A popular worship song contains the line, "the Father turns His face away." Did God turn away from or abandon Jesus on the cross? The scope of what happened on Mount Calvary is such a deep mystery. Yet, Jesus Himself showed us on the cross through His words and actions an especially astonishing truth about what was taking place. Join us as we consi…

Sheep and shepherds make frequent appearances in Scripture. Jesus called Himself a "Good Shepherd." So, who were the "bad shepherds"? Join Pastor Chris for a fresh look at Psalm 23 and at least one surprising thing about shepherds.The picture associated with this podcast is an historic photo of a sheep cave and shepherd from Bethlehem. Date unknown…

What are we Christians supposed to do in a world full of cynicism that seems to be falling apart? And what about the unfair successes of the ungodly all around us? The psalmist has some very simple, practical, and even profound advice for the godly in times like these.Join Pastor Chris and learn about an addition or two to your evening prayer and d…

Christ's work on the cross-- His death, burial, and resurrection-- means that God has dealt with death once and for all. Yet Christ's work also means a reversal of what happened in the Garden. A whole new world has come into being. Join Pastor Chris for an Easter Sunday sermon focusing on the re-creation that happens because of the person and work …

On this Palm Sunday, Pastor Chris took a look at the prophetic things the crowd shouted when Jesus came riding into the Holy City at His Triumphal Entry. Question: How is the Davidic Dynasty tied to the events of Palm Sunday, and might they be they relevant to us today? Join us as we focus on bending the knee to ultimate King.…

Remember the episode in the Bible about the "snake on a stake"? So many questions: Why snakes? What did the Children of Israel do to deserve that? And why did Jesus use that odd event in the desert to describe His coming into the world to the Pharisee Nicodemus?Join Pastor Chris for this sermon, and spend some time with us as we consider our own wi…

As we continue our Lenten Season theme of "The Covenant and the Cross," we come to Mount Sinai. God had used Moses to deliver the people from Egypt. They were the descendants, for the most part, of one man, Jacob-- a kind of extended family. But they weren't a nation yet. That happened at the mountain. Join Pastor Chris as he took us through the Si…

In the Old Testament there are promises God made to Israel or to Abraham. But did you ever think about how they might be for you, too? The promises made to Abraham and his seed in the long ago have been fulfilled in a remarkable and wonderful way. Along the way we defined "Christian" and "The Church"-- and we also talked about the amazing inheritan…

On this first Sunday in Lent, 2024, Epiclesis embarked on a series for the season we titled "The Cross and the Covenant." Guest preacher Dr. Jay Dudley brought a message that treated the four lectionary passages appointed for the day as if they were discrete and unrelated. This resulted in four brief messages--one on each passage. In the process, i…

Here's a little quiz: Where do new things, mountains, and thin places come together? Answer: The Mountain of Transfiguration. Join Pastor Chris as he takes us on a journey from Deuteronomy and Moses to the Gospel of Mark and Jesus as we discover why the Transfiguration of Christ is so critically important to our faith.Art credit: The beautiful pain…