In Luke 2:52, we learn “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Jesus grew up. He learned. Though he always had a special relationship with his heavenly father, Jesus, being fully human like us, learned from Mary and Joseph. Luke rightly focuses his telling of the birth of... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Genealogy of the Messiah
How many days until Christmas? Anybody counting? That is a long time to wait. If you were cool like the Dutch, you could celebrate Sinterklaas this coming Tuesday and open your presents then. It is probably different depending on where you are in life, but as a kid Christmas seemed to take forever to get... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Do you believe this?
We have reached the end of our time exploring the core teaching of the Christian faith through the words of the Apostles’ Creed. Our hope has been that you have learned more deeply what Christians believe and why we believe it. We end this morning in the gospel of John, chapter 11, beginning in verse... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Communion of the Saints
It is good to be back. Thank you to those of you who prayed for us on our trips. Both Wittenberg and Canada were beautiful. But it is good to be back with our people. We pick up again in the middle of our series on the Apostles’ Creed. We have been exploring together this... Continue Reading →
Reformation 500: A View from Berlin
On my journey to Lutherstadt Wittenberg to celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, I was blessed to spend a day in Berlin. As I prepared to meditate on the core of the gospel the next day, I wandered the streets of this city of 3.5 million. As I walked, I observed the... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Holy Catholic Church
Words can become weapons. Words that should unite us, that should defined our shared life are used to draw lines, divide, and separate. In 1882, members of the congregation of Pillar Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan, entered the church with axe handles and chains, locking the doors and barring the consistory from entering the church.... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Holy Spirit
[This sermon was part of a series on the Apostles' Creed. It may be helpful to read the creed and its exposition in the Heidelberg Catechism, which were recited corporately prior to the sermon.] In our journey through the core teachings of the Christian faith, we have arrived at God the Holy Spirit. The Spirit... Continue Reading →
Sermon: Judging the Living and the Dead
[This sermon is part of a series on the Apostles' Creed, which was confessed corporately prior to the sermon. It may be helpful to read the creed and its exposition in Question 52 of the Heidelberg Catechism] We have come to the end. Not the end of our series on the Apostles’ Creed, but the... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Ascension
If you are joining us for the first time this morning, or the first time in a while, this fall we are exploring the core teachings of the Christian faith. We are using an ancient formula called the Apostles’ Creed as our guide. The last few weeks, we have listened to God’s word on the... Continue Reading →
Sermon: The Descent to Hell
[This sermon was preached as part of a series on the Apostles' Creed. It may be helpful to read the creed and the exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism Q44, which were read responsively before the sermon.] For those of you who are with us for the first time, or the first time in a while,... Continue Reading →
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