Latest Sermons

(Psalm 32) Every culture has a vision of the good life. What does it mean to live the good life? As we see in Psalm 32, the experience of the forgiveness of sins is essential to the good life.  

(Mark 10:13-16) Jesus welcomed children that parents brought to him for Jesus to bless–even though the disciples thought it was a disturbance that should be dismissed. How do we hinder children now? Even in the church we fail to take young people seriously–understanding their problems and incorporating them into the body of Christ. Kids of […]

(Luke 3:1-18) John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. What kind of preparation is needed for God? In the gospel of Luke people encounter Jesus – some “see” him for who he is, others cannot quite “see” him. The difference is usually about a heart prepared. (Introduction to […]

(Luke 2:22-35) As Simeon waits for the salvation of the Lord and then rejoices in the birth of Jesus Christ–the Messiah, so do we all long for the promises of God to be fulfilled in the form of his presence with us.

(Luke 2:1-20) What does it tell us about God that he became a baby on Christmas? (Sermon preached on Christmas Eve 2011)

(Isaiah 9 & Luke 1) The peace we all seek is the same that the prophets longed for and prophecied. The peace we long for is only possible when we dwell with God. At Christmas, God comes to dwell with us in the person of Jesus Christ–our source of true and lasting peace. (Part 7 […]

(Luke 8:26-48) Both the man possessed with a Legion of demons and the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years needed Jesus to heal them, to save them and to return them home. We all have a longing to belong, for permanence, for places which we were made for–we desire to be home. But […]

(Luke 7:36-50) In the search for significance and meaning we stray far from our God intended order (Gen 1) because we are inherently sinful (Gen 3). Rather than seeking our significance in God who created us, we seek to be gods and find significance on our own. In Luke 7 a sinful woman lays down […]

(John 2:1-11). Jesus first miracle is turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. What does this say about what Jesus came to do? He came to bring a kingdom of celebration. Jesus is the source of all of true joys–of our longings for happiness fulfilled. (Part 4 of a seven part series on Desires)

(John 4) We all desperately long to be loved and accepted, to be known deeply and intimately. But because we are alienated from God, we are alienated from each other. Jesus reconciles the woman at the well to God the Father so that she can be reconciled to herself–her sin and need–and be reconciled to […]

(Luke 15:25-32) The older brother obeys his father and follows all the rules to obligate his father to him, to get his father’s stuff. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus implicates Pharisees who through their moral goodness and religious performance seek to control God. All of us have Older Brother tendencies. We assume […]

(Luke 15:11-24) The younger brother desires freedom, to find heaven on his own. He does not realize that what he really needs can only be found in his Father’s house, until he finally comes to his senses and returns. But even then he is not fully prepared for the lavish love and generous grace of […]