Real Peace. Real People.

This chapter of Job seems out of place. We can call it an aside in the book of Job. Perhaps though we should give it a more elegant name. Perhaps we should call it an interlude. But is it really just an interlude? Does it really have nothing to say about suffering? And why is there such a profound and beautiful description of ancient mining? Why these verses - this incredible hymn to human progress? These and other far more profound questions find their answers in this sermon. Listen in!

Why do we sometimes not pray? Why do we sometimes refuse to pray for ourselves? Why is it that sometimes when we do pray we pray prayers that are completely sanitized? Job raises his complaint to God powerfully and as he does we learn from him about how to lament and grieve over our pain with God. In so doing, Job shows us how to see our lives through the lens of Jesus. Listen in!

Maybe you’ve noticed that humans have an almost supernatural ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Maybe you’ve further noticed that that means we have an almost uncanny ability to increase the pain of others instead of lessening it. Why is that? What’s in us that causes that? And how do we combat that in our lives and become people who are truly balm during the suffering of others around us? This is a sermon that explores that and finds in Jesus forgiveness and empowerment to be a true friend to others in this life. Listen in!

We often look at the story of Job and think about his losses and his tragedy and his pain. We think of how Satan took the spiritual knife of pain and stabbed it into Job’s heart. What we often miss, however, is the greater heavenly story that was playing out in the life of Job. Satan was trying to use Job to take a knife to the Lord’s heart. This sermon is designed to give the listener a chance to consider that reality and see how the Lord fights back in our lives and wins.

There is an overwhelming bunch of good news in this song. God has come to visit us; redeem us; and be the power of salvation for us. On and on the song goes like that exalting the grace and mercy of God toward his people. There is here, however, more than anything else an image of a new dad here - a dad who sings a lullaby to his children to hold them with his words. It is God telling you to just be held as you go through scares in life. Listen in.

There are reasons why we don’t sing. There are also reasons why we do. This song is all about the latter. It’s all about making the Lord as big as he actually is through meditating on his Words and promises. This sermon functions as a duet with Mary. Its goal is to enable you join and make it into a joyful chorus. Listen in!

The Rule of Jesus Begins(A Sermon Based on Luke 1:26-45)

There is an achingly real Mary that we need to notice here. Why? Because we all have achingly real lives. When we truly see her, we can truly see how Jesus comes to us. He comes as Savior and God. We don’t immediately rejoice over that, but the Spirit gets us there. Listen in to see how.

There are many, many miracles here in Luke 1. There is, however, one that may be most relevant of all to us: the silencing of Zechariah. This is a sermon that meditates on the meaning of that miracle. It seeks to let hope rise in the hearer in the unbreakable promises of God. Listen in.

What is this section of Hebrews about? Is it about spiritual siblings or strangers or the oppressed or sex or money or spiritual authority? What’s it about? It’s about all of that and none of that. It’s about the Christian denying their autonomy, but finally it’s about something more. It’s about - well - listen in.

Jesus is coming back for the second and final time. The Scriptures all point to that as The Day. What are we called to do in the meantime? What’s really worth it? This is a sermon that examines that and in so doing lays down an important teaching on the power of the Church. We need to be a part of it. Here’s why.