Eschatology is a theological term that refers to beliefs about the last days, final judgment, and the new creation. What does any of that have to do with Christmas? This Sunday, we’ll turn again to John the Baptist—no longer preaching repentance in the wilderness, but now sitting in prison and wondering if Jesus is the one he was expecting. John's eschatology led to confusion about the work of Jesus. Our eschatology may also lead us to be confused about God’s work on earth. So, what does Jesus tell John (and us) that will help us glorify God as we wait for the consummation of all things?

The second Sunday of Advent traditionally brings the ministry of John the Baptist into focus. The strange figure of John—dressed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and honey, preaching repentance in the wilderness—seems out of place in our preparation for Christmas, but he is an “Advent” character: someone who helps the people prepare themselves for the Messiah’s coming. This greatest of the prophets (as Jesus calls him) still points the way for us today. Do you see what John sees? Join us this Sunday as we continue our special Advent series through the Gospel of Luke.

Message from Rev. Eric Landry on December 1, 2024

Having defeated the giant Goliath, David is now a celebrity in Israel and even though only David, Samuel, and his brothers know that he has been anointed the new king, already people are reacting to him as if he is royalty. This Sunday, we’ll consider three different reactions to David’s emerging royal identity and consider how each reaction reflects the way we engage King Jesus in our own lives.

"David and ___." Just say the phrase and almost anyone can finish it. Even folks who have never read the story itself think they know the basic meaning: the little guy vs. the giant, the underdog gets the victory, unexpected weapons can take down a much bigger enemy. Is that the real meaning of this famous story? Do we read 1 Samuel 17 so we can figure out how to defeat the Goliaths in our life with “five smooth stones”? Join us this Sunday as we take a fresh look at a well-known story and see our Savior where too often we’re told to look for ourselves.

As we return to our study in 1 Samuel after a two week break, you might be surprised by what we find. The last time we saw David at the beginning of chapter 16, he had been sought out and anointed as the new king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him (some translations say, “gripped him”) from that day forward. We expect great things from this new king! But as we keep reading chapter 16, we find out that he is still with his father's sheep! And Saul is still on the throne! And when David is finally brought into the royal court, he doesn’t come as its king but as the king’s servant! David is on hold. Why does God call and empower people only to make them wait? Maybe you are waiting on God this week, wondering if and when his promises will come to pass. Join us, as we pick up the story of David and prepare ourselves for the kind of fruitful waiting that being faithful to God requires.

Message from Rev. Dr. Robert Godfrey on November 3, 2024

Message from Rev. Bryce Waller on October 27, 2024

The anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16 is soaked in literary irony; Israel’s King was supposed to “hear” the word of the LORD and obey. Not only does Israel not hear the warning of their prophet, Samuel, against their desire for a king, making them like the other nations, but their first king suffers from selective hearing.

In chapter 15, the use of “hearing” and Saul’s failure to heed the LORD’s word and the warning of His prophet contrasts with a truer king soon to be anointed in David. Samuel is also the “seer” of Israel but fails to “see” Saul rightly, choosing him as king for his appearance. All this sets up for a beautiful catastrophe cast in the opening line of chapter 16. Here, God inaugurates His own divine plan for Israel; “How long will you grieve over Saul? Fill your horn with oil, and go.” In other words, it is now the LORD’s turn to choose a king for His people. Samuel repeats his foolish choice in Eliab, who mirrors the appearance and charisma of Saul, but the LORD saves Israel from its savior (Dale Ralph Davis) and shows the reader what true sight is: “The LORD looks on the heart.” Beauty arises not externally but internally, and the Lord's “sight” discerns true beauty and true kingliness. His vision passes over all of Jesse's sons except one. David, the beloved son, the runt, the ugly duckling, the one not even invited to the sacrificial service or called by his father to be considered for kingship left to his domestic chores, is ironically the one “seen” by God as Israel’s king.

Here is a continuation of the great surprise of God’s sight and the great reversal of our cultural expectations. Robert Alter compares David to the story of Cinderella. But the key is the source of David’s inner beauty. He is a shepherd of the sheep. A man of sacrifice. A man capable of tender and gentle love. A man of great courage. A man attuned to the voice of the True Shepherd. God has seen His king in David, and in this ancient fairytale, our deepest longing rises to the surface, “Does anyone see me?”

Even before the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Americans had become used to the “holy war” Islamic radicals were waging against the West. It comes as a surprise to some then when they read passages like 1 Samuel 15 where God commands his people to wage a holy war against Gentile nations, like the Amalekites. But our discomfort with the term or even the prospect that God commands it should be shaped by the purpose and place of holy war in the work of God to redeem the world. This week, we turn to the next sad chapter of Saul’s life when, because of his partial faithfulness, God rejects him fully and finally as king. That sad episode is set within a context of God’s hatred of sin and absolute determination to make a a holy people for himself. Get ready for some heavy lifting this Sunday at Redeemer.