Good morning! Today is what is known as “Good Friday.” It is the Friday before Easter where we remember and commemorate Jesus’ death on the cross. But why call it ‘Good Friday’? What makes it good? Isn’t it a bit weird, a bit morbid, a bit odd, that for nigh on two thousand years people... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Who’s On Trial?
They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law came together. Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Drinking the Cup
Greetings Bethel! This is not how I anticipated us meeting again when I left for Florida just over a week ago. I am grateful for the technology that enables me to do this, but I am reminded of the words of John in his second letter, where he says, “Although I have much to write... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Knowing the Future
I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Mark 14. Mark 14:12-31. Mark is the second book of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This Lenten season, we are listening to the last three chapters of Mark as they tell us of the days and hours leading up to the... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Smell of the Bride
I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark. Mark 14:1-11. Mark is the second book of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - about 2/3 of the way through your Bible. Mark 14:1-11. For the weeks leading up to Easter, known as the season of... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Mercy Seat
This morning we are concluding our series on worship and mission. We have been looking at God’s instructions in the building of the tabernacle to grasp more deeply the connection between the worship of God and the mission of God. This morning we are in the heart of the tabernacle, in the inner room of... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Altar of Incense
I recently heard a story about two college students in Nashville. There had been a Christian revival going on in the high schools for a couple years, but had recently died down and been replaced with a growing number of rave parties being put on by a pair of guys in the city. If you... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Set On The Lampstand
- Find it (Exodus 25:31-40) - pay attention to the shape of tabernacle worship so that we can better see the fullness of what has come and is coming soon. - what is a calyx? Not a botanist, but to the best of my knowledge, it is the part of a flower that holds up... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Around the Table
I invite you to open your Bibles with me to Exodus 25:23-30. Exodus is the second book of the Bible - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Exodus 25:23-30. This winter we are listening together to God’s instructions in the building of the tabernacle to explore how God desires us to worship and how it related... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Go In & Go Out
I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus, chapter 30. Exodus 30:17-21. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. This winter we are exploring the intersection of worship and mission. We are looking at how God instructed his people to worship in the tabernacle, how that pointed ahead to Christ, and what that... Continue Reading →
Etz Pri 