June 5 Sermon Resource
Pentecost: Rejoice in the Lord Acts 2:1-21; Philippians 4:4-7 Accompanying Text: John 14:16-17 Context “The eloquence of Peter and the spectacle of the fiery tongues that arrested the attention of...
May 29 Sermon Resource
The Christ Hymn Philippians 2:1-13 Accompanying Text: Luke 6:43-45 Context “Philippians 2:5-11…Despite being a beautiful passage, it has been a source of great controversy. The biggest question...
May 22 Sermon Resource
Partnership in Gospel Philippians 1:1-18a Accompanying text: Luke 9:46-48 Context “It probably did not surprise Paul’s converts in Philippi when they found out their apostle was in a Roman prison....
May 15 Sermon Resource
Paul’s Sermon at Athens Main Text: Acts 17:16-31 Additional Text: John 1:16-18 Context “Paul’s visit to Athens and especially to Corinth forms the climax of this ‘second missionary journey’....
May 8 Sermon Resource
Paul and Silas Main Text: Acts 16:16-34 Accompanying Text: Luke 6:18-19, 22-23 Context After the dispute between Paul and Barnabas over Mark, “Barnabas and Mark sail away, not only to Cyprus, but...
May 1 Sermon Resource
Paul’s Conversion Main Text: Acts 9:1-19a Accompanying Text: Matthew 6:24 Context “Saul was brought up in Tarsus, a cosmopolitan city located on the coast in modern-day Turkey. As a Roman citizen,...
April 24 Sermon Resource
Thomas Main Text: John 20:19-31 Accompanying Text: Psalm 145:13-21 Context “They say the one thing that Thomas missed. They fixate on the one thing that is temporary. And in doing so...
April 17 Sermon Resource
Resurrection Main Text: John 20:1-18 Accompanying Text: Psalm 118:21-29 Context Paul underlined the primary importance of the death and resurrection of Jesus in 1 Corinthians...
April 15 Sermon Resource
Crucifixion Main Text: John 19:31-42 Accompanying Text: Psalm 31:9-18 Context “Jesus was put to death by crucifixion, a form of execution practiced in late antiquity, whereby a person was tied or...
April 14 Sermon Resource
Jesus’ Last Words Main Text: John 19:23-30 Accompanying Text: Psalm 26:3 Context “This is a detailed story. John knows why the soldiers cast lots when dividing the clothes: because...
April 10 Sermon Resource
The Crucified Messiah Main Text: John 19:16b-22 Accompanying Text: Psalm 24 Context There is a lot of historical and archaeological information concerning the practice of crucifixion. “Crucifixion...
April 3 Sermon Resource
Jesus Condemned Main Text: John 19:1-16a Accompanying Text: Psalm 146 Context As we read the various Gospel accounts concerning the crucifixion and the events leading up to it, it’s important to...
March 27 Sermon Resource
Jesus and Pilate Main Text: John 18:28-40 Accompanying Text: Psalm 145:10-13 Context John records how Jesus was interrogated by the former High Priest, Annas, the father-in-law of the then current...
March 20 Sermon Resource
Peter’s Denial Main Text: John 18:12-27 Accompanying Text: Psalm 17:1-7 Context John often records different details from the synoptics but, at the beginning of John 18, he is in parallel with...
March 13 Sermon Resource
Jesus Washes Feet Main Text: John 13:1-7 Accompanying Text: Psalm 51:7-14 Context “The washing of feet, whether by oneself or by somebody else, was practised throughout much of the ancient...
March 6 Sermon Resource
Jesus Raises Lazarus Main Text: John 11:1-44 Accompanying text: Psalm 104:27-30 Context “In John’s story, Jesus is very good friends with Lazarus, along with his sisters Mary and Martha. We are...
February 27 Sermon Resource
The Man Born Blind Main Text: John 9:1-41Accompanying text: Psalm 27:1-4 Context In the flow of John’s Gospel this miracle happens shortly after the Feast of Booths, at which water would have been...
February 20 Sermon Resource
Living Water Main Text: John 7:37-52 Accompanying text: Psalm 147:1-11 Context There is a gap in time between the “feast of the Jews” (John 5:1 ESV) and “the Jews’ Feast of Booths”...
February 13 Sermon Resource
Bread of Life Main Text: John 6:35-59 Accompanying text: Psalm 34:1-10 Context “Bread is mentioned throughout the Bible. While this was one of the most important foods of ancient times, it also...
February 6 Sermon Resource
Healing Stories Main Text: John 4:46-54 (5:1-18) Accompanying text: Psalm 40:1-5 Context The first two signs of Jesus’ ministry took place in Cana. The first sign involved his physical presence...
January 30 Sermon Resource
The Woman at the Well Main Text: John 4:1-42 Accompanying text: Psalm 42:1-3 Context After meeting with Nicodemus Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside on baptising tour while...
January 23 Sermon Resource
Nicodemus Main Text: John 3:1-21 Accompanying text: Psalm 139:13-18 Context Nicodemus moves from the darkness of the soul to the light of Jesus. John remembers him as someone who “had come to...
January 16 Sermon Resource
Jesus Cleanses the Temple Main Text: John 2:13-25 Accompanying text: Psalm 127:1-2 Context The conflict in timing of this event between John and the synoptics (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) has been...
January 9 Sermon Resource
Miracle at Cana Main Text: John 2:1-11 Accompanying text: Psalm 104:12-16 Context “Jesus, Mary and His disciples attend a wedding in Galilee. When the entire supply of wine has been consumed by the...
January 2 Sermon Resource
Jesus says come and see Main Text: John 1:35-51 Accompanying text: Psalm 66:1-5 Context Some scholars see Jesus’ invitation to “Come and you will see” (John 1:39 ESV) as the beginning of...
December 26 Sermon Resource
John the Baptist Main Text: John 1:19-34 Accompanying text: Psalm 32:1-2 Context John’s “Gospel opens with two witnesses who both speak: John the author and John who baptises…the two witnesses...
December 24/25 Sermon Resource
Birth of Jesus Main Text: Luke 2:1-20 Accompanying text: Psalm 96:7-10 Context Some revisionist thinking has challenged traditional versions of the story of Joseph and Mary’s arrival in Bethlehem....
December 19 Sermon Resource
Word Made Flesh Main Text: John 1:1-18 Accompanying text: Psalm 130:5-8 Context and the Doctrine of the Incarnation “The first sentence of John’s Gospel is very deliberately built on the first...
December 12 Sermon Resource
Word accomplishes God’s purpose Main Text: Isaiah 55:1-13 Accompanying text: John 4:13-14 Context For the exiles in Babylon and for those still in Jerusalem and its surrounding villages, daily...
December 5 Sermon Resource
Valley of Dry Bones Main Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14 Accompanying text: John 11:25-26 Context Baritone Gregory Porter’s current hit “Dry Bones” is among the many songs that use the imagery found in...
November 28 sermon resource
Jeremiah’s Letter to Exiles Main Text: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 Accompanying text: John 14:27 Context “For the pious among the Hebrew exiles by the banks of the Euphrates, the great challenge was not...
November 21 sermon resource
A Child is Born Main Text: Isaiah 9:1-7 Accompanying text: John 8:12 Context “Of course, the single event of the birth of a child did not produce the events Isaiah reported. The wonder-child’s...
November 14 sermon resource
Amos: Justice Rolls Down Main Text: Amos 1:1-2; 5:14-15, 21-24 Accompanying text: John 7:37-38 Context “Amos towers as defender of the downtrodden poor and accuser of the powerful rich who use...
November 7 sermon resource
God speaks to Elijah Main Text: 1 Kings 19:1-18 Accompanying text: John 12:27-28 Context “…the people in the Bible were not polite. Just the opposite at times. In the prophets, abuse,...
October 31 Sermon Resource
Solomon’s Temple Main Text: 1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:1-13 Accompanying text: John 2:19-21 Context This marks a transition from the concept of tabernacle to that of temple. “…the reason for the...
October 24 Sermon Resource
God calls David Main Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 51:10-14 Accompanying text: John 7:24 Context In 1 Samuel 15 “God is sorry, not because he has done anything wrong, but because Saul has. God’s...
October 17 Sermon Resource
God calls Samuel Main Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-21 Accompanying text: John 20:21-23 Context “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there...
October 10 Sermon Resource
God provides manna Main Text: Exodus 16:1-18 Accompanying text: John 6:51 Context “The Scriptures of the Old Testament are not given to satisfy our curiosity about Jewish history. They are a record...
October 2 Sermon Resource
God’s name is revealed Main Text: Exodus 2:23-25; 3:1-15; 4:10-17 Accompanying text: John 8:58 Context “God knew” — those are the last words of Exodus 2. God knew the plight of the people. And...
September 26 Sermon Resource
Jacob’s Dream Main Text: Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23; 28:10-17 Accompanying text: John 1:50-51 Context How much Rebekah was influenced by the prophecy of Genesis 25:23 is up for conjecture. When the twins...