“Bookends of Jesus’ Ministry” – Mark 1:12-13 Introduction: Bookends – the cosmic battle If we call Jesus’ ministry – the bulk of Mark’s Gospel writings – the “book” of Jesus, or maybe the “book of the Kingdom of God” (cf. Mark 1:15) then we seem to find the bookends, the first and last chapter if […]

“Transfiguration Transformation” – 2 Corinthians 3:18  1. “There is more!”    a. Fairy-tales There is something inside us that believes or at least wants to believe that the world as we know it, as we see it, is not everything there is. Except for atheists, a lot of people have the sense that there is […]

“Where to Find Strength When You’re Tired” – Mark 1 & Isaiah 40  Introduction: Labels There are a lot of labels floating around out there in our world – racist, introvert, hypocrite, homophobic, arrogant, sarcastic, self-centered, bossy, and the list goes on. There are some positive labels, too, but the negative ones are hurtful, and […]

“A Peace that Passes Understanding” – John 20:19-31 Easter 2 – April 19, 2020 1. Worldly fears There are a lot of fears out there in our world these days, not the least of which is getting the virus. What are the hundreds of people who stand in line at Costco an hour or two […]

“Easter is God’s Triumphant ‘YES!’” – Matthew 28:1-10 Resurrection of our Lord – April 12, 2020 1. We hear “no” a lot a. From the world We hear “no” a lot in our lives, don’t we! “no, you can’t have that”  “no, can’t touch this!” “no, it’s not yours” “no, it’s not time for the […]