We all are so used to using means to achieve an end, like exercising to maintain our health, raking leaves so the lawn doesn’t die, or watching TV to fill an evening. But sometimes the means and the end coincide: having a meal with someone you love just to spend time with them. That’s what the kingdom is like. It is the means and the end.
Jesus loves people enough to warn them away from danger. He has an encounter with a young man who is seeking God-- to an extent-- and shows him the way.
Jesus spoke as if he was handing the "keys to the kingdom" to Peter. What did that mean for Peter? What does that mean for Christians?
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9) Karen Zuckerman is our guest preacher today.
Normal people and Christians can make similar mistakes in thinking about Jesus, two mistakes in particular: Jesus was only human, or Jesus is not really human. But in the Gospel of Matthew we see two worlds overlap -- the spiritual world and the mortal world -- in the clash of two kingdoms.
"Centuries of Western art depicting Jesus as fair-skinned may incline some of us to forget that he was a Middle Eastern Jew who lived under oppressive Roman rule....Today, Christianity is the largest and most diverse belief system in the world." -- Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin.
Come hear what this means, and why it is such a good thing. Sometimes our prayers are heartfelt and flow freely. Sometimes we don't know what to pray for. Jesus gave us words and a model for praying. We will take a look at the Lord's Prayer, especially one part we may not have given much attention to.
Has there been a season in your life where everything seemed to come together to make you who you are? That brought you to a place or a job or a moment that seemed both inevitable and good? John was baptizing people in the Jordan River in just that kind of moment.
Long live the king! -- if he's a good one. The birth of any king is disruptive. What power structures did Jesus disrupt? Is that good?
You know what it feels like to work without reward or without satisfaction. So what's the answer? "Quiet quitting"? "Malicious compliance"? Jesus, as always, show us a better way.
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Pastor MarkPastor Mark loves his wife and grown children, the Word of God, and words. And coffee, chocolate chip cookies, Apple products, small video projects, and the New England Patriots. Archives
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