Among the great cathedrals in Europe there are two that stand out for me. Not because of their architecture but for the stories behind them. The first is St. Mark’s in Venice. We have told the story before of John Mark, the young disciple who runs away naked from Gethsemane and then as a spoiled and privileged young man he loses his courage and deserts Paul and Barnabas and, eventually, is the cause of their splitting. Mark travels to Rome and is mentored by Peter who assigns him to be the first bishop of the Church in Egypt where he is martyred and part of his bones are taken later…

1.  Numbers 6:1-8 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the LORD as a Nazirite, 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins. 5 “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may…

As we’ve said over the last few weeks, John does not simply make lists of miracles. There are seven signs and the final sign, the raising of Lazarus, comes just before our passage this morning. The ministry of Jesus is about to change radically at this point. You might say this story comes between the final sign and the beginning of the end. It is an in-between moment, a pause, a rest in one of his favorite places with people he loves and trusts between the two momentous events – the raising of the dead and the triumphal entry. No miracles here. No signs. No big audience. Just Jesus, his…

“When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in…

This morning I want us to look not at the healing but at John’s comment about the healing. “The day on which this took place was a Sabbath..so because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” It was not the intent of the Sabbath commandment that Jesus had offended but the traditions…

This morning I want to make a few comments on the story of the healing of the man born blind in John 9 and then hand the balance of the time to our guest, Lewis Swann. Some of you know Lewis and have known his family, the Swann’s, for many years. I’ve asked him to be with us this morning because giving sight to the blind has become the story of his life. Four quick things before Lewis comes up: First, healing the blind is central to the work of the Messiah. It is not just in the New Testament that giving sight to the blind is a sign of…

Last week we talked about the weaker brother being accepted by those who had worked through some of the issues that new believers were wrestling with and this week the first part of this passage extends that. Clearly, it was an important issue then as it is now. Some people have liberty in areas that others do not. Some people have issues of conscience that others do not and learning to live with those differences and have respect for them is fundamental to everything Paul wants to encourage in the early Church. It was too easy to accentuate the differences and allow them to become divisions – whether it was…

1. The topic this morning is “Christian Worldview” and the text is Romans 12:1-2. It is such a familiar passage. But we should start reading in the previous chapter to see where Paul’s mind was heading. Let’s look at the doxology of 11:33-36: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.…

There is so much in this chapter to get our attention and it is difficult to know where to focus. Should it be on Nicodemus, being born again, God’s loving the world so much that he sent his Son or even John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus? This morning I want to concentrate on the person of Nicodemus. Who is he? Why does John include him at pivotal points in the Gospel when others appear and then are gone? Why does John always introduce him in the same way every time as the man who came to Jesus at night? What is the relationship between Nicodemus and Jesus? Between John…

There is so much in this chapter to get our attention and it is difficult to know where to focus. Should it be on Nicodemus, being born again, God’s loving the world so much that he sent his Son or even John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus? People are fascinating for me. Probably more than teachings or theology so this morning I want to concentrate on the person of Nicodemus. Who is he? Why does John include him at pivotal points in the Gospel when others appear and then are gone? Why does John always introduce him in the same way every time as the man who came to Jesus…