Preparing for the Lord's Day Thy Kingdom Come It might not qualify as a miracle, but it was miraculous to me. I was planning the annual Christmas dinner for the church I pastored in South Carolina, Overbrook Presbyterian Church. It was the tradition for me to make taco salad for the event and plan a few Christmas-themed activities. Most years we had about thirty-five p...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Heading south on the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Parkway's lowest point at the James River, the parkway begins to climb. With the scenic stop at Thunder Ridge some ten miles up the mountains, there's a brief walk to a stone observation deck. The scene from the quiet perch towering over the Arnold Valley some 2,600 feet below has always been a ...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Thy Kingdom Come Every nation needs laws because without law there is no justice or peace. For the first several years after independence from England, the federal law of the United States was the Articles of Confederation. It served as the foundation for federal law, however, it did not give the federal government the ability to levy taxes o...

Preparing for the Lord's Day The Kingdom of God It has happened more times than I would like to admit. April says, "Make sure to pick up the kids from school today." And I respond, "What? I didn't know I was going to be picking up the kids today?" Of course, April is very patient when she reminds me, "David, we talked about this last night. You said that you would be fin...

Preparing for the Lord's Day Thy Kingdom Come This Sunday we begin a study through the Gospel of Matthew, in which we will study Christ's teaching on the coming Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom is at the very center of Jesus' preaching ministry. His ministry is summarized in Matthew 4, "And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the...

Preparing for the Lord's Day In preparing the sermon this week I found myself asking, "Is it right to speak of the reward of discipleship?" It feels wrong to think of following and learning the way of Jesus because we want a prize at the end. Shouldn't the Christian desire to follow Jesus merely because it is the right thing to do? Because the Bible tells us so? Does disc...

Preparing for the Lord's Day With humble and steadfast faith, praise God that we have abiding anchors in Christ, His word, prayer, and His love. His love spills over into our lives and into our love for one another, our community, and the world around us. As we continue to face the strains of the Delta Variant of Covid-19, the sadness of the collapse of Afghanistan, the i...

Preparing for the Lord's Day What brings you joy? What activities cause you to feel deeply fulfilled and intensely engaged? In John 4, we find Jesus "wearied" from a long journey that was filled with hard work. He is "sitting" beside a well in the heat of the day. He asks a Samaritan woman to give him a drink. (4:7) This scene seems to describe a man who is depleted and i...

Preparing for the Lord's Day It was supposed to be a warmup fight for Mike Tyson as he prepared to defend his title against Evander Holyfield later that year. However, no one saw what was coming the evening of February 11, 1990, when Mike Tyson stepped into the ring with James "Buster" Douglas. Prior to this fight, Tyson was the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion...

Preparing for the Lord's Day What does it cost to follow Christ? It cost very little to be a merely outward Christian. There are many who would proclaim to follow Jesus. They might show up to church a few times a year, give a bit to the offering, have Christian dcor in their homes, and listen to the family-friendly radio station. However, true sacrifice never seems to com...