I've had an Epiphany!

Romans 3:21-25a, 27,28 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God   has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.   22  This righteousness is given through faith   in   Jesus Christ   to all who believe.   There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,   23  for all have sinned   and fall short of the glory of God,   24  and all are justified   freely by his grace   through the redemption   that came by Christ Jesus.   25  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,   through the shedding of his blood … 27  Where, then, is boasting?   It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.   28  For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Growing up on a farm, I had plenty of animals to take care of – beef cattle, a flock of sheep, a handful of...

Romans 5:6-11 6  You see, at just the right time,   when we were still powerless,   Christ died for the ungodly.   7  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.   8  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9  Since we have now been justified   by his blood,   how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath   through him!   10  For if, while we were God’s enemies,   we were reconciled   to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!   11  Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. It was years ago, when a small-town newspaper ran an article about the city council. The owner of the paper, upset by some recent events, had writ...

Art: Creation of Adam Artist Michelangelo We like to think that we can take care of ourselves. God has given us many talents and gifts so that we can provide for ourselves and our families. And yet we shouldn’t forget that God is the one who ultimately provides all things. Apart from him we can do nothing. If it weren’t for our Triune God–our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier–we would be absolutely helpless and hopeless in our lives. Yes, apart from him we wouldn’t even exist. Our entire being depends on the Holy Trinity. Worship Theme: We believe in the Triune God. “Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all else, hold to the true Christian faith. Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever” (Athanasian Creed). The third and longest of the ecumenical creeds underscores the importance of this Sunday’s message. The doctrine of the Trinity is not a logical exercise or a dogmatic excursion. It’s central to our salvation. The Triune God i...

Acts 2:1-21 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Je...

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8 Mordy is a 5-year-old female bichon frise – a small dog with curly white hair. A while ago, Mordy got herself into trouble by walking out on the balcony of the apartment where her owners lived. She then squeezed through the railing and got herself on the little ledge … a little ledge 14 stories above the ground … a little ledge which didn’t allow Mordy to go back. Just about the time that Mordy realized her predicament, Ted Nelson happened to be looking out his apartment window from across the street. He spotted Mordy in her precarious position. Rather than trying to grab his cell phone to take a picture or make a movie or even call for help, Nelson said to himself, “I might have to try and catch this dog.” Being a man of action and not just words, Nelson ran out of his apartment, got down to street level, crossed the road, ...