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2 Samuel 15:1-22

EMS
Erin M. Stout

Comments and Observations David’s sudden and dramatic turn from king to fugitive did not come out of the blue. A whole series of consequences from David’s actions – and inactions – now come to a terrible convergence. Perhaps it started with David’s sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. David had known that Bathsheba was married, but…

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Psalm 29

Epiphany 1C

Doug Bratt Headshot
Doug Bratt

Psalm 29 may feel a little hard on ears that are tired and worn down by all the recent holidays’ noise. It is, after all, a “noisy” hymn of praise that the poet fills with the sounds of music, thunder, wind and even the sound that earthquakes make. It’s a psalm that the psalmist also…

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Isaiah 43:1-7

Epiphany 1C

Scott-Hoezee
Scott Hoezee

Scholars tell us that there may have been at least two, probably three (perhaps four!) “Isaiahs” whose prophetic words make up the one Old Testament book we call Isaiah. If so, then the version of Isaiah we get in this 43rd chapter is definitely the “Happy Isaiah” as compared to the doom-and-gloom Isaiah from earlier…

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Genesis 33

BS
Bill Sytsma

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent,” he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. -Martin Luther Comments and Observations: Early in his monastic life, Martin Luther was consumed with the worry that his righteousness was not great enough.  He tried fasting, praying, and self-flagellation in order to convince…

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Exodus 11:1-10

BS
Bill Sytsma

Sermon Idea:  God will fight for His people. Comments and Observations: Everybody loves a hero.  Tales of individuals who will champion the cause of someone who is unjustly oppressed fascinate us. True heroes, however, are hard to find.  Most of us feel as though others are hardly interested in our struggles.  Even if we find…

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Deuteronomy 30:11-20

BS
Bill Sytsma

Common Misperceptions: It is far too common for us to have images of God that don’t match the way He is described in the Bible.  One of those misperceptions is picturing God as a sadistic overlord who watches diligently to make sure no one is violating His commandments.  We might be prone to believe that…

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2 Samuel 13:1-22

BS
Bill Sytsma

Comments and Observations: I love the TV show The Brady Bunch.  In almost every episode there is a problem that can be neatly wrapped up in 30 minutes or less.  Whether it’s a broken vase, a bruised nose, an injured ankle, or a changing voice; the problem is never insurmountable.  There is no crisis that…

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Malachi 4

BS
Bill Sytsma

Comments and Observations: In his book, The End of Memory, Miroslav Volf gives us a glimpse into the torment he endured while serving in the Yugoslavian army under the (erroneous) suspicion of being a traitor.  Because he was a Christian who was married to an American, the communist army suspected him of treason.  His time…

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Psalm 147:12-20

2nd Sunday after Christmas C

Doug Bratt Headshot
Doug Bratt

“January has always seemed to be something of a letdown,” writes James Limburg. After all, even if, as T.S. Eliot writes, “April is the cruelest month,” January is perhaps the coldest month, at least in many parts of North America. Christmas’ excitement generally allows North Americans to look past December’s sometimes-wintry weather. But now the…

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Jeremiah 31:7-14

2nd Sunday after Christmas C

Scott-Hoezee
Scott Hoezee

You can’t accuse the Old Testament prophets of not being specific enough when it came to describing the blessings of God’s salvation! Sometimes believers today content themselves with generic or generalized descriptions of felicity in “heaven,” sometimes not advancing in their views of the New Creation much beyond the wispy, cloudy, ethereal realm that New…

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