Preachrblog

  Isaiah 9:2-7 We live in a time of relative peace and prosperity.   But the people of ancient Israel – not so much.   They were surrounded by hostile nations, enemy armies, and rival kings who brought them all sorts of trouble.   Syrians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Philistines and Midianites, to name just a few.   They brought fear and hardship, they brought violence and death.   Garments rolled in blood.   Oppression.   Death.   Darkness. There were many hard times, and the people of old suffered under the cruel rod of oppressive tyrants from their own nation as well as from others.   But there were also better times, too.   That’s why, in part, anyway, they so regarded the reigns of David and Solomon.   Those were the glory days.   Then, we had it good!   The borders of the kingdom were vast.   The economy flourished.   The temple was built.   The other nations gave us respect.   And above all,...

  Mount Carmel 1 Kings 18:16-40 When the King calls you a “troubler of Israel”, it’s no idle insult.   But Elijah was ready for trouble, and so he threw down the gauntlet of challenge.   “All right, King Ahab, send your prophets of Baal.   Have them meet me at Mount Carmel, and we’ll have a contest to see whose god is God.”   The crowd of onlookers gather for the main event.   On the one side 450 prophets of the Canaanite fertility god, Baal.   On the other side, lone Elijah, prophet of Yahweh.   Lines are drawn.   Tensions build. The rules of the challenge are simple enough.   Each side builds an altar, offers a sacrifice of a bull, and prays to their god to send down consuming fire.   Everyone agrees and the challenge is afoot.   The prophets of Baal spend all morning, until midday, calling on their false god.   But because he is a false god, “there was no voice, and no one answered.”   How embarrassing. But...

 Deuteronomy 34:1-8 When a great person dies, we usually hear about.   It’s on the radio, on the news, in the social media.   Whether the Queen of England, who reigned the longest, or some famous singer whose music you really loved, or a comedian or actor.   People say nice things about the person who died, and ponder their significance.   Articles are written.   Maybe the funeral is even televised. Today we come to the death of Moses, one of the towering figures of the Old Testament.   We can’t cover all the mighty deeds God accomplished through Moses, but let this summary suffice:   Moses stood up to Pharaoh, “Let my people go”.   He saw the plagues.   He saw the Passover.   He saw the parting of the Red Sea.   He led the people to Mt. Sinai, where he met God at the top of the mountain.   He received the 10 commandments and the entire sacrificial system.   They built the Tabernacle.   They ate the daily manna...

  Genesis 22:1-19 If you’ve ever been to the top of a mountain, you know it’s hard to describe the experience.   I remember once going with a youth group to Pike’s Peak in Colorado, and how it almost seems like you’re on another planet as you stand there and take in the view.   There’s a reason people talk about “mountain top experiences”.   And Holy Scripture seems to key in on this, too.   Some of the most important, and also most interesting events in the Bible take place on a mountain.   Perhaps chief among these are Mount Sinai and Mount Calvary. This Advent, for our midweek series, we’re going to survey some of the lesser-known mountains, especially of the Old Testament.   Advent is perhaps the most Old-Testament-y time of the year.   In this season, we emphasize the long-suffering patience of God’s people who awaited the fulfillment of God’s Messianic promises.   We sort of mourn in lonely exile along with them, and empathize with ...

  The Last Sunday of the Church Year.   Sometimes called, “The Sunday of the Fulfillment” or “Christ the King Sunday”.   We come to the climax of our readings from Luke’s Gospel, and we find ourselves at the cross.   It’s a good place to be, with Jesus, on Good Friday.   It is Christ the King in the fullest and deepest and most profound sense, enthroned as he is on the cross.   The King of the Jews.   The Savior.   The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.   If you want to end your church year on a good note – you end it with Jesus, and his cross. Of course we have 2 of Jesus’ 7 words from the cross in this reading – and we will take them up shortly.   But even before that, some precious red letter words of Jesus as he speaks while carrying his cross.   To the women that followed him, he redirects their mourning.   “Don’t weep for me, weep for your yourselves and children.”   Even in his suffering, with death ...

  A Blessed All Saints Day to you.   As one of my pastor friends put it, this is the Day of Pentecost in the Fall.   And I think what he means by that is here, today, we have an emphasis on the church, the people of God. All who belong to Christ are, properly speaking, saints.   They are the holy ones of God.   Holy, not because of anything we bring to the table, and merits or worthiness.   But holy, only because the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ, makes us holy by his blood.   So even though it is a day highlighting the people of God, the saints, it is always first and foremost about Jesus. Over the years I have preached on the reading from Revelation 7 more than a few times – focusing us on that picture of the church in glory – a multitude robed in white, washed in the blood of the Lamb.   It’s a beautiful picture of the saints in their heavenly splendor. And then there’s also our Gospel reading, in which Jesus sets forth some beautiful and p...

Cain and Abel The oldest story of sibling rivalry.   The first murder.   A study in contrasts between acceptable and unacceptable worship.   And, finally, another striking glimpse of God’s mercy for the sinner.   The account of Cain and Abel this morning gives us much to consider. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.   Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain, became a farmer like his father.   Only it soon becomes clear that Cain also inherits the sin of his father.   Here we learn the first lesson from this passage – that we are sinners. That we, too, inherit sin from our fathers.   When Adam fell into sin, all his future children were also doomed, like Cain, to suffer the same corruption.   And how quickly the sin goes from simply eating a forbidden fruit – to premeditated murder.    We often like to think we are better than previous generations – more enlightened, more civilized, perhaps even with better morality.   But no...