Sermons

Jesus died on the cross, but by the power of God he opened the tomb and rose again. At that place of resurrection, those who had been held captive by death received great grace, just as the woman suffering from a fever and the widow had received grace.

What collapsed was death, not God’s promise. This was not a threat made by people but a purpose planned long ago, fulfilled just as it was, and those who have met Christ no longer have any reason to fear the world.

There was a disciple who shared bread in the temple and still betrayed Jesus, and there was a disciple who swore to follow him even to death and then denied knowing him three times. But Christ, who knows even that weakness, held on to them to the end, and those who believe in the resurrection come to live with boldness instead of fear.

Jesus came into the world with no place even to be born, and he died on the cross by the most brutal of punishments. Yet on the third day he rose again, and as his followers looked on, he was taken up into heaven, promising that he would come again.

Because his first coming was fulfilled just as the Old Testament foretold, his second coming, though not yet fulfilled, will certainly take place. Living now in the last days, we must first examine whether our hearts are good soil, before asking what we will offer God at Thanksgiving. A thanksgiving offering, acts of service, or the satisfaction of having been zealous may not, by themselves, be the fruit God desires.

The grain in the fields is already white and the harvest is overdue, yet there are no laborers. True laborers are scarce because people heap up their devotion on top of a self they have never nailed to the cross. Now, without delay, we must deny ourselves, answer the call, and offer the fruit of faith that God is looking for in the last days.

Jesus told those bound by religious duty, “Do not be ones who go through the rituals.” Prayer offered to be seen by others, and the hypocrisy behind it, does nothing to bring a person closer to God. Instead, he told them to go into their room, shut the door, and pray honestly.

The Lord’s Prayer is not a form of words Jesus gave to be recited as it stands; it is a pattern for prayer. To ask that God’s name be hallowed is to ask that the atonement of the cross be accomplished. The very name Yahweh carries the meaning “behold the hand, behold the nail”, and the first letters of the four words on the sign above the cross spell out that name.

The order is to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and only then to ask for daily bread and the forgiveness of sins. Those who chase after money come to ruin, while those who pursue Jesus Christ find that money comes after them instead. Whether to be a servant of the world or a servant of Christ is a choice to be made every day.