It’s a common Christian misconception to think the Old Testament is all about an angry, vengeful God, while the New Testament has a monopoly on love and grace. Often people will point to “all those rules and commandments” to support that kind of thinking. In this sermon, we look at the Ten Commandments, where they sit in the story of God’s love for God’s people and how they guide us to live in that love.
The manuscript appears below.
Continue readingI started a new call at Fox Valley Presbyterian Church this morning. 
A bit of reflection on that is coming in the next couple of days, but for now I wanted to try to post my sermon with audio. We don’t have a podcast (yet!), so I wanted to try this out today. I recorded straight from my phone and loaded it up here. I hope it works!
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4
Luke 19:1-10
I wonder if, even as a kid, Jesus was the kind of person who just invited himself over to a friend’s house. I am always struck by the part of this story where he just announces to Zacchaeus, as the children’s song goes, “For I’m going to your house today.” This story makes me wonder if, even as a kid, Jesus would finish sweeping up the sawdust and picking up the scraps of wood left around Joseph’s work bench, and then shout to Mary on his way out the door, “Mom, I’m going over to Josiah’s house to play!” Continue reading
For Some Reason 