I believe in love. I believe in the end that love wins. No matter what may or may not happen to us in this life, love has the final word and love is the final and eternal Word. I have committed my adult life and career to this truth. As a human, I forget that…
I am not an expert in most things. However, I am a theologian. You may even question my expertise in that field of study, yet that is what I am. I look at everything through the lens of God’s word as found in the scripture and through the filter of the living Word of God…
This is the text of my Thanksgiving Eve sermon at Bethel… I don’t know if you saw the tragic news this morning but a Lutheran pastor in San Francisco was arrested for having many pornographic images of children on his computer. It is just unbelievable and it is sad. It is just another thing in…
“Cursed is the person who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” Deuteronomy 27:26 In chapter 27 of Deuteronomy we find a litany of “calls and responses” of all of the things the Israelites should be about. After each proclaimed instruction the people…
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding Psalm 32:8-9 Which part of the week are you spending learning about God outside of sitting in worship…
It is November 1st as I write this and it is a church holiday. It is All Saints Day and tomorrow is All Soul’s Day. How did these commemoration days come about? Well, read on…. In the early years when the Roman Empire persecuted Christians, so many martyrs died for their faith, that the Church set…
On Sunday we will remember the 501stanniversary of the Protestant Reformation. As you know, the reformation caused a major schism in the Church of Christ and we are still trying to heal those divisions 501 years later. It is quite possible that there will never be reconciliation within the Church until Christ himself returns. This…
Last week, I wrote quite a bit about the differences between God’s covenant with Israel and God’s covenant with those who follow Jesus. (You can catch up here: https://benbergren.com/articles-the-covenants-of-god/) Not only are they different covenants but they are different types of covenants. These agreements established by God are vastly different in substance and nature. Some…
I’ve been thinking about the two major covenants that God made with God’s people. There are several covenants found within the Bible but there are two that stand out above the rest. As a matter of fact the two sections of the Bible are named after these covenants. The word testament comes from the Latin…
Jesus said… “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man…
