Articles
Reflections
July 8, 2020
I am always intrigued by how Jesus taught. For instance, in today’s reading in Matthew 9, in reaction to the Pharisees judging him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus tells them to, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’” (v13).
July 7, 2020
Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit the unforgivable sin? Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be...
July 6, 2020
The words of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount dig very deeply into our souls. In Matthew 7 are perhaps some of the most difficult for us to obey, even though the concepts themselves are straightforward to understand. Let’s look at the example of choosing the narrow gate. Jesus tells us,
July 5, 2020
Here in the USA, COVID-19 cases are increasing again with daily positive test results breaking records.People are getting anxious again as we return to the stricter lockdown measures of a month ago. Will this thing ever go away? Will a vaccine be available soon, and will it successfully deal with the problem?
July 4, 2020
In Matthew 23:12, Jesus says, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Being humbled is an uncomfortable, but necessary part of growing in Christ. If we stubbornly resist God will make sure we encounter situations in our lives that do humble us.
July 3, 2020
The three temptations Jesus endured in the wilderness were more than just examples of how to deal with natural desires. They were specific temptations applicable to what Jesus was to face throughout his ministry. God had just declared Jesus to be His Son at his baptism when the voice from heaven said...
July 2, 2020
My favorite gospel record is the one recorded by Matthew, and one of the intriguing things about it is the way Matthew uses the Old Testament. There’s one such example in our reading today from chapter 2, where the apostle records Jesus going down into Egypt with Mary and Joseph after Herod’s command to...
July 1, 2020
The vision in Revelation 21 is something we all look forward to, the time when there will be “a new heaven and a new earth” (v1) and when God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (v4).
June 30, 2020
In our reading today from Revelation 19, there's a triumphant response to what has just happened in the previous chapter, where God has finally dealt with the corrupt religious system of Rome. The people in chapter 19 keep saying, "Hallelujah."
June 29, 2020
Our reading today in Isaiah 54 contains within it a beautiful reminder of God’s covenant love towards His people. In verses 7-8, God tells them He has disciplined them but won’t forget His everlasting covenant, saying in verse 8, “with everlasting love I will have compassion on you.”
June 29, 2020
Each Sunday we meet together to break bread and drink wine in memory of what Jesus accomplished for us. We remember Jesus in two ways, the bread and in the wine. Have you ever asked why we have two parts to remember? Read on for the answer...
June 28, 2020
There is an intriguing allegory that comes out of Eli's life and his interaction with Samuel. We're told in our reading from 1 Samuel 4 that "Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy." (v18).