The Hebrew word for angel is “malach,” which means “messenger.” In the long history of Christianity, God has sent many messengers to speak his Word to the church. Sometimes these messengers were the spiritual being we call angels. But most of the time these messengers were human, men who lived and died…

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” The lawyer in our text gives voice to the question that believers have been asking since the Fall. We might put it into different words, but I’m sure that each person here wrestled with some form of this question. What great thing can I do in order…

Give any human institution enough time, and it will eventually become so complicated that normal people no longer have a clue how things run. Fallen human nature and bureaucracy always go together. Take the tax code, for example. Only professionals who study it for a living can understand it. The same…

Give any human institution enough time, and it will eventually become so complicated that normal people no longer have a clue how things run. Fallen human nature and bureaucracy always go together. Take the tax code, for example. Only professionals who study it for a living can understand it. The same…

Many people choose a religion in the same way that we might choose ice cream. Whether you like rocky road, strawberry, or rainbow sherbet, there is a flavor to suite your taste. Some people here may remember the old days, when there were only two flavors: vanilla or chocolate. But along came Baskin Robbins…

Leprosy is the dread disease of Bible times. There was no treatment and no cure. To have leprosy was basically a death sentence, even though it often took many years for the disease to run its course. But certain effects of leprosy were instantaneous. Immediately after being diagnosed, the leper was…

“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” A hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book… and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. And he said to me, “Son of man,…

Our Gospel text seems very plain and simple. Jesus heals a man who was deaf and mute. Ok, we know this happened. We believe it’s true. Jesus has the power to open the ears and mouth of the deaf. No believer questions that. But what about this story is so important that the church fathers thought it should…

Three men went up to the temple to pray. One was a self-righteous Pharisee. The second was a wicked sinner. The third was neither self-righteous, nor a wicked sinner. Of course, he sinned occasionally—everyone does—but just enough to keep him humble. This third man is the one that we would all like to…

As a parent have you ever watched your adult children start down a path that you know will lead to heartbreak and sorrow. What can you do? You can warn, you can plead, you can try to show them reason, but when these things fail, what is left? You can’t physically restrain your grown children, even though…