Prepare Ye

27aug2017_em_sermon_ed.m4a Download File This is my manuscript for my sermons from August 27, 2017 based upon Ephesians 4:1-16. Above is a recording of one of the messages. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This passage is one of the reasons why Ephesians is one of the most quoted of the epistles. Ephesians is a general-purpose letter; it is a step-by-step explanation of our faith. This is the turning point in the letter. The first three chapters have talked about what Christ has done for us; how his life, death, and resurrection have given us the gift of grace from God, saving us from sin and death, promising us life beyond death, and eternity with a loving God. Now, it comes to our part. That’s why everything turns on the word, therefore. Therefore is a combiner word. It connects two, or more, different ideas, actions, or principles and says this is how they are related. Because of all of this that happened, THEREFOR

20august2017_sermon_naz_ed.m4a Download File 20august2017_sermon_os_ed.m4a Download File 20august2017_sermon_em_ed.m4a Download File This is the manuscript for my sermon on Sunday, August 20, based on Ephesians 2.11-22. The audio files for all 3 sermons are above. In each one, I strayed from my manuscript to differing degrees. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That the early church succeeded makes no sense. The entire movement was based upon Jesus, what he said, what he did, and who he was. When he ascended into heaven, growing the faith was left to his followers. However, time after time after time, they showed that they didn’t understand what he was doing, and what he was teaching them. They faced official opposition from both the political and secular arenas. The leaders of the Jewish people looked at them as heretics and those who betrayed the faith. The Roman auth

Ten years ago this morning, I started a new adventure. Just before 8:30 am, I walked from my new apartment into a new building, sat in the front row and began to learn Greek from a brilliant, hilarious, rabbit hating, lamination loving, table hopping New Testament scholar. I also met some of my dearest friends and most faithful leaders of the church. Many of them scared me. Some said they had wanted to be a pastor since before they were teenagers. I thought some of them still were teenagers. I hadn't even thought of being a pastor until a little old lady suggested in just over a year earlier. This group of people who gathered in Valentine 310 that morning (and several others along the way) have helped me in immeasurable ways. They have inspired, challenged, comforted, cajoled, kicked me in the ass, prayed for, hugged, motivated, questioned, tutored, accepted and just been there for me for each day since. They have done everything from inviting me to study sessions, teaching me how

This is an article I wrote for a local newspaper for a column by local pastors. I feel that I must address the protest by white nationalists, white supremacists and Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend. They began on Friday night by surrounding a church where clergy and community leaders gathered in prayer before preparing to be a counter-protest the next day. Outside of the church, the crowd chanted Nazi slogans and threatened violence. On Saturday, clergy and members of their church gathered in the park where the protest was to go, and sang hymns. The protesters came because a statue of a Confederate general was being removed. The community had decided that it was a symbol of hate and division, and should come down. After their rally, many of the white supremacists used the clubs and shields they brought with them to beat on those who came out to speak against their protest. One extremist drove his car into a group of other cars, killing

Below is my sermon for Sunday, August 13. It is based on Ephesians 1.1-14. We will be using Ephesians for a sermon series for the rest of August. An audio version is here . We are going to spend the rest of August with our text being from the letter to the Ephesians. I’d encourage you to take time and read the whole letter. It isn’t that long; only 6 chapters. It probably is only 3 or 4 pages in your Bible. I also encourage you to read it because it is a very general letter. Unlike almost every other letter, it doesn’t address any local or individual concern. There aren’t any issues you have to read between the lines to figure out. This is a very generic letter. One of my professors said it was almost a form letter. That is what makes it good to read. It is a straightforward, basic explanation of what it means to be a follower of Christ, what we receive and what we are to do. It reviews theme after theme: God, Christ, the church, our means of salvation, Christian beh

6august_joint_service_sermon___hospitality.aac Download File This is my manuscript for my sermon for our Joint Worship Service at Longwood Park. Approximately 80 people were in attendance. The lessons for my message are: Genesis 18:1-5; Hebrews 13:1-2; Leviticus 19:17-18, 33-34; Luke 14:12-14 and Matthew 25:31-46, and follow pictures at the end of my message. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I flew into Wausau airport on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 and was picked up by Russ Dean in preparation of meeting the call committee of Our Savior’s and Emmanuel for a dinner meeting later that night. Apparently, that meeting went well, or not too terrible, because they later voted to recommend calling me. The next day, Chuck Peterson took me back to the airport in Wausau, and after a few delays and flying through a thunderstorm I landed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the early hours of Thursday morning, and drove back to