Holy Fruit and Holy Order Text: 1 Timothy 2:8-15 Rev. John Downs Even when it may grate against current cultural sensibilities, we do well to submit to the clear teaching of Scripture regarding the distinct and yet beautifully complementary roles …
Holy Fruit and Holy Order Text: 1 Timothy 2:8-15 Rev. John Downs Even when it may grate against current cultural sensibilities, we do well to submit to the clear teaching of Scripture regarding the distinct and yet beautifully complementary roles …
Prayer and Salvation Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Rev. John Downs The ideas of scarcity and supply and demand may be useful in economic arenas to deal with things that are valuable, but not so in the Kingdom of God. The …
Doctrine and Doxology Text: 1 Timothy 1:1-20 Rev. John Downs In contrast to false doctrine, true doctrine comes to us from God himself and can be recognized by the good fruit it produces. While good doctrine is important for us …
The Way of Victory Text: Mark 15:42-16:8 Rev. John Downs Our Lord has entered in the darkness of this world and speaks to us, “Courage, dear heart.” He provides us the courage needed to stand firm in our convictions even …
Faithfulness in a Fractured World Text: Ezra 3:1-13 Rev. John Downs God is faithful to his covenant promises even to his people in exile or, in more contemporary terms, to us who live in a fractured world. We are not …
The Way of Death Text: Mark 15:16-41 Rev. John Downs It’s embedded deep within sinful human nature to want to run away from pain and embarrassment. In today’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus, the focus is less on the …
The Way of Deliverance Text: Mark 15:1-15 Rev. John Downs None of us needs to be persuaded that fear and evil lie within each human heart from birth. What we need instead is convincing that sin and its consequences have …
The Way of Witness Text: Mark 14:53-72 Rev. John Downs We as humans tend to love the idea of justice being done. Unfortunately, just as with Peter in today’s text, our tongues and hearts reveal our sin and would condemn …
The Way of Betrayal Text: Mark 14:43-52 Rev. John Downs In Dante’s Inferno, the most despicable sin of all time, occupying the deepest circle of hell, is Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Today’s text helps us feel the weight of human …
The Way of Weakness Text: Mark 14:26-42 Rev. John Downs We have a tendency to overestimate our abilities, and this extends to our spiritual lives as well. In our weakness, we will often stumble and fall in this life of …