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Faith Alone

500 years ago, this fall, a Roman Catholic priest, named Martin Luther, produced a list of theological statements that addressed doctrinal concerns facing the church of his day. He reportedly posted the list on the door of a prominent church in Wittenberg, Germany to make its contents available to the public. Translations of Luther's famous "95 Theses" were soon reprinte...

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Vacation Bible Club Recap - 2017

Mom and Daughter Craft 2017.JPG

We walked into Dutch Kills playground that first day not knowing if any kids and parents would join us. We left Friday evening knowing that 170 children and many parents/adults heard the Good News of the saving work of Jesus Christ! Each evening we sang songs, listened to a Biblical Character share the Gospel, helped anywhere from 40-75 kids make a craft related to the mes...

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Genesis: In the beginning

I know several individuals who have had their DNA analyzed by genetic testing services. It is fascinating to hear them report the findings the ethnic and regional backgrounds of their long-forgotten ancestors. Some of the results are predictable; some are unexpected. (My daughters were surprised to learn they have Jewish roots.) It's easy to understand why people enjoy th...

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Pentecost Sunday

We celebrate Pentecost this Sunday. The day of Pentecost came ten days after Jesus' ascension into heaven and fifty days after his resurrection, during the Jewish festival known as the Feast of Weeks, when people from many nations returned to Jerusalem. It is connected to and fulfills the worship of the Old Testament, when God commanded his people to celebrate the day af...

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Why I Volunteer

There is something about the prospect of volunteering that can be intimidating. It's a commitment, yes, yet also an infringement. Here I am, whoever and whatever I am, going to you, whoever and whatever you are, and deciding to share. I will share myself, and you, perhaps unaware of the connection that this transaction entails, will receive, willingly or unwillingly. Yet...

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Deliver Us

The final petition of the Lord's Prayer is, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The Heidelberg Catechism teaches that, in praying this part of the Lord's Prayer, we are saying, "By ourselves we are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies the devil,the world,and our own fleshnever stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us an...

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Ascension Sunday

Today is Ascension, and we will celebrate Jesus' ascension into heaven this Sunday, May 28. The church has celebrated the ascension since the early centuries, and we see the importance given to the ascension in the early creeds of the church. The Apostles' Creed says: I believe in Jesus Christ...was crucified, died and was buried;he descended into hell.The third day he ...

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Forgive Us Our Debts

In our current sermon series, we are allowing different psalms from the Bible to show us how to give voice to the various petitions of the Lord's Prayer. The fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer is "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Psalm 32 helps us to pray this petition with depth and authenticity. In his book on the Lord's Prayer, Terry L. Johnson remind...

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Our Daily Bread

Jesus taught us, in the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer, to ask the Father for "our daily bread." "Daily bread," of course, is a metaphor for everything we need from the Lord. This includes requests for spiritual growth and piety, but we should never be embarrassed to ask God for physical blessings, as well. In Prayerbook of the Bible, a book on praying the psalms, D...

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Thy Kingdom, Thy Will

The second and third petitions of the Lord's Prayer are "Thy kingdom come" and "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." What does it mean to pray for the coming of God's Kingdom? We are essentially praying three things: that the Father would send the kingdom of glory (that Jesus would return); that he would crush the kingdom of darkness (putting an end to the lies ...

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