Revelation 3:7-22 It’s very tempting to write today about the Laodicean church. I think there’s a common perception that today’s church is the church in Laodicea and is a lukewarm church. In truth, parts of the church have always been like this. But I am persuaded of better things for us, and so today I want to learn more about the incredible blessings Jesus Christ offers us today. Today He tells us that if we overcome the difficulties and obstacles... Read more
2 Peter 3:11-18 Have you heard the news? Jesus Christ is coming again! This is one of God’s sure promises. But if it’s true (and it is), then what kind of person should you be as a result? This is St. Peter’s great question to us today. Some in Peter and Paul’s day thought that because the coming of the Lord was imminent that they should sit around and wait and do nothing. Others, because He tarries so long,... Read more
2 Peter 3:1-10 Beloved, there are two things you need to know from this passage. First, the God that created the heavens and the earth is the one who preserves them and can also destroy them. Second, that God is not slack concerning His promises. Therefore, let us have confidence in our God because He is an almighty God and is faithful to His good promises. St. Peter’s words in 2 Peter 3:1-10 deal with the coming of the Lord. ... Read more
2 Peter 2:10-22 We must be careful with the way we present the gospel of Jesus Christ. I don’t just mean that we should avoid the errors of false teachers, which is obviously a critical task. I also mean that we must take great care to present the entire gospel, in its full strength, and not diluted by the culture or our desires to be relevant. The proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, whether in evangelism or missions... Read more
2 Peter 2:1-10a There is a dark side of many of the New Testament Epistles. But it occurs in some form in just about every New Testament letter: it is the subject of false teachers. I have avoided it in my meditations so far because it hasn’t directly been a part of my experience, and it doesn’t make for the easiest of subjects to meditate on. I feel very safe in the Reformed Episcopal Church, but the truth is... Read more
2 Peter 1:12-21 2 Peter 1:18-21 is perhaps the most important Scripture in Scripture about Scripture. In it, St. Peter tells us the value of Scripture, the origin of Scripture, and the way to guard Scripture. What we do together every morning in Give Us This Day is utterly dependent upon what we believe about the Word of God. If, as some have suggested, 2 Peter is not inspired, then we are wasting our time in staking our lives upon... Read more
2 Peter 1:1-11 Is it just me – or does St. Peter in this passage deal with the same theme we just saw in Colossians – that God is absolutely sovereign and man is accountable before Him? Isn’t this another variation on the theme of God’s grace in our lives and the necessity of good work? If I didn’t know better, I’d think God was trying to tell us something and coordinating this whole thing! To me, the most extraordinary... Read more
Philippians 4 Rejoice – for the Lord is at hand! I like to think of myself as saying this in a kind of John the Baptist voice (a la “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”), only with joy instead of penitence. Yes, even in Advent, we can experience joy. Of course, in Advent we are to anticipate the joys of Christmas the coming of Christ again into our lives. But even in Advent – even in Lent... Read more
Philippians 3 What is it about St. Paul that makes him so radical, so hardcore? What has possessed him so that he seems like a fanatic even to Christians? Some, such as Communists, become fanatics for the sake of an idea or an ideology. Some become fanatics out of fear. But St. Paul has shown us a more excellent reason to become a fanatic: so that we might know and live for Jesus Christ. Actually, as every Christian should be... Read more
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Tuesday of the First Sunday in Advent – Revelation 4
Revelation 4 In a sermon on Trinity Sunday given in the middle of the 19th century, the Anglican priest, poet, and professor, John Keble, said the following: “Suppose that by your own fault you were a friendless wanderer and outcast [homeless person on streets], turned out of your home, and not knowing where to lay your head: and suppose that in your wanderings you should come suddenly to a place, from which you heard strains of the sweetest and most... Read more