RG AUDIO 090920   Exodus 19:14-25 Kristine has often imagined what it would be like to receive an invitation to meet the Queen of England. In this unlikely event, she’s sure she would spend a great deal of time and thought, making sure that her outfit was just right, meticulously putting everything together, down to […]

RG AUDIO 090820   Exodus 19:7-13 Many years ago, I was driving home from a particularly discouraging encounter with a friend. I felt lost as I tried to navigate through the what ifs of the future. As I rounded a corner I was struck by the largest, most vibrant full moon I had ever seen. […]

RG AUDIO 090720   Exodus 19:1-6 Have you ever felt the desperate need of a loving embrace? Well, in Exodus 19, we read one of the many passages that expresses God’s loving care for God’s children. “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” (19:4) This language reads as if God were […]

RG AUDIO 090620   Psalm 148:1-14 What place does praise take in our worship? A significant portion of the Book of Psalms is the Hallel, the psalms of praise. The final collection (Psalms 146-150) begins and ends each psalm on the same note, “Praise the LORD,” in the Hebrew “Hallelujah!” These psalms were written to […]

RG AUDIO 090520   Luke 4:1-13 A pod of orcas in the northeast Pacific, a pride of lions on the Serengeti, a Bengal tiger in Bangladesh, all are apex predators. Yet, even they do not just attack whatever prey they encounter. They look for the weak, the old, the young, or one separated from its […]

RG AUDIO 090420   Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus begins His inaugural sermon with a powerful word, “blessed.” Blessed is what all believers long to be. To be blessed means God is active on our behalf. Yet, those blessed are “the poor in spirit.” They are the spiritually impoverished. They are neither deluded hypocrites nor this world’s […]

RG AUDIO 090320   Numbers 9:15-23 We are a restless people. It has been estimated that Americans move an average of 11.7 times in their lives. I once pastored along the Front Range of Colorado. The town where I lived, Longmont, was a town of about 8,000 at the end of World War II. When […]

RG AUDIO 090220   Psalm 19:8-14 In Psalm 19:1-6 “the heavens declare the glory of God.” Yet in verse 7 his attention turns to “the law of the LORD.” To David God’s law inspired the same reverential awe as the beautiful night sky. Do we feel that way? No? Then why not? Our view of […]

RG AUDIO 090120   Psalm 19:1-7 Have you ever really seen the night sky? Too few have. The problem is what astronomers call “light pollution.” Since most people live in or near brightly lit cities, they only see a handful of the brightest stars and planets. Our need for outdoor lighting is driven by our […]

RG AUDIO 083120   Genesis 1:1-9 As a boy I was allowed to use my father’s tools if I treated them with respect and put them away properly. Far too often, however, an abandoned pair of pliers became rusty, a screwdriver was bent or broken. When my misuse was discovered I faced the consequences. I […]