What a week it’s been! Last Sunday we had a wonderful Palm Sunday celebration, and the past three days we met to mark the events of Christ’s passion. The music was wonderful, the prayers powerful and the message of salvation …
Today’s sermon theme is: “When Jesus rebukes.” I know this doesn’t sound like a very uplifting topic. I didn’t put it on our outdoor church sign like I usually do with our sermon themes. But Jesus offers three different rebukes in today’s …
Most of us know the story of Jesus’ birth very well – and anyone who doesn’t can look it up quickly and read all about it. We live in the “information age,” after all. But as familiar as the story is, there’s …
Matthew 25:14-30 Last Sunday our church examined the story of the widow who put her last two coins into the offering plate. We admired her great faith, and Pastor Yang in his sermon also reminded us of the agonizing choice …
Jude 1:1-4, 17-23 Most Sundays I will preach on one of the readings assigned to us by the greater church. I do this as a sign of unity with fellow Christians and as a way of making sure we cover …
Mark 10:23-31 Some places are difficult to enter. It’s difficult to enter the freeway during rush hour. It’s difficult to pass the entrance exams and gain admission into the top schools. It’s difficult to enter a fine restaurant if you …
Mark 10:2-16 Today’s Gospel text reminded me of a conference I attended recently on passing along the faith to the next generation. You might think that it was the text’s teaching on divorce which brought the topic to mind. Indeed, …
Mark 9:38-50 September 30, 2012 Our Gospel reading today teaches many lessons, including a lesson about the power and importance of Jesus’ name. People were casting out demons by using Jesus’ name, even though they weren’t direct followers of his. …
Text: Mark 9:14-29 Dear friends in Christ, I’ve never understood why some people think Christianity is simplistic. “It’s for people who want easy answers,” they’ll say. Really? Have these people actually read the Christian scriptures? I don’t think they have. …
Text: Mark 7:31-37 Theme: How closed are we? Lesson: Our hearts need to be opened to God. Jesus can do this. Dear friends in Christ: I was a little worried about placing this Sunday’s theme on our roadside church sign. I imagined …