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…
Here is a charged question for you, “Who’s side are you on?” Even though I am not sitting next to you right now, I can sense the unease, sadness if not anger rising up through your screen. Some of you are thinking that I am about to “say” something political and not “religious.” It has…
I was reading Paul’s letter to the Ephesians recently and I was struck by the “big issue” Paul needed to address within the church. Literally, it is an issue that might seem irrelevant to us or a “thing of the past.” Yet, if we look at the same issue thematically, it is still an topic…
‘Cause I am a sinner If it’s not one thing it’s another Caught up in words Tangled in lies But You are a Savior And You take brokenness aside And make it beautiful Song: Brokenness Aside by All Sons and Daughters King David wrote a song (psalm) after being called out for committing adultery and…
Jesus said… “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not…
