All the Sermons

Psalm 90 The reason this psalm is so popular for the Sunday before New Year’s is that verse 12 says, “Teach us to number our days; that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The day in our culture when we pay attention to number of days is New Year’s Eve. We count down to the second and celebrate the hanging of a new calendar. We want it to mean something! Calendars have increased our awareness of the passage of time and have given us definite ideas about one year coming to an end and a new one beginning. We tend to want everything to mean something so now we make New Year’s Resolutions on the day that most significantly symbolizes a fresh start. We dream of big changes and set new goals. But strangely, the first half of the psalm is mostly about our failure to accomplish anything of significance. We are just dust. We only last a moment, while God lasts forever. We make God angry because of our sinful ways, so that we are afflicted and moan under the pain of his punishing judgments. T

Isaiah 9:1-7 Are people still walking in darkness today? I am sure you know that the church says yes to that one. We are talking about the ones who live in the spiritual darkness and bondage to sin without being aware of the freedom they could have in Christ’s grace, mercy and forgiveness. They do not seem to realize that there is more to life than this life on earth. So many are totally blind to the possibility of an eternal life that is lived forever with the consequences of the choices that are made in this one. If they do hope for eternal life, they most often pursue a kind of pie in the sky image of the all forgiving God who does not require sincere faith in Jesus, or discipleship in his way, or any repentance for sin. Not only that but in their darkened hearts they often do not know how to live according to the wisdom that brings true joy and peace with deep and loving relationships in this world. The evidence for this is the epidemic of fatherless children, divorce, abuse a

Isaiah 64:1-9 The waiting room. Think of all the people who could be waiting in the doctor’s office for their name to be called for their next appointment. There could be all kinds of reasons why they are there and what they are waiting for. Maybe a diagnosis, maybe a treatment plan, maybe a pronouncement of healing. It might be for a minor injury, or it might be to find out whether the dreaded cancer has struck, or struck again. It can be a fearsome, formidable thing, this waiting at the Dr.’s office. And even if we know there is nothing seriously wrong, still we just don’t like the waiting! The Advent season is also all about waiting, waiting for God to come. What will it be like when he comes? What will he say to us? When will he come? In our text today, Israel is waiting, back in the days when her prophets were announcing her guilt and judgment. More fearsome than the doctor is the wrath of God. The message of this Old Testament text is, you think you’re okay with God. But