People are Treasure
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Amos 8:4-7 Amos 8:4-7 Tucked back in the folds of the Old Testament prophets are those smaller writings that we label as “the minor prophets.” As I have written several...
Reaching
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Luke 15:1-10 Luke 15:1-10 Most of us know the stories told by the Savior in Luke 15. They’re about lost stuff being found. Sheep, coins, and persons; lost and found. They are marvelous. Even on the...
Strength and Mercy
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Epistle, 1 Timothy 1:12-17 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Most of us, as we age, tend to notice that there are certain things that don’t come as easily as they used to. It can be physical weakness or mental focus, a...
Shepherd
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Ezekiel 34:11-24 Ezekiel 34:11-24 Any discussion of shepherds, sheep, wolves and the like are loaded in the Bible. What do I mean? Well, early on God himself portrays himself as a shepherd of his...
No Rivals
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Luke 14:25-35 Luke 14:25-35 One of my favorite pastor/writers is A. W. Tozer. Tozer pastored in the middle of the 20th century both in America and Canada and was a favorite among many American evangelicals. Favorite to some, but...
Fruit
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Epistle, Philemon 1-21 Philemon 1-21 Probably no New Testament letter is as unfamiliar to Bible readers as the little book of Philemon. It is a letter from Paul, imprisoned, now as an old man for preaching the gospel of our Lord...
Movement of the Heart
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Pretty simple stuff here from dear old Moses. God is life. There are no viable options. But here is something not so simple. Life, or the attempts at life...
Tested
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: Gospel, Luke 4:1-14 Luke 4:1-14 Baptism is an entrance. Baptism is a purposeful prelude. Have you ever looked at Holy Baptism that way? Oh, the magnificent treasures brought to us in our...
We Are Family
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: Epistle, Hebrews 13:1-17 Hebrews 13:1-17 A few years ago a pop group called “The Pointer Sisters” brought a fun and funky tune to the pop music world called, “We are family.” It spouted all...
Humble
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: Old Testament, Proverbs 25:2-10 Proverbs 25:2-10 Dear Dr. Mitchell at the seminary used to love to remind us of the quip from King Solomon, “In all thy getting, get wisdom.” Solomon’s great collection of proverbs...
