John 6:22-59 Advent Series: One of the emphases of John’s gospel–in fact, the emphasis with which he begins his gospel–is that Jesus existed before the incarnation. Though that’s commonly understood among us as Christians, consider the strangeness and the offense this idea presented to John’s first readers: a man who spoke of existing before he was […]
John 3:1-21 Advent Series: One of the emphases of John’s gospel–in fact, the emphasis with which he begins his gospel–is that Jesus existed before the incarnation. Though that’s commonly understood among us as Christians, consider the strangeness and the offense this idea presented to John’s first readers: a man who spoke of existing before he was conceived. […]
John 1:1-18 Advent Series: One of the emphases of John’s gospel–in fact, the emphasis with which he begins his gospel–is that Jesus existed before the incarnation. Though that’s commonly understood among us as Christians, consider the strangeness and the offense this idea presented to John’s first readers: a man who spoke of existing before he was conceived. […]
Luke 6:27-36 Summary: The sixth commandment certainly means that the church needs to think deeply about the ethics of life and death—whether that’s abortion, medically assisted dying, capital punishment, or warfare. But as Jesus and the catechism state so clearly, the sixth commandment aims even deeper into the heart, forbidding even envy, anger and animosity, […]
Ephesians 6: 1-9 Summary: Authority can be a very difficult reality…both for those under authority and those in authority. And especially when compared to many other civilizations and cultures, 21st century North America doesn’t train us to have a very high view of authority. But authority is precious and important enough to God to have an […]
Exodus 3:7-15 / Lord’s Day 36 (Q&A 99, 100) Summary: Quite naturally, the third commandment most easily brings to mind the responsibility we have to never speak about God in ways that are disrespectful or irreverent. But are there other ways, besides our speech, in which we misuse God’s name? As God revealed to Moses […]
Psalm 65 Summary: Entitlement is the enemy of gratitude. The more we think we deserve something, the less likely we are to be thankful we’ve received it. That’s why it’s good for us to listen to the prayers of saints who’ve gone before us and pay attention to what stirs them to gratitude and praise. […]
Isaiah 46 / Lord’s Day 35 (Q&A 96, 97, 98) Summary: The Reformation brought some significant changes to our worship practices. While some Reformed churches, like Calvin, will include works of art depicting Christ in human form, long gone are the days of trying to worship God through statues or images. So then what does […]
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 / Lord’s Day 34 (Q&A 94, 95 only) Summary: The first commandment begins in much the same place that marriage vows begin: exclusivity. To really enter into this relationship, God says, it’s not enough to simply promise to love me–like a bride, you must forsake all others. “Having a god” is primarily about […]
Genesis 8:20-9:17 Summary: Imagine the fear and uncertainty with which Noah and his family would have had to live had God not made the promise he does in this text. Could another flood come at any moment and wipe us out…maybe this time for good? But here after the flood we see what becomes the […]