When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces) to show others they are fasting.

Why do we have to pray that God won’t lead us into temptation?Does God lead us into temptation?

Some views of the world describe history as an outworking of fundamental forces and chance happenings without purpose or foresight.

E. Stanley Jones once wrote about the three levels at which humans interact: the demonic level, the legalistic level, and the kingdom level. When we return evil for good we are living at the demonic level.

There is a weightiness to our words. With our words promises are made, vows are spoken, hearts are encouraged and wounds are bandaged up. With our words promises are broken, vows are misspoken, hearts are discouraged, and wounds are inflicted. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Baptism represents a decisive break from our former life. Going under the water reenacts the reality of dying to an old way of life with Jesus. Being brought up out of the water represents resurrecting to a new way of life through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit

Mountains matter in the story of Scripture. On the Mount of Sinai God gave Moses the Ten Commandments — rules for right living in relationship with God and humans.

In our polarized world we are called to be agents of radical reconciliation — all in response to the good news of God’s kingdom breaking into the world.

Jesus tells his followers they are the salt of the earth.  Notice that Jesus does not tell us to act like salt. He doesn’t tell us to become like salt. Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth.

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.”

Scripture teaches there is only one God. Yet this one God exists eternally as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One divine essence, three distinct persons who are fully and equally God in eternal relation with one another. 

Like Mary, we’ve been told something. Entrusted with something. And the question before us today, the same question that Mary faces is: What will we do with this Jesus? We actually do know the rest of the story.

Advent is about how good Jesus is to include us in his family. Jesus’ family lineage, as laid out in the beginning of the gospel of Matthew, included the notable and the scandalous.

Jonah is a prophet who gets swallowed by a great fish. He is in the belly of this great fish for three days. My son has asked me more than once, “Did this really happen?” In other words, is the book of Jonah a historical account? Or, is it more like a parable? Our teaching team is undecided.