on the Gospel readings for the month of March. Each reading features a specific individual who was encountered by Jesus and was changed. They lived in times and places far from ours, but we have more in common with them than we might initially imagine.  The Gospel reading for this week, John 9, puts a blind man in the spotlight. The text is long and complex with several subplots. The disciples asked the wrong question. The parents distanced themselves from their son. The Pharisees bullied and refused to believe. The neighbors were confused. And then there was the mud and the spit. These details and subplots are all significant. But rather than trying to unpack them all, we’ll stick with the man in the middle, a man born blind. This man had lived his entire life...

"The Healing of Peter's Mother-in-law" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. "Immediately [Jesus] left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told Him about her. And He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. “That evening at sundown they brought to Him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew Him. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him, and they found Him and said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ And He said to them, ‘Let us go on to ...