Welcome: Tonight, as we gather in the shadow of the cross, I want to invite you not to rush past it. There is a temptation to become so familiar with an image that it loses its power, but I want to invite you not to sanitize or sterilize the cross. As we hear the cross... Continue Reading →
John’s Message and Jesus’ Baptism
I. The Time of the Beginning (Mark 1:1; Luke 3:1-2) Mark doesn’t ease us into his Gospel. He opens with the forceful declaration: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1, ESV). There’s no mention of mangers or Magi, no angelic announcements to Mary or Joseph. Mark skips the... Continue Reading →
The Magi and the Flight To Egypt
The Arrival of the Magi and the Revelation of the True King (Matthew 2:1-12) This account begins “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king” (Matthew 2:1). As we saw two weeks ago when we examined the Christmas story, the Prophet Micah foretold that this is where Messiah... Continue Reading →