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God the Liberator
Exodus 12:1-14 “Why is this night different from all other nights?” In the Jewish ritual of the Passover, this question is asked by the youngest child present. “Why is this night different from all other nights?” It is a scripted question, designed to help teach about the meaning of Passover, not all that different from…
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The Thin Place of Liminality
Genesis 32:22-31 I have heard from people in some form of recovery, usually from alcohol, and often they share a similar kind of experience. The first time that they are on their way to a meeting, or to a substance abuse counselor, is usually the most terrifying moment. It is a time in which one…
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Ordinary Scene in an Extraordinary Story
A sermon delivered to the Altamont Reformed Church on 5 July 2020 Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 A story is told about a man who lived in a town by a river. The rains came and it rained and rained, and the river crested and before anyone realized it, the town began to flood, even worse,…
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Sarah Laughs and Hagar Weeps
Genesis 21:8-21 Before there was a child, there was a promise. A promise which required a child to be fulfilled, but to two people advanced in years, unable to bear children, this promise nonetheless came. At some point, after he was done travelling, Abraham, then Abram, looked around, and considered the fact that the promise…
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Laughable Hope
Genesis 18:1-15; Romans 5:1-8 Finished. This is what Abraham’s line was to be. Ended. Cut off. Sarah couldn’t have children, and their best hope was Ishmael, the child of Abraham and Sarah’s servant. But God says, “No, Sarah will bear a child,” and Abraham says, “Yeah, sure, bless Ishmael.” And so here we have three…
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The Creative Space of Chaos
Genesis 1:1-2:4a Hendrik did not pay attention in the childbirth class. I know, I know, he wasn’t born yet, but still. We paid attention, we had books, I learned about timing contractions and when to call the doctor, and what to report to the doctor. We had a mental note of things to put in…
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I’m just regular dust: A reflection on Ash Wednesday
I’m not stardust. I don’t sparkle. I’m not made of the magical stuff from far off and distant places. I’m made of ordinary dust. The dust that is below my feet. I’m made of the stuff that this earth is made of. I’m a part of that cycle. My essence is not connected with something…
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Why are you still a follower of Jesus?
Recently, a friend and colleague posed this question on social media. It’s a great question and one that isn’t asked enough. Particularly with all the misuses and abuses of Jesus and Christianity for causes which are harmful, hateful, and opposed to the very message of the Gospel. These are not new misuses and abuses, they…
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A Wonky Advent Wreath
We recently took our Advent/Christmas decorations down from the attic. The tree went up, we fought with the lights (as we always do), our two-year-old almost destroyed the ornaments, and we began the annual adventure of rediscovering what we actually have in the Advent/Christmas bins. One thing I knew that we had, however, was our…
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The Light that Follows the Darkness: A Funeral Meditation
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear,” writes C.S. Lewis. The Cambridge Professor and writer lost his wife to cancer after only four years of marriage. His reflections written during that time were later published in a book titled, A Grief Observed. Lewis continues, “I am not afraid, but the sensation…
Matthew van Maastricht
Writer | Speaker | Pastor
Matthew van Maastricht 