John 4:43-54 How many of you would like to participate in a miracle this morning? What? Only a few of you? Let me see your hands: how many of you would like to participate in a miracle this morning? (Hmmmm. It’s more difficult to count virtual hands than I’d anticipated!) Good! Keep that in mind as you hear the Word of the Lord this morning, because this morning God is offering you a chance to participate in a miracle He... Read more
John 4:27-42 “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” If you’ve read the New Testament enough times, this saying may be familiar to you. It may, regrettably, be so familiar to you that little meaning remains in it for you. But when Jesus says in verse 34 that “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work He is saying something so... Read more
John 4:15-26 Imagine that you are living in the first century, before the advent of Jesus Christ. You are a Jew, or a Samaritan, and you have the Old Testament and you believe it is the oracle of God. And so you understand that God has promised a Messiah, as even the Samaritan woman at the well understood. This Messiah was supposed to be the royal Son of David who would bring victory and prosperity to the nation of Israel... Read more
John 4:1-14 Sometimes the most common things are the most special and holy. Take water. Water is one of the most common substances found on earth. Chemically, it’s a very simply one as well, composed only of 1 oxygen and 2 hydrogen atoms. It comprises 70% of the surface of the earth. And yet it’s one of the most amazing substances God ever created. We don’t see how special it is because it is so common, as is the... Read more
John 3:22-36 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” This is a good verse to live by. Oh, it’s not likely to make anyone’s Top 100 verses, but I still think it’s pretty cool. Isn’t this the essence of the Christian life: that He must increase, but I must decrease? If you think about it, it’s just another way of saying that we must crucify the Old Man and put on Christ or that if we save our life... Read more
John 3:14-21 When did John 3:16 become the most famous verse in the Bible? I’m not sure. If you had to pick only one verse in the Bible to memorize, you probably couldn’t do better, although there are many others equally worthy. What I fear is that anyone would think that the verse is sufficient by itself. Implicit in this wonderful verse about the love of God is the sinister antithesis of the love of God: man’s disobedience and unlove... Read more
Ephesians 4:1-16 When I grew up in Champaign, Illinois for the first 10 years of my life, I had this incredible sense of being home and of being at peace. Though I’ve lived away from Champaign for more than 30 years now, there is a sense in which it is still the measure of what life could be. I’m convinced that one of the main reasons this is true is that my family, consisting of my Dad and Mom, two... Read more
Ephesians 3:14-21 There are many kinds of Christians, but among those I’ve known are Lone Ranger Larry and Sunday Susan. Lone Ranger Larry has been taught that the church is an invisible collection of individuals who happen to meet together on Sundays. He believes that God can be worshiped just as easily in one place as another and that churches are too institutional. He’s been taught as well that all that matters is an individual’s relationship with God. He claims... Read more
Ephesians 3:1-13 “Wonder what mystery Dad’s working on now?” Joe asked. His brother Frank looked eagerly down the platform of the Bayport railroad station. “It must be a very important case, the way Dad dashed off to Detroit. We’ll know in a few minutes.” Both boys were wondering about a certain surprise their father had hinted might be ready for them upon their return. Waiting with Frank and Joe was their best friend Chet Morton. “Your dad’s cases are always... Read more
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Monday of the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany – John 5:1-15
John 5:1-15 I want my miracle. The invalid man today had his miracle. Yes, I know he had to wait 38 years, but he had his miracle. I’ve had my chronic fatigue for 34 years now, and I’m sure many of you have had various ailments for a very long time, too. We want our miracles, Jesus. But if we don’t receive them, what then? What shall we do? Shall we complain to God, as if His daily grace... Read more