Within the heart, the essence of worshipLord, in that corethat kernel,it is you, your sacrificeyour grace, on the crossgiving yourself, to death,into the arms of deaththat I may liveYour love for me, in my heartleading me to your throneYour spirit abiding, growingleading me to praise,to worship you,...

Following the Sunday morning message through the Gospel of John, a member of the church I serve approached me and requested for me to clear up some unclear tension between Matthew 10:5-15 and John 4:1-42. I agreed to the task and then went home to read over the two texts to see what tension exists b...

When one thinks of the saints of God gathering to worship, the call of Israel’s sweet psalmist David echoes through the ages: “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together� (Psalm 34:3). When saints assemble, our hearts should be aflame with a burning desire to offer our ador...

When 72% of American evangelicals say that Jesus Christ is not the only way to heaven according to the recent Pew Poll, what does that say about their spiritual state? There are several possibilities. First, it is possible and very likely that some of these so-called evangelicals are genuinely born ...

Listening to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and the late John Lennon address Jesus Christ and what He means to them is a little like listening to Larry the Cable Guy describing Einstein's theory of relativity, they are clueless. Winfrey and Lennon both give Christ a nod but no more than that. And...

When it comes to the subject of evangelism and missions, often we approach it by only looking at the superficial aspect which includes snatching people from the burning flames of hell. However, is this the only goal for evangelism or missions? What does the Bible reveal about the end goal of evangel...

[You might want to look at the first two passes for this week. The first, here, also explains what the passes are about. Here is the second pass.] Because the Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday, John 4:5-42, is so long, I'm not going to do verse-by-verse comments. Instead, a few general comments. ...

[Every week, I try to post a these explorations of the Bible lessons around which worship will be built on the following Sunday. The idea is to help the people of Saint Matthew Lutheran Church in Logan, Ohio, to prepare for worship. Others may be helped, too, since our lessons are those appointed to...

[This message was shared during the wedding of Natalie and Andrew held in the chapel of Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio, on January 19. The groom was, as a boy, a member of the first parish I served as pastor.] Psalm 100 1 John 4:7-12 Natalie, Andrew: I’m honored to be here with you today. As we...

There are many points we could make about the story of the woman at the well in John 4: The history of why Samaritans were disrespected and loathed by the Jews The fact that this woman is a social outcast The misunderstanding that this woman has in trying to get past the physical water and well and ...