Genesis 9:1-17; Hebrews 5:7-14; John 3:16-21 The world has come to a turning point. A crisis is before us all. It is a crisis of light. The darkness that brought about the flood has now been answered with a light that is brighter than rainbows and full of greater promise. The light of the world,

Genesis 8:6-22; Hebrews 4:14-5:6; John 2:23-3:15 As missionaries, we often find ourselves searching for dry land after being set adrift to bring the message of salvation. To you, God provides firm ground. As wayward sheep, we long for clear direction to safety and to find the fold. For you, God lights the path and guides

Genesis 7:1-10, 17-23; Ephesians 4:1-16; Mark 3:7-19 My first synod assembly as an ordained pastor was in the oddly named town of Devils Lake, North Dakota. It was about a three hour drive from my home in Fargo, almost all of it through prairie land. At one point, it dawned on me that I was

Genesis 6:9-22; Hebrews 4:1-13; John 2:13-22 “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17). I remember as a child in Sunday School being given a list of Bible verses to memorize; they were listed from A to Z. This was the final verse on that list. Not only is it a statement from the

Genesis 6:1-8; Hebrews 3:12-19; John 2:1-12 As Jesus goes about his first miracle of turning water into wine, at its core, is a quiet, hidden miracle. He simply tells the servants to fill the stone water jars with water, draw some water out of it, and take it to the master of the feast. The

Genesis 4:17-26; Hebrews 3:1-11; John 1:43-51 The new Church year texts assure us of God’s loving faithfulness. Throughout Scripture, but especially, during Advent and Epiphany, God continually points to Jesus as his prophesied Son and Messiah. We are assured in the darkest of times, that we are never alone, never without help that our prayers

Genesis 4:1-16; Hebrews 2:11-18; John 1: 29-42 “Like father, like son,” goes the saying. It was certainly true for Cain. For Adam’s sin, God’s punishment was to send him out of Eden and make him labor to bring forth food from the earth. For killing his brother Abel, God punished Cain by making sure the

Genesis 3:1-24; Hebrews 2:1-10; John 1:19-28 After the death of the prophet Malachi, no prophetic voice was heard in Israel until nearly five hundred years later, when God sent John the Baptist to prepare people for the Messiah. Coming this long after a prophetic silence, and with his call to repentance and the baptism he