If genealogies are not the most engaging reading, why would Matthew begin his history of Jesus with one in Matthew 1:1-17? Actually, genealogies can be very engaging if we find in them connections with our story. Because Matthew wanted to connect Jesus with Jewish people, he emphasized Jesus’ descent from the patriarch Abraham and from King David. At the same time, he included some fascinating details that connect Jesus not only with Jewish people but with all of us.
In our summer sermon series on some of Jesus’ parables, we start with The Parable of the Sower (or Soils) in Mark 4:1-20. This...
Ever since there began to be two groups preaching and baptizing, there were those who wanted to set up a competition between them. In...
If we have died and risen with Christ, once we have taken off the filthy rags of the old life, it is time to...