A Famine Not of Bread

This sermon is adapted from a stewardship sermon series written by Reed Lessing, "Parables and Possessions." Click here to listen to this sermon. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?   And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:34-40). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus ...

This sermon is adapted from a stewardship sermon series written by Reed Lessing, "Parables and Possessions." Click here to listen to this sermon. Our text for today is Matthew 25:14-30. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ! You had one job . That’s the name of a website featuring people who had one job but didn’t do it right. One showed a sign in a dollar store: “Open 9 days a week.” One shows the refrigerated dairy case stocked full of fruit juice . You had one job. That’s the big idea in today’s parable. And what’s that one job? Know the generosity of Jesus. Know the generosity of Jesus, not just with my head but with my heart. Not just with my mind, but with my emotions. Not just with my mouth but with my bank account. That’s the huge idea in today’s parable that teaches us about money management. Know the generosity of Jesus. Let’s take a look. First, The Financial Model. It’s all a gift. Jesus says, “ For it will be like a man goi...

Click here to listen to this sermon. On this day when your hearts are filled with both grief and joy, we are certainly reminded of the truth that life in this world is temporary. Isaiah writes, “ All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:6b-8). The psalmist prays, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!” (Psalm 39:4–5). We even incorporate the temporary into our language. We say that Gerrit passed away last Sunday. And even though Gerrit lived to be 83 years old in this passing world, we know that is really such a brief time when compared with eternity. As we gather t...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is Matthew 25:31-46, which has already been read. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It was 3:00 a.m. A piercing scream woke me. I thought it was the fire alarm, until I realized it was my own sweet baby daughter. Through the fog of my interrupted sleep I somehow realized that I was not equipped with the physical ability to nurse the famished little girl, especially at such an ungodly hour. So I nudged Aimee, who never has been as light a sleeper as I am. “She’s awake,” I said. Her response came so quickly I can only imagine that she had been rehearsing it every day while she’d been taking it easy in the hospital. “What’s your point?” Always the patient one, I said calmly and quite rationally: “She’s hungry. I can’t feed her. I don’t have the right equipment.” Again, it was like she had it all planned out. “Well, she probably also has a dirty diaper and the last time I noticed you still h...

"The Last Judgment" by Michelangelo Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Ready for a pop quiz? I’m going to read a quote and I want you to determine whether it is a statement of sound doctrine or false teaching. Don’t worry. I’m not taking grades. I’m not even going to ask you to raise your hands. Just answer in your own mind. Give yourself bonus points if you can identify the source. At [Christ’s] coming all people will rise again with their bodies and give an account concerning their own deeds. And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire. This is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved. So, is it sound doctrine or false teaching? It’s sound doctrine. In fact, it’s part of the Athanasian Creed, one of three ecumenical creeds of the Church.   One Sunday, a dear woman approached me after...