Sermons from December 2022
Out Of Egypt I Called My Son
Last week we considered the birth of Christ from the rare perspective of Joseph (Mt 1:18-23). This morning we are looking at another passage that is rarely preached during Advent (Mt 2:13-23). The story of Christmas contains varied emotions. Each character experienced significant fears even though there is also a great deal of hope. We miss what God wants us to understand when we avoid the hardship and only reflect on the joy. Do you allow room for lament in your celebration of Christmas?…
The Virgin Shall Conceive
Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy that confirms Jesus’ humanity as well as his royal heritage. Although Jesus was born into the line of King David, his immediate parents were actually poor and insignificant. Jesus had a true humanity. And yet, the genealogy was unique in how it explained his relationship to his parents. Instead of following the pattern of naming the father, Matthew carefully states that Joseph is not the physical father (Matt 1:16). More explanation is provided in our…
Exhort One Another Every Day
A new study from Pew Research Center concluded, “If recent trends in switching [changing one’s religious affiliation] hold, we projected that Christians could make up between 35% and 46% of the U.S. population in 2070.” Had Egypt conducted a survey of the trend of Israel’s growth while in slavery, they would have seen their own population eclipsed in fairly short order. Who could have predicted that almost the entire generation would die in the wilderness within forty years? Even though…