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Finding Hope Amidst Tragedy
A sermon originally delivered to Calvary Community (Reformed) Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin. Text: Mark 13:1-26. How do we make sense out of tragedy? It seems that we have to deal with this with increasing frequency. If not a bombing, then a school shooting, if not a school shooting, then a massive natural disaster, and…
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The Voice That Wakes the Dead
A Sermon originally delivered to Calvary Community (Reformed) Church on November 1, 2015. Text: John 11:32-44 “If you had been here, my brother would not have died.” “If you had been here, [he] would not have died.” Have you ever uttered words similar to this? “Lord, if you had been here, things would have been…
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Pierced with Grace
A sermon originally delivered to Calvary (Community) Reformed Church in New Berlin, WI. Texts were Job 23 and Hebrews 4:12-16. Job presented us with some difficult words, and truly, Job is a difficult story. The writing of Job was a way to try to come to terms with suffering and the age-old question: why do…
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God’s Graciously Stubborn Refusal to Give Up
Sermon originally delivered to Calvary Community (Reformed) Church in New Berlin, Wis. Text: Ezekiel 2:1-5 “Does God ever get too fed up with us?” The question came to me. As the question was asked, I could see concern, maybe even worry, come across Sharon’s face. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Does God ever…
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The Tragically Unfinished Work of Reconciliation
A Sermon originally delivered at Calvary Community Church on June 21, 2015. Text: 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:13 ———————————————————————– From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view… So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is…
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Knocking in the Night
A sermon originally delivered at Calvary Community Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin Text: John 3:1-17 I’m not much of a night person, but I wish that I were. Night time is enchanting. While the day-dwellers go to sleep, another world awakes, both people and animals. While we often think that it is only malice that…
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Up from the grave
Sermon originally delivered on April 5, 2015 at Calvary Community Church in New Berlin, WI. Text: Matthew 28:1-10 So often we find ways to sanitize death. Often times, death happens in a hospital or some other facility. The family may or may not be there and may or may not witness the death itself.…
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The unfair mercy of God
Sermon originally delivered at Calvary Community Church in New Berlin, WI. Text: Matthew 20:1-16 “It’s not fair!” I would protest. I am the oldest of three boys, and as is typical for siblings, and perhaps especially older children, I was hyper-aware to perceived unfairness. It is almost this primal preservation instinct, that we have to…
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Bring Me Your Nothing
Sermon originally delivered to Calvary Community Church in New Berlin, WI. Text: Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus caught word that John the Baptist had been executed, complete with his head presented on a platter. We may assume that Jesus was grieved as the gospel writer records that Jesus went off to be by himself. Much of…
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The Siren Song of Success
We are driven by success. We dream of it, we strive for it, we sacrifice our families and our friends and our lives on the altar of success. This is no less the case in the church. We strive to be successful clergy. But what is success? If we are successful our churches will grow…
Matthew van Maastricht
Shepherd of Souls | Spiritual Director | Psychotherapist
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