Have you ever noticed that there are two distinct sections of the Lord’s Prayer? Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done one earth, as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who… Read More ›
Sometimes in passages there are little side lessons. They’re not the main point, so in sermons I usually don’t get the chance to mention them. Sometimes I even write them out, but in the end they don’t really fit, so they usually get cut. In the gospels, they often have to do with prayer. We… Read More ›
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42) One of the primary things we do as a congregation is pray for one another. And it’s not simply one another whom we pray for, but for those around us too. We pray for… Read More ›
A very bad man was getting what he deserved, and he knew it. He said to another criminal, “We are receiving the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). He was speaking of Jesus, who was hanging on a death instrument between these two criminals. I suppose both… Read More ›
Have you ever wondered if you are praying for the right things? What if we are actually praying for things that will hurt us? What if there is something we should be praying for that we don’t know about? What if we or someone we love is missing out on God’s blessings simply because we… Read More ›
Last month in this series on worship we considered the confession of sin, which does not consist merely of confessing our sins (if that were the case, it would be little more than self-deprecation), but also the promise of forgiveness in Jesus Christ (also called absolution). This month I want to consider the little song… Read More ›