Tag: Redemption
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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 Deception of Carols
Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright… *** O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by… *** Away in a manger, no crib for his bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in…
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From Beyond the River
Joshua 24:1-28 God comes to Abram with no apparent reason, makes a promise that God will bring forth from Abram a great nation which will be blessed so that they can be a blessing to all the world. So without any recorded hesitation, Abram goes, as God told him, to the land which God will…
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Hump Day Hymns: Welcome, Sweet Day of Rest
Welcome, sweet day of rest, That saw the Lord arise; Welcome to this reviving breast, And these rejoicing eyes! The King himself comes near, And feasts his saints today; Here we may sit, and see him here, And love, and praise, and pray. One day amidst the place Where my dear God hath been, Is…
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Reaching Into the Dark
Sermon from this past Sunday. The text was Luke 7:11-17 This is a short story, only six verses to be accurate, but it is a wonderfully beautiful story. This story is another example of how, sometimes, silence can be more powerful and more significant than words. After all, there are only a couple of spoken…
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Hump Day Hymns: Come, Lord, and Tarry Not
Come, Lord and tarry not; Bring the long-looked-for day; O why these years of waiting here, These ages of delay? Come, for Thy saints still wait; Daily ascends their sigh: The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come”: Dost Thou not hear the cry? Come, for creation groans, Impatient of Thy stay, Worn out with these…
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Life on a State Highway
My sermon from this past Sunday. The text was Romans 5:1-5 Paul was spending three winter months in Corinth. He has already been around the Mediterranean world a couple of times on missionary journeys, telling people about the good news of Jesus, starting churches for these new followers of Jesus. During these journeys he would…
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The Simplest and Most Difficult Commandment
Although we are in the Fifth Sunday after the resurrection, our gospel passage today comes from shortly before Jesus’ betrayal and execution. Jesus and the disciples are gathered together in an upper room that they rented to spend some time together and to observe the Passover. During this time, Jesus took of his outer robe (like someone…
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Speaking of Sin
That Reformed Blog is a relatively new blog community begun by a group of friends and acquaintances who all try to live out what it means to be “Reformed” in daily life: Ministry, work, marriage, singleness, parenting, and just about everything else. It is a great collective of writers, and I am humbled to be…
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“Do you love me?” – Sunday’s Sermon
It has been quite an emotionally exhausting few days for the disciples. The entry into Jerusalem was followed by extraordinary events in the temple, a Passover meal unlike any other, an intense experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, and unexpected betrayal from one of their own, an armed arrest, a series of denials, a pro…
Matthew van Maastricht 