Month: May 2018

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The LORD is One

Text: Isaiah 6:1-8
Date: The Holy Trinity + 5/27/18

I remember reading some time ago a pastor wrote about this day, saying, “The Holy Trinity is the only Sunday devoted to a doctrine.” I fell for it at first. I think he meant that all other Sundays are about some words and acts of Jesus, His disciples, Mary, or one of the saints or martyrs, about people. Whereas The Holy Trinity is only more of a doctrine. There are those who think “doctrine” is only a dry, academic teaching, especially those teachings that engender disagreement or controversy among theologians. But if you stop to think about it, every Sunday speaks of doctrine, that is, the divine revelation and teaching of what we need to know about salvation. There’s the doctrine of man as God’s creation and then his fall into sin. There’s the doctrine of the inspiration of scripture and the Word of God given through the prophets and apostles. There’s the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God, and the doctrine of the vicarious atonement by His death on the Cross. You get the idea. Doctrine is simply the teaching of God’s revelation in His Word. Continue reading “The LORD is One”

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Sanctified in Truth

Text: John 17:11b-19
Date: Easter VII + 5/13/18

For forty days we have been amazed celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. The Lord is risen from the dead, alleluia! Ever since His rising the Lord has opened the minds of His disciples to understand the scriptures and His words. We got to expect Him to continue, mysteriously, to appear and speak to us, then to disappear. But now, this past Thursday He announced the end of all that and the new beginning of something new; the end of His visibly appearing to us but the beginning of His remaining in us. In these ten days when He told us to wait in the city, we begin wondering what if anything we should be doing. The hint was in those hands when He lifted them and blessed us before ascending into heaven. Continue reading “Sanctified in Truth”

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Baptism of Love

Text: John 15:9-17
Date: Easter VI + 5/6/18

Once again in the brilliant light of the resurrection of our Lord, our minds are opened and enlightened to the deeper understanding of the scriptures. We’re still thinking about that night before our Lord’s death. Remember how, before that Passover meal, our Lord put a towel around His waist and, taking water, knelt before each of us to wash our feet? Peter didn’t think it was appropriate at all for our Lord to stoop to do such a menial, slavish task. When He was done, however, ‘remember what Jesus said? “You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” Then He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” (John 13:12-14; 34). Continue reading “Baptism of Love”