Pastor Mark Tao of Immanuel Evangelical Covenant Church, speaks to us from Luke 24:13-35. Meet PASTOR | MARK TAO: He’s a recent graduate of North Park Theological Seminary, where he completed his M.Div. in 2013. Before starting in the pastorate, Mark taught adult English language learners in Chicago’s Chinatown. He has a B.A. in history from Wheaton College and a passion for exploring how the Chinese diaspora has influenced the shaping of American evangelicalism. Having roots in the immigrant experience, Mark is grateful to have been called to a multi-national place of worship where he remains interested in building bridges from the past to the future. Mark is husband to Valeri, whom he has been friends with since the second grade, and new father to Tobias. He enjoys sweets, basketball, redemptive films, and theological discussion over a good cup of coffee. He is also a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church’s commission on Covenant History and the Central Conference Commission of Compassion, Mercy, and Justice. Email: pastor(a)immanuelcov.org

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: Reconciling the Image of God

Text: Matthew 5.21-24

Summary: As Jesus enters into his sermon on the Mount, he explores the relationship between murder, calling someone "raca," and calling someone fool. The common thread is the image of God. This sermon explores why it is so important to understand the Imago Dei, why it is so serious to desecrate that, and how it is that we can begin to reconcile both with others and ourselves.

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: Reconciling the Image of God

Text: Matthew 5.21-24

Summary: As Jesus enters into his sermon on the Mount, he explores the relationship between murder, calling someone "raca," and calling someone fool. The common thread is the image of God. This sermon explores why it is so important to understand the Imago Dei, why it is so serious to desecrate that, and how it is that we can begin to reconcile both with others and ourselves.

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: Salt, Light, & A City on a Hill

Text: Matthew 5.1-16

Summary: The bridge between the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount is a triad of images from Jesus: we are to be salt of the earth, light of the world, and a city on a hill. These images are significant, but often misunderstood. What is Jesus calling us to exactly when he uses these images?

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: Salt, Light, & A City on a Hill

Text: Matthew 5.1-16

Summary: The bridge between the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount is a triad of images from Jesus: we are to be salt of the earth, light of the world, and a city on a hill. These images are significant, but often misunderstood. What is Jesus calling us to exactly when he uses these images?

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: The Beatitudes

Text: Matthew 5.1-12

Summary: In one of the most famous passages in the entire Bible, Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with the "blessings" of those who follow Christ. If seen as another to-do, these Beatitudes become a tiresome burden. But when seen as a vision for what Jesus Christ is hoping to transform us into, it is incredibly inspirational and compelling.

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: The Beatitudes

Text: Matthew 5.1-12

Summary: In one of the most famous passages in the entire Bible, Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with the "blessings" of those who follow Christ. If seen as another to-do, these Beatitudes become a tiresome burden. But when seen as a vision for what Jesus Christ is hoping to transform us into, it is incredibly inspirational and compelling.

Series: The Sermon on the Mount

Title: The Beatitudes

Text: Matthew 5.1-12

Summary: In one of the most famous passages in the entire Bible, Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with the "blessings" of those who follow Christ. If seen as another to-do, these Beatitudes become a tiresome burden. But when seen as a vision for what Jesus Christ is hoping to transform us into, it is incredibly inspirational and compelling.

Series: The book of Matthew

Title: The Resurrection of Jesus

Text: Matthew 28.1-20

Summary: Throughout the book of Matthew we see an unevenness to the disciples - their courage wavered, their faith vacillated, and they struggled to comprehend the mission of Jesus. But that all changed after they encountered the Resurrected Jesus. The words "I am with you always," combined with the reality of the Risen Christ, produced a courageous confidence in them that would never again disappear. We too can have that courageous confidence when we see how the Resurrected Christ transforms we see both our pasts and our future.

Series: The Book of Matthew

Title: The Crucifixion

Text: Matthew 27:45-56

Summary: The last day of Jesus was gruesome and graphic. In this chapter Matthew details the final hours of Jesus life and shows us the meaning of Jesus' crucifixion, as well as the ways in which this is good news that transforms human lives