Pastor Gene 
John 12:20-26: “Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So, these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, “The hour has … Read more
The image of coming out of death into life is the unavoidable core message of the Christian faith. It’s illustrated by biblical contrasts like the darkness and the light, the old and the new, the night and the day, etc. We act out the drama of life-springing-from-death in our baptism. The Apostle Paul wrote: “We … Read more
“Following” Jesus is synonymous with “obeying” Jesus. To follow is to obey, and obeying involves a long series of decisions that I make to glorify God by laying my life, my preferences, and my desires at His feet. Laying down my life is a daily choice. Following Jesus means acknowledging that I am not my … Read more
It sounds like a paradox. It’s one of the most difficult verses in the New Testament to wrap our minds around. It’s disarmingly simple, yet deeper than the deepest ocean. “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). Jesus is not … Read more
All of us have inadequacies. Many of us have insecurities. Perhaps you feel like you’re unimportant to the Kingdom of God, that there’s little you can do that will matter for God. Perhaps you feel too fragile and frail. You may lack social graces or talent in certain areas. You may be awkward around people, … Read more
So, Jesus tells a story. It’s a story about a “man” [hint: the “man” is Jesus Himself] who’s going away for a time, but is coming back. He calls His servants and entrusts to them a certain amount of money that he expects them to invest on his behalf while he’s away. To one he … Read more
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He asked His disciples to pray that the “Lord of the Harvest” would send workers into the field. He’s the woman in the parable who sweeps the house clean to find that one lost coin. There are multitudes who are lost today. They are without hope, … Read more
In Matthew 22:36, Jesus was asked which of all the commandments of the Law is the greatest. It’s an interesting question and He answered it on several different occasions. The tradition, which began with a 3rd century sermon by Rabbi Simlai, tells us that there were 613 commandments in the Torah from which Jesus could … Read more
God beckons us to Himself. He beckons us to come daily and honestly. And when we do, He shows us things that we couldn’t have previously known. God created us. He knows us. We stand naked before Him. (Yikes!) His Word scrutinizes the thoughts and intents of our hearts with surgical precision. It’s “sharper than … Read more
Telling the truth is not usually an easy thing to do. Remember when you were a kid and you did something wrong? Remember when mom or dad or a teacher asked you to ‘fess up? You knew what telling the truth meant. It was a risk then, and it still is. Telling the truth can … Read more