Are you impressed by people born in impressive places? A small restaurant chain in the south is named for a man born while his parents were climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, inspiring his parents to carry him to the top. Or was it all a marketing gimmick? Still, no one would name a restaurant after someone born in Possum Grape, Arkansas or Burnt Corn, Alabama. You might not expect much from towns like those. That's the way people felt about Jesus' childhood home of Nazareth. But Jesus turned the world upside down. Smart sophisticated people (like you) don't have a lock on the truth; Jesus does. He unlocks it for all; but maybe not the way you expect. Welcome to a time to marvel at who Jesus is, what he came to do, and his message and ministry.
No one likes a detour. It always means a longer drive in a direction you didn't want to go. It's one thing to encounter a detour on a trip, it's quite another to encounter a detour in your life, a change of plans you can't avoid and don't like. On that kind of detour, when your life takes a turn for the worse, it's tempting to hear Satan's muttering that God has left you. But a detour doesn't mean you won't arrive at your destination; only that you won't arrive as you planned. After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, the Lord led Mary, Joseph, and Jesus home via quite a detour. That was his plan to protect, help, and save them. He's leading you home, too, even if it's not the way you planned. He's leading you home by another way. May the Spirit encourage you by the Lord's plan for his Son, for the people around his Son, and for you, too.
Come far to follow him. That’s what the wise men, or magi, did. Join us to celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord, which means Jesus was revealed not only to one people, but to all nations. May our response to Jesus’ presence be like that of the wise men. We’re glad you’re here to worship the Savior of the nations with us.
Right on the heels of the joy of Christmas comes the reality of another year. Undoubtedly some of it will be easy to take; some of it will be hard to take. We all pray for more of the former and less of the latter. But we don’t know, do we? How do you plan to face the unknown or even the unpleasant of 2025? God’s children can do so much better than whistle in the dark, think positive thoughts, or hope for the best. Let the inspired author of Psalm 27 fill you with the One Thing you need for the new year, and every year.
One of the privileges of having a child is the authority to name that child. Parents get to name their child because it’s their wonderful privilege to manage their child, to help him or her find his or her talents, to find his or her capacities, to develop their child, and to bring their child to fullness. It's a wonderful thing to be a parent. But Mary and Joseph were not allowed to name their child. They would care for him, sure; but they wouldn’t manage him. He would manage them. Why? Because their son is not just their son. He’s God with us. He will manage you. It’s a bit frightening, don’t you think? Until you know who he is and why he’s come. Then it’s only gloriously joyful. We’re glad you’ve joined us to worship him this Christmas Eve.
The story of David and Bathsheba is probably one of the best-known stories of all time, but not because it's such a good example for anyone to follow. Still, when you think of it, if God was going to take on a human body through a human mother, what choice did he have but to do so through sinful human beings. That's all there are. The most wonderful thing about the story of David and Bathsheba is that through them, they and we received a Savior from sin. Welcome to St. Andrew. We’re glad you’re here to give thanks for how our Savior came to earth the first time and to encourage one another until he comes again in glory.
One of the women Matthew includes in his record of Jesus' family tree is Ruth. Her life would seem to be a series of misfortunes and lucky breaks. But no way. The Lord God was at work through her, her mother-in-law, and her husband Boaz to accomplish his plan to send his Son to be the Savior of the world. We aren't in Jesus' family tree, but the Lord would want us to know he's just as much at work in our lives. It's not luck. It's not fortune. It's the Lord who has promised to take care of us. He daily invites us to repent of our sin, trust that he's already rescued us, and be part of his way of working things out. We’re glad you’re with us today. Please accept as our gift to you a copy of the Matthew study book from the atrium.
Drama. Political spies. Seamy and seedy locations. Life-threatening danger. Chase scenes. Does all that sound like a John le Carré or Ian Fleming novel? Those elements are also part of the story of Rahab, one of five women Matthew includes in the family tree of Jesus. We’re glad you’re with us to not just gain fascinating information about this woman and the events around her, but to recall the unmistakable work of God to redeem a fallen world through her. Rahab isn't ancillary to God's plan to save; she's at the very heart of it.
Drama. Political spies. Seamy and seedy locations. Life-threatening danger. Chase scenes. Does all that sound like a John le Carré or Ian Fleming novel? Those elements are also part of the story of Rahab, one of five women Matthew includes in the family tree of Jesus. We’re glad you’re with us to not just gain fascinating information about this woman and the events around her, but to recall the unmistakable work of God to redeem a fallen world through her. Rahab isn't ancillary to God's plan to save; she's at the very heart of it.
Isn’t it amazing how a minor disagreement can grow into something bigger than you would have thought possible? And maybe even hurt more people than you would have thought possible? Maybe you've met someone who said about a friend or a spouse, “I don’t know exactly when it started. We both got so irritated with each other, and it just grew and grew. We never thought it would end like this.” But it did. When someone hurts us, our natural response is to get defensive—build a wall. But then there’s war and far-reaching consequences. There's another way. Today, in our worship series “You Need a Friend,” we’ll learn from two early church leaders with feet of clay (like ours): Paul and Barnabas. Here’s our prayer: Lord, help me to be friend when we disagree.
Isn’t it amazing how a minor disagreement can grow into something bigger than you would have thought possible? And maybe even hurt more people than you would have thought possible? Maybe you've met someone who said about a friend or a spouse, “I don’t know exactly when it started. We both got so irritated with each other, and it just grew and grew. We never thought it would end like this.” But it did. When someone hurts us, our natural response is to get defensive—build a wall. But then there’s war and far-reaching consequences. There's another way. Today, in our worship series “You Need a Friend,” we’ll learn from two early church leaders with feet of clay (like ours): Paul and Barnabas. Here’s our prayer: Lord, help me to be friend when we disagree.
"Why can't we all just get along?" You've heard that or even said it. Wouldn't it be nice if we could? Because of the world we live in and the condition of human nature, it won't always happen. You will be attacked by sickness, Satan, and, possibly, even friends. What then? You'll need a friend. Today, may the Lord bless you as you learn from two characters in the Bible, David and Jonathon, about the importance of friendship… especially when you're attacked. We’re glad you’ve joined us to worship the greatest friend imaginable, Jesus, and receive from him the greatest gift possible: grace.
Public health journals are filled with studies demonstrating the importance of friendships for a person's well-being. A recent survey (The American Perspectives Survey) finds that Americans report having fewer close friendships than they once did, talking to their friends less often, and relying less on their friends for personal support. It's one thing for us to imagine why that is; it's something else for us to value friendship for what it is: a gift from God. Who gives the gift of friendship to you? To whom are you giving the gift of friendship? This weekend we begin a three-week series on friendship. Each week we'll ask the Spirit to teach us through biblical models of friendship and determine how we might put what we learn into effect in our lives. This week: You need a friend when you're depressed.
Our celebration of the Reformation this weekend is less about lauding Martin Luther and company and more about maintaining God's Word as is. We thank God for preserving his message of free salvation by grace through faith. The "re-" in "reformation" tells us that we are doing something again or going back to something. With God's Word, we never need anything new; we only need to go back to it and read it again and again.
When circumstances force you to rearrange your budget, you still only have so many dollars. When you take a stand in hopes of some kind of a reset, you are still only one person. Ultimately, you don’t have much control, and you’re usually going to be working with the same resources you had before. How much difference was there between what went into the ark and what came out of it? In some ways a lot, but in other ways very little. We find peace in the God who knew the flood was coming and had a plan for it.
Isn't it nice to have an opportunity to reset? This might come with a new house, new job, or new school. For Noah and his family, it came with a new world. After the flood, everything went through Noah. His family established the beginning of culture and civilization. God gave some rules for this reset. Read through them in the first part of Genesis 9. But even in our age, what better time than the present to commit to reestablishing ourselves as God-fearing people? Let's examine the abundant blessings of our lives and consider how we are responding to God's immeasurable grace.
Have you ever felt as though God had forgotten you? Maybe a relationship wasn't working out as you had planned. Maybe your health took a sudden turn for the worse. Maybe the job you thought you'd keep for a long time is going away. God, where are you? The opening words of Genesis 8 are not only written for you; they're written about you. We’re glad you’re here today and pray the Spirit blesses you through his Word
Do you stand by the microwave and tap your fingers? Is your finger ready on the horn if the car ahead of you doesn't move on green? Most of us aren't very patient. God is. Genesis 6 – 9 not only leads us to a deeper understanding of God's covenant of grace, but along the way we grow to appreciate his patience. We’re glad you’re with us today and pray that the Spirit blesses you with valuable lessons about ourselves and about God.
"Righteous" is a word that usually has either a theological connotation or "self-" in front of it. Genesis 6 describes Noah as righteous and blameless. Read the chapter and see his actions. He didn't say a word, but he acted. But these actions showed his righteousness; they didn't establish it. Like ours, Noah's righteousness was through God. Like Noah, our righteousness results in God-pleasing action.
The book of Genesis isn't just about what happened, it's also about what is happening. This weekend, we begin a fall series on the Covenant of Grace described in Genesis 6 – 9. Our day is more like Noah's than we realize. We have cars and power tools, but hearts haven't changed. God warned the people of Noah's day judgment was coming, and he warns people of our day. Just like God was incredibly patient then, he's patient now. Now is our time to live in his patience, walk with him, and finally enjoy the safety not of an ark, but of his grace by faith in Jesus Christ. We’re so glad you’re with us and invite you to let us know if there’s some way we might serve you.
Finishing a book of the Bible is a big deal. It's been God's source of truth and inspiration for us for all of 2024. We'll miss you, Romans. But not really. We still have and we still need the message of Jesus we find in Romans. It's not going anywhere, except going more deeply into our hearts as we read it again. We’re glad you are with us today for the closing words from Paul through the Holy Spirit. Next week, we begin a six-week study on God’s “covenant of grace.” Those are two church-y sounding words, but by the end of the series we pray they are words you treasure.
After Paul plumbed the depths of the knowledge of God for 15 chapters of Romans, he concluded by naming 29 church members and 6 groups of church members in the final chapter. Why? The Spirit wants us to know God's Word matters, and the Spirit wants us to know God's people matter. It's true, we don't know much about Tryphena and Tryphosa. But we know this: they're in the Bible. That's more than I can say about myself or anyone I know. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to get to heaven, meet Tryphena, and say, "I don't think I've ever heard of you." After today, you need not worry about that. You’ll be able to say, “Oh, I read your name in the Bible!” More than that, the Spirit works through the Word you’ll hear to get you there.
“Let the gospel predominate” is an old Lutheran preacher's maxim. As sinners, all of us (not just preachers) have ways of binding up the gospel of Jesus. We hide it. We water it down. We empty it of its comfort. The end of Romans 15 is one part of Scripture that shows us the apostle's Spirit-led thinking: let the gospel not be bound by time, space, culture, or even human deficiencies. Let’s be intentional about the unbounded gospel.
Teachers, parents, and even returning students are often surprised by changes that have occurred over the summer. Some examples from the past week: "You got new furniture in the atrium!!" And, "You must have grown six inches over the summer!" And, "You got glasses! I love them." Those kinds of changes are nothing compared to the changes you see in a person when God the Holy Spirit shows up. Sometimes it's a slow process, and sometimes everything changes at once. One thing is sure, though: when the Spirit shows up, there is change. Paul encouraged the Roman church by pointing out the changes he noticed. May the Spirit encourage you today as you encounter him in his Word.
The first 13 verses of Romans 15 show a theme of acceptance. Acceptance is a word and a concept with a positive connotation in most contexts, but what does God's Word say? How and why have you been accepted? Whom should you accept? How and why? We’re glad you’re here to explore this with us.