10 Commandments (Lent I)

This Lent, we are spending each week looking at a different section of the Bible. This week we are looking at the Torah (sometimes called "Pentateuch"), the first five books of the Old Testament. Lots of Sunday stories come from this section of the Bible, but adults readers don't often go here for a variety of reasons. One of the most important stories in this part of the Bible is the giving of the 10 commandments. So what do these old -- very old -- laws say about God and humanity? Three key words: Relationship, relevance and repentance.

The Other Nine

Jesus invites three disciples up to a mountain, where he is “transfigured” or “transformed.” He becomes dazzling white, while he speaks with Moses and Elijah. God’s voice bellows through the clouds, “This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.” Yet, what about the other nine disciples? Weren’t they faithful disciples too? Why does God chose these three to reveal his glory?

Based on Matthew 17.

Sermon on the Mount V: Don't Worry

Today we conclude our series on the Sermon on the Mount. He does so with a surprising ending: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

We hear in these words some good and simple advice: Live in the present. More deeply, Jesus is doing what he has done the entire Sermon on the Mount: Inviting into the Kingdom of God.

Sermon on the Mount IV: Love Your Enemies

We continue our series on the Sermon on the Mount. This week Jesus says perhaps the hardest words of all: Love your enemies! No exceptions, ifs or buts! Hmm...but there is an "and," namely, pray for those who persecute you. Here in lies the key!

Sermon on the Mount III: Love and Marriage

After some very gracious words in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives some very hard words about love and marriage (Matthew 5:21-37). More then simply about marriage, they are about relationships. How can we be in right relationship with one another given the amount of conflict in our lives?

Sermon on the Mount II: Light of the World

In the sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to be "The Light of the World." I would much prefer for Jesus to be the Light of the World. How can we, as individuals, given the darkness that often pervades the world, act like the Light of the World??

Sermon on the Mount I: Beatitudes

We begin our sermon series on the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7) with "the Beatitudes" or "blessings." Jesus begins his teaching with nine blessings, many of which are suprising: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in fact, is how he begins. Following a great Biblical pattern, Pastor Rob suggests that the Beatitudes are the job description of God and not a formula for our lives.