God Has Had Mercy on Me November 11, 2015 Year B We often hear the expression: “God, please have mercy on me.” It is a cry of help out to God. We beg God to help us in our time of need. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. In other words, even though a more powerful person could punish or harm a weaker person, the powerful person... Read more
God’s Discipline Is Just for the Righteous God’s Discipline Is Just for the Righteous is a simple thought reflection on the nature of God’s discipline for His children from Psalm 94. November 10, 2015 Year B When people think about God’s judgment, they think rightly of punishment. The fool and the wicked will be judged (Psalm 94:8). However, the fool doesn’t understand that God’s discipline (which sounds like judgment) is just as just. God disciplines those He loves. He judges... Read more
The Starbucks Christmas Cup of Christ By now, I am sure many of you have heard of the controversy. CNN has reported, and the Huffington Post has commented, on the responses Starbucks is receiving on their new cup design for the Christmas season. Some are upset that the Christian symbols for Christmas were taken off of the cup that Starbucks promotes for the holidays. (Snopes lays out the facts and the truth in detail.) Some Christians have responded with... Read more
Matthew 6:16-18 Whenever You FAST We live in the only society in which an entire TV network is devoted to food! While fasting from food, however, we are also challenged to fast from sin, from gossip, from jealousy, from anger, and from those other things which, while well within our control, we all too often allow to control us. Just as we would refrain from eating a lot before going to an expensive restaurant for dinner—if we “ruin our appetite”... Read more
Top Ten Star Trek Films Here is a list of my top ten Star Trek films. First, I want to give two dishonorable mentions, and then I will list the rest of the films in order from worst to best. Dishonorable Mention(s): I will mention two Star Trek films that deserve dishonorable mention. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) was the worst film starring the original crew. I thought the idea of searching for God was an interesting premise.... Read more
Ancestor of the King November 7, 2015 Year B For many people, discovering the family’s roots is a great past-time. You soon discover that you are connected with famous or important people. If you are lucky, you discover that you are related to royalty. In this passage, we have a glimpse of the royalty relationship that Ruth has. She is the ancestor of the king, in this case, King David (Ruth 4:22). In a way, this is revisionist history. The... Read more
Loving One Another Also Means Loving the Poor November 6, 2015 Year B Today, we have a wide contrast between the rich and the poor. There is a high concentration of wealth that is centered on a very few people. At the same time, there are a wide variety of people who are poor. By poor, I mean people who are eking out a living so that they can put food on the table. In the Old Testament, God commanded... Read more
Happiness Comes From God Happiness Comes From God is a simple thought reflection from Psalm 127 on the work and family can be pursuits of happiness, but only if they come from God. November 5, 2015 Year B Happiness comes from God. In this psalm, we see two examples of happiness: work and family. Each of these examples are examples of happiness only because God is involved. When God is not involved, the result is in vain. First, work is... Read more
The Lord’s Lawsuit Against His People The Lord’s Lawsuit Against His People is a simple thought Lectionary reflection from Micah 6:1-8 on the fact that as God’s people, we should value people over property. November 4, 2015 Year B God tells His people to plead their case before Him (Micah 6:1). The Lord has brought on a lawsuit against His people (Micah 6:2). He calls upon the Earth as the judge who will listen to both cases (Micah 6:1, Micah... Read more
ACTS of Prayer ACTS of Prayer is an acronym sermon from Acts 1:1-14 on the model of corporate prayer in which we use adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication to pray. Prayer is the power to the engine of the work of the church. Acts 1:8 Jesus said that He would give us the power to be witnesses. What is the power that He gives to help us be His witnesses? That power is prayer. Acts 1:14 When you look a... Read more
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