Here in chapter 2 of the book of Esther, we finally meet the title character. Her improbable story has all the hallmarks of a fairy tale: an orphan girl—raised in exile by a kindly and wise uncle—rises from poverty to become the queen of an empire. This is not a fanciful bedtime story though. Instead, it is an incredible witness…
Today, we observe Ascension Sunday, perhaps the most neglected of the “five evangelical feasts” which are celebrated in most Christian traditions (along with Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, and Pentecost). This day marks the commemoration of the events of Acts 1:6-11 when Jesus completed His earthly ministry by ascending into Heaven and sitting down at the right hand of the Father.…
Narrative passages of scripture can pose some difficulties for a music director. The choice of psalms and hymns to sing is governed by how best to support the preaching of the Word. When the sermon text is something from the epistles, the prophets, or even from the life of Christ, this work is fairly straightforward since so many hymns are…
In the third chapter of Titus, Paul exhorts the people of God to devote themselves to good works unto the glory of God. This morning, we will examine the repeated emphasis on good works in the Christian life being grounded in the finished work of Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5). The hymns we will sing will cause us to reflect on…
In the second chapter of his letter to Titus, Paul lays out some very practical wisdom regarding the Christian life. Many of the hymns and psalms chosen for this morning’s service are simply prayers that the teaching of the Word of God would penetrate our lives and hearts. We will sing to the Lord “Take Your truth, plant it deep…
Today, we not only begin a new sermon series from Titus, in which Paul will outline some of the qualifications for church leadership, but also we get to see these traits in practice as we ordain a group of new deacons and elders. Given the events of the day, it seems appropriate that we sing about the church. At either…
We come to the end of our sermon series the week after Easter, a series that began exactly one year ago. It’s fitting that the service today will focus on some of the very same themes: the reliability of Scripture, and the proclamation of the good news. In the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, we heard Christ proclaimed as the…
The very first promise of redemption comes immediately after the Fall of Adam and Even in the Garden. There God declares that the “seed of the woman” would “bruise the head of the serpent” (Genesis 3:16). In the earliest churches, this great promise was artistically represented by mosaics of dragons on floors—upon which everyone in the congregation could step and…
Mark 15:21-47 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His cross. 22 And they brought Him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. 24…
The palm tree and palm leaves appear again and again throughout the Bible as symbols of integrity, honor, righteousness, holiness, godly authority, and royal glory. The palm was used in the carved decorations of the temple, usually associated with the Cherubim, but also with the regal lion and the flower in full bloom. In addition though, throughout the entire ancient…