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Grace and Assurance (John 14:1-14)

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Think about those moments of uncertainty, when the ground beneath us shifts and we are not quite sure what comes next. Maybe you wake up, the world is still dim, and before your feet even touch the floor, your mind begins to race. There are bills to pay, conversations you have been avoiding, decisions you are not sure how to make. Even on the good days, there can be a low hum of uncertainty beneath the surface. Maybe you wonder what today holds (what less the future) and whether you will have what you need to make it through. In our text today ( John 14:1-14 ) the disciples are feeling confused and anxious because Jesus has said that he is leaving them. I think I can say that we have all experienced feelings of confusion and anxiety. In those moments, the words of Jesus in John 14 meet us right where we are: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (v. 1). What follows is one of the most beloved and sometimes misunderstood passages in all of scriptur...
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In You I Take Refuge (Psalm 31:1-5)

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Have you ever just needed to go to a safe place? Maybe you feel hurt or misunderstood or ashamed, or whatever. When I was a child, I felt especially safe at my grandparents’ home. When I was small, we actually lived there for a while until my father could build us a house right next door. There are moments in life when we feel like the ground shifts beneath our feet. A phone call we didn’t expect. A diagnosis we didn’t see coming. A relationship that suddenly feels fragile. In those moments, even the strongest among us can feel unsteady. We look for something solid to hold on to, something that will not crumble under pressure. We need places and people that hold us when life presses in too hard. Psalm 31 begins right there, in that honest place where fear and faith meet. The psalmist cries out, “In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me” (v. 1). This is not a polished prayer. It is the kind of prayer we whisper when we are ...
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Forks in the Road (Proverbs 4:10-18)

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There are seasons in life when the road ahead feels uncertain. You may find yourself standing at a crossroads, wondering which direction will lead to life and which will lead to regret. Sometimes the choices are obvious, but often they are not. In those moments, what we long for is clarity, a light to guide our steps. Proverbs 4:10-18 presents a fatherly exhortation to embrace wisdom as a life-giving path and to reject the way of wickedness as destructive and disorienting. The passage is structured around two contrasting “ways” or “paths,” a common motif in wisdom literature. The way of wisdom is marked by instruction, righteousness, and increasing light, while the way of the wicked is characterized by moral blindness, compulsion toward evil, and deepening darkness. The wicked stumble in darkness, unable to see what trips them up (v. 19). But those who walk in righteousness travel a different road entirely. Their path is "like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighte...
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The God Who Makes Us Complete (Hebrews 13:20-21)

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The author of Hebrews ends the letter with the following blessing... Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, as he works among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21 (NRSVue) These closing words of Hebrews offer a gentle and powerful reminder that we are not left to finish the work on our own. It is a blessing rooted in the resurrection power of God and the ongoing work of grace in our lives. I love the wording here. Every phrase is carrying weight. Every word is doing something. “ Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant ...”  This is the God who raised Jesus from the dead, who ratified an eternal covenant in his blood, who appointe...
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Blessed to Be a Blessing (Genesis 12:1-3)

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In Genesis 12, God speaks to Abraham* with both command and promise: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you… I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” ( Genesis12:1-3 ). Abraham is not given a map, only a promise. Notice that this begins with God’s initiative, calling Abraham before Abraham has done anything to earn such favor. The journey of faith always begins with God’s initiative, a grace that goes before us and invites our response. The New Testament does not discard the promise to Abraham; it deepens and widens it. What begins as a call to one family becomes, in Christ, an invitation to all families of the earth . The covenant is not replaced but fulfilled in a way that reflects God’s grace reaching outward. But notice that God’s blessing always carries a purpose. You are blessed to be a blessing. This is a call to participate in God’s ongoing wor...
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Listening for Jesus (Sermon for Easter 4)

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This is my sermon for April 26, 2026, at Ebenezer and Black Creek UMCs. The texts I used today include Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-26, 31; Psalm 100; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10. 1. Introduction: The Familiarity of the Voice In an era defined by a relentless cacophony of digital alerts and competing narratives, the act of spiritual discernment has moved from a quiet luxury to a strategic necessity. Recognizing the voice of the divine is to be a practiced familiarity. It is akin to the immediate, instinctive recognition of a loved one’s call across a distance. To hear the voice of Jesus is to identify a singular frequency amidst a noisy world that constantly seeks to drown it out. In the Gospel of John in the 10th chapter, it says that the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them. And the sheep follow him because they know his voice. What does it mean to know that voice? To re...
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On the Mountain with God (Exodus 24:1-11)

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There are moments in life that are so full of emotion and promise they feel almost too big to trust. A couple standing at an altar making vows. Watching the birth of your child. A child hears a parent say, “I will always love you.” A friend says, “I will be there.” These moments are holy, but they can also feel fragile. We know how easily promises can be broken. So when we hear about covenant in scripture, it can feel both beautiful and risky. Maybe you have sat at a table with someone and realized that something deeper was being formed, something rooted in commitment and care. Those moments help us understand what is happening in Exodus 24 . In this passage, God invites Moses, Aaron, and the elders to come up the mountain. There is both nearness and distance. “Worship at a distance,” God says, and yet Moses is drawn closer still. This reminds us that God’s grace is always reaching toward us before we reach toward him. Even when we feel far away, God’s grace is already at work, invitin...
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