Every Easter, until COVID, my dad would host a Sunrise Service(First at the Pacific Amphitheater and later the Verizon Amphitheater)And most every year he would tell the same story; this one about Mary Magdalene  - you might ex...

John 12:1-8INTRO: I know this is Palm Sunday and I read the wrong storyHowever, this is like an introduction to this big occasion, because   Jesus came to stay in the home of his friends the day befo...

You may hear something today you haven’t heard beforeSo I’m going to try to make this as clear as possible- we need to consider the larger context that surrounds and informs verses 12-14• not only the context of this chapter, but...

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened Matthew 7:7-8Intr...

Judge not, that yo be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measured you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2Intro: Until recently, whenever I came to this chapte...

Did you know, many Christians avoid the Sermon On the Mount?The problem is that they misread the Sermon- they think Jesus demands a perfection that is beyond us• what actually happens in the Sermon is that it empowers us◦ we ...

Jesus is explaining and extending what he had said in verse 21“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”In scripture, the heart can have several meanings- here, it isn’t the physical organ that pumps blo...

We’re still in the Sermon On the Mount,But I’m going to begin by reading a of couple verses from Psalm 139- this is one of the very popular Psalms• its beautiful and haunting poetry are easy for us to follow◦ and at the same ...

This week I met with Harry Robinson – a few of you may know himHe is a man of God and a visionary, and for awhile we worked together- he is also someone I love and respect• during our long, rambling conversation, Harry said somet...

Jesus has given the world this incredible prayerRecited every day and prayed in almost every language,- it contains the essence of what everyone needs to say to God and ask of him• and yet, when Jesus taught this prayer to his di...

The next point of Jesus’ sermon has to do with prayerI don’t think you need me to teach you anything about prayer- one year in Russia, an orphan tried to teach me the alphabet• but she gave up on me – there was just one letter, I...

 Peter and Andrew were knee-deep in Lake Galilee. A school of fish swam near shore, so they threw a net into water, dragging out whatever it collected. Jesus, walking the shore that morning, stopped and called to them. When they turned and...

Today we reach the end of this second part of the SermonBut not until Jesus takes us all the way to end of the trail we’re on- we've been following a theme that began with Jesus saying,Do not think that I have come to abolish...

There’s a fateful story in the Bible that begins like this:It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was...

You know the directory in the mall, with the little star that reads, “You are here”?Well, let's figure out where we are in Jesus' Sermon- we’ve been through the Beatitudes • we've made the transition from Jesus’ closing remarks t...

 Approaching 2025, I found myself struggling with hope for the new year- I think of myself as an optimist• for instance, Divorce equals two Christmases and two birthdays- but today's world looks grim• vicious election cycle...

We need to know where we are in Jesus’ SermonVerses 17-20 are the heart of the Sermon (perhaps the heart of the entire Bible)- these verses hold the key to interpreting the rest of Sermon• unfortunately, many Christians read this...

Back in the days, when I was the pastor of a sizeable church,We would celebrate Christmas with big productions. One year, when the stage was crowded with props and children, the music still ringing in our ears, I went to the microphone w...

These last two Beatitudes on Jesus’ list are not easy to digestJesus envisions a grim future for us – and if so,- we’re expected not only to survive it, but to rejoice and be glad• John Chapman was the Abbot of a monastery in Bri...

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that Godbecame Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this.C. S. Lewis, ". . . In the Christian story God descends to ...

Jesus is sitting on a mountain overlooking Sea of GalileeHe is teaching a course on “Christian Spirituality”- we are now five weeks into his introduction: The Beatitudes• prior to teaching this course, Jesus had been announcing, ...

When I began preparing today’s talk, there was a sudden moment when I felt very smallThe spiritual wisdom of Jesus rivals every other enlightened text- even gurus, like Gandhi, who rejected Christianity have admired the Sermon• r...

Welcome back to Jesus’ Sermon On the MountHe begins with the Beatitudes – not to be confused with "benedictions"- they are more like a series of riddles• he describes conditions in which people are already blessed◦ already ac...

Recently, I came across an interesting ad:The caption said, “Free AI Sermon Generator”“Free AI sermon outlines help you preach a confident, creative message. AI sermon starter ideas make your sermon fresh and relevant.”- I realiz...