On Tuesday, July 4, we will celebrate our nation’s 247th birthday. While no nation has a perfect history since all nations are made up of sinful human beings, we as a nation have enjoyed remarkable blessings throughout our history, beginning with success in the Revolutionary War which seemed to indicate Divine intervention.

What a fantastic promise of the Lord’s care and the ultimate eternal victory we have in Christ Jesus. But before the victory is won the battle rages. In this weekend’s Old Testament reading we’ll hear the prophet Jeremiah lamenting the fact that the word of the Lord brings him insult and reproach all day long. In the Gospel reading Jesus tells the Twelve that they will be hated by everyone because of Him. If that’s the case, why would someone want to follow Jesus?

How often have you heard the phrase, “If you’re going to talk the talk, walk the walk”? This Sunday is Father’s Day, and for those of us who are dads, it may be a day not only to celebrate with family, but also to reflect on how we’re doing as dads.

Why do we follow set readings and observe certain seasons in the Church Year since those things are not laid out in the Scriptures and are man-made traditions?

This weekend, we celebrate Trinity Sunday. Our worship services will give thanks to God for the wonder of what has been revealed to us in the Holy Scriptures concerning who the one true God is: three distinct Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) yet one God.

In Jesus, we might have different languages of choice and ethnic and cultural dissimilarities, but in Jesus all the differences melt away as His people focus on accomplishing the Lord’s goal of living in His love and making disciples of all nations.

And, in a sense, isn’t that our role as followers of Jesus, to fill the world with His love as we not only specifically share the Good News of who Jesus is and what He has done, but live lives which reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit living in us – the Spirit who connects us to Jesus and uses us to reflect Him in our attitudes and actions.

One finding from [Neitzke’s] research of healthy families is that they eat together. That might sound like a relatively obvious thing until you start asking around as to how many families actually do that.

There are some things that will never be answered for us regarding God’s reasoning for allowing certain things to happen, but what He sometimes does for us in the Holy Scriptures is give us examples of how He truly does work through things for the good of those who love Him.

If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we are the sheep. And sheep need a shepherd. They are not able to survive well on their own since they are basically defenseless against their predators. And so it is with us.

How would you describe our world today? One phrase that is sometimes used is, “going to hell in a handbasket.”

During the Easter season, instead of the first Scripture reading during the worship service being from the Old Testament, it’s from the Acts of the Apostles. It seems this has been the practice in the Christian Church since at least the 4th Century. So what’s the reasoning?

Is this coming weekend a “Holiday Weekend” or a “Holy Day Weekend” for you? What’s the difference? It may seem like a matter of semantics since “Holiday” comes from “holy day,” but it can also be a matter of attitude.

This weekend begins our observance of Holy Week and our journey with Jesus into Jerusalem and the cross. What a comfort to know the rest of the story.

Do you believe that Jesus is the great “I AM” right now, who would be actively involved in your present and not just giving you hope for the future?

Sometimes we think of ourselves differently than we actually are. I think all of us would like to think of ourselves as thankful people, but when we actually log how often we actually thank God and others, we may find that we actually assume a lot.