Sermon for April 30, 2017 (third Sunday of Easter)
Scripture readings:
Acts 2:14, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Pet. 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35
COMING TO FAITH IN JESUS (Luke 24:13-35)
By Linda Rex
Today, the third Sunday of the Easter season, let's look at encountering Jesus. In our reading in Luke's Gospel, two disciples of Jesus, walking the road to Emmaus, don't know who was walking with them. It can be like that for us---walking the road of life not aware that our ever-present companion is none other than the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ.
[caption id="attachment_3620" align="aligncenter" width="469"] The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the Road by Tissot public domain via Wikimedia Commons[/caption]
The two disciples on the road... Read the article
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Sermon for April 23, 2017 (second Sunday of Easter)
Scripture readings:
Acts 2:14, 22-32; Psalm 16:1-11; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31
THE POWER OF JESUS' RESURRECTION (John 20:19-31)
By Ted Johnston
Introduction
The news that Jesus had risen from the dead spread rapidly among his followers—at first with skepticism, then hesitation, but finally with enthusiasm and joy. At first, even his disciples did not believe the reports, and Thomas demanded proof. But wherever people were confronted with the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, lives were transformed. In John's Gospel we find the unfolding of this transformation in three steps: 1) from fear to courage, 2) from unbelief to confidence, and 3) from death to life. May we too travel... Read the article
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Sermon for April 16, 2017 (Easter)
Scripture readings:
Acts 10:34-43 or Jer. 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24;
Col. 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 or Matt. 28:1-10
THE DAWNING OF THE NEW DAY (John 20:1-18)
By Ted Johnston (drawing on commentary by Michael Card)
Biographies usually end with the subject’s death. But John’s recounting of the story of Jesus is not merely a biography of Jesus. Rather, it’s gospel—the proclamation of the good news of Jesus’ life, death, burial and resurrection. Its purpose is to help us believe---to help us place our trust in Jesus as God’s Son. A central focus of John's Gospel is the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, which is the principal evidence that Jesus is indeed God’s Son, the... Read the article
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Sermon for April 13, 2017 (Maundy Thursday)
Scripture readings:
Ex. 12:1-4, 11-14; Psalm 116:12, 12-19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
WHOLEHEARTEDLY FOLLOWING CHRIST (John 13:1-17)
By Cathy Deddo
In this Maundy Thursday sermon we'll look at the account in John's Gospel of Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet. In doing so, we'll see what it means to wholeheartedly follow Jesus. Let's begin by reading our Scripture passage: John 13:1-17.
This passage begins a long section of Jesus’ teaching at what is referred to as the Last Supper and then following. It occurred on Thursday evening, the night before Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, then resurrected on Easter Sunday.
In Jesus' day, foot washing was part of the... Read the article
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Sermon for April 9, 2017 (sixth Sunday in Lent---Palm/Passion Sunday)
Scripture readings (Liturgy of the Passion):
Isa. 50:4-9, Psalm 31:9-16, Phil. 2:5-11, Matt. 26:14-27:66
On this, the last day of Lent, the RCL has two liturgies---one for the liturgy of the Palms and one for the liturgy of the Passion. The sermon below is related to the latter. As to why the RCL has two liturgies for this day, click here.
THE END OF GRACE (Psalm 31:9-16)
By Lance McKinnon
Today is Palm/Passion Sunday, which begins Holy Week, which includes Good Friday when we focus on the crucifixion of Jesus. As we do, there is a question that may rise up in our souls: Does God's grace come to an end on the cross? And if Jesus is the Son of God, what assurance... Read the article
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Sermon for April 2, 2017 (fifth Sunday in Lent)
Scripture readings:
Ezek. 37:1-14, Psa. 130:1-8, Rom. 8:6-11, John 11:1-45
WAKING THE DEAD (Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45)
By Linda Rex
Here's a question for us all today: Where is our life? Asked other ways: From where do we draw our life? What is it that we build our life around? What is it that is at the depths or core of our life? What has captured our heart? On what is our mind set? Today’s Epistle reading from the Lectionary (Romans 8:6-11) addresses these questions, and we'll also look at this week’s Gospel reading (John 11:1-45), which tells of the time Jesus' disciples and dear friends, Mary and Martha, sent our Lord a desperate message: “Our brother, the one you love,... Read the article
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Sermon for March 26, 2017 (fourth Sunday in Lent)
Scripture readings:
1 Sam. 16:1-13, Psalm 23: 1-6, Eph. 5:8-14, John 9:1-41
THE MIRACLE OF SEEING JESUS (John 9:1-41)
By Ted Johnston
Jesus performed many miracles by which he met human needs while conveying truth concerning his identity as Son of God and Messiah. One of the biblical signs of the Messiah was the healing of blindness, and in John 9, Jesus fulfills that sign. John also is using this miracle to say something about the human condition, for in John "to see" physically is a metaphor for understanding spiritually. And so John 9 is about spiritual blindness as well as physical blindness, and about how Jesus heals both.
The man we meet in John 9 was both physically and... Read the article
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Sermon for March 19, 2017 (third Sunday in Lent)
Scripture readings:
Ex. 17:1-7, Psa. 95:1-11, Rom. 5:1-11, John 4:5-42
REJOICING IN OUR JUSTIFICATION (Romans 5:1-11)
By Ted Johnston
In Romans 1-4, Paul focuses on justification---the gift of right standing with God received by those who trust in Christ for their salvation. This gift unites believers with God and thus with other believers, including Abraham, who Paul identifies in Romans 4 as the "father" of all who have faith in God. Whether Jew or Gentile, these believers are all part of one family. This is Paul’s theme throughout Romans 5 and 6 as he writes to believers in churches in Rome composed of multiple ethnicities.
Paul begins our passage today (Romans 5:1-11) with six... Read the article
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In keeping with our commitment to equip pastors and others for preaching the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), we provide this month five sermons that sync with the RCL Gospel lections for February 12 through March 12, 2017. We welcome your comments, additions and questions (use the "leave a reply" feature below).
Sermon for February 12, 2017
Scripture readings:
Deut. 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; 1 Cor. 3:1-9; Matt. 5:21-37
KINGDOM LIVING
(Matthew 5:21-37)
by Ted Johnston
(drawing on John Stott's commentary)
Introduction
We've been looking at the Sermon on the Mount---last week we saw in Matthew 5 how Jesus says he fulfills the Law (the Old Testament). He then shows that, under the new covenant, our lives are not lived under the... Read the article
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Rather than providing just one sermon this month, we're providing five! Going forward, we plan to provide four or five in each issue to help our pastors and other preachers implement a "best practice" we've long advocated---preaching the RCL (the Revised Common Lectionary). As noted in an earlier article in Equipper from pastor Sam Butler, the RCL lists for each Sunday a set of related Scripture readings (lections). The sermon and other elements of worship then focus on one or more of these lections, as explained in an article on the Vanderbilt Divinity Library website:
The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of weekly lections... built around the seasons of the Church Year, and includes four lections for each Sunday, as... Read the article
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