October 15, 2023 — There are invitations we might be tempted to reject: an invitation to an event you are not interested in, an invitation to a party that takes place at the same time as something else you want to do. There are other invitations which people would say you’ve lost your mind to…
October 4, 2023 — Patience is a virtue. But can too much patience be a vice? If you are too patient, waiting to see if that pain in your stomach goes away with time, you might make a problem worse. If you are too patient with an incompetent employee, you will lose productivity before the…
October 1, 2023 — You have maybe heard the accusation or perhaps even made it yourself: “He’s so fake!” That charge claims someone’s friendliness or kindness is a sham. Such insincerity bothers us. We would generally rather someone be honest about how they feel about us than be fake. Through a story Jesus teaches us…
September 24, 2023 — Much of what Jesus has to say to you and me is contained within his parables. Parables are simple little stories that contain profound truths about life and eternity. Today we begin a four Sunday series of parables. Tell Us a Story, Jesus! Give a single bag of M&Ms to two…
September 17, 2023 — Sometimes people accuse Christians of having a “holier than thou” attitude. No doubt there have been church members through the centuries who have demonstrated that attitude. If we try to live according to God’s law, it is frustrating to see immoral acts. Nevertheless, true Christians understand that they are sinners too,…
September 10, 2023__ Since we are sinners by nature with worldly desires, the church “we want” according to our weak flesh is one in which “never is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.” That day will come! …in heaven. But as long as we are in this sin-filled, troubled…
September 3, 2023 — Since we are sinners by nature with worldly desires, the church “we want” according to our weak flesh is one in which there are no demands, where everything goes our way, and where life is easy and prosperous. But that’s not what Jesus promises us. Nor is that the kind of Church…
August 27, 2023 — In our Epistle Lesson this Sunday, St. Paul declares, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Confessing our faith in Jesus is central to what The Church God Wants does. We confess…
How much easier life as a Christian would be if there weren’t so many obstacles! Last week we learned about the weeds that surround the wheat, that is, the fact that believers and unbelievers are in the same “field.” God plants the wheat with His Word. But then the devil sows seeds of dissent, wickedness,…
What is a Christian? Christians are sinners saved by grace. Christians strive to be what Christ wants them to be. We don’t always live up to that. Far from it. Therefore a Christian is someone who runs to Jesus for forgiveness. Look at the list below. The first thing we talked about two Sundays ago…