Andy Talks

As we move back into the Old Testament, we’ll take some time to walk together through the book of Judges. This is a very interesting book; it has some stories we all know, as well as some that we are unfamiliar with. We see in this book that God can use anyone to accomplish His will, but we also see the danger that comes when we become too enmeshed in the world. Judges is our warning to be in the...

We resume our week by looking at the post-resurrection accounts of Jesus and seeing his encounter with Thomas. As you’ve probably heard me say before, I think Thomas gets a bad rap because of his doubt.  Most, if not all, of us will doubt at some point; this teaches us the power of finding faith, even in our struggles. Thomas, though, has to let go of his hurt and disappointment to truly find God’...

We continue looking at Jesus’s post-resurrection encounters, and today we see Him coming to the disciples in John 20. This is one of my favorite passages from John. It talks about the disciples meeting together, but their doors were locked out of fear. I think that’s such a powerful image. How often do we lock the doors, especially the doors of our hearts, out of fear? But even there, Jesus can fi...

This week, we will look at five different encounters that people have with Jesus after the Resurrection. Today, we’ll start by looking at the Walk to Emmaus. In this story, two disciples are walking, and Jesus walks alongside them. They tell Him (Jesus) all that has happened in Jerusalem, and Jesus then unpacks all the Bible, and shows them how it is all pointing to Him. Shameless plug: here’s a l...

In our Easter sermon from our Traditional service, Andy looks at the story of John, Peter, and Mary, and how they came to believe in the resurrection. We don't need any gimmicks. We have the greatest story of all time, as Christians. He is Risen!  He is risen indeed! 

As we wait for Easter Sunday, we take a few moments to consider Holy Saturday. There is no direct biblical example of what happened on Holy Saturday, but in many traditions, this is the day when Jesus “Harrows Hell.” In some versions of the Creed, it says He “descended to the dead” or “descended to hell.” We’ll look at several biblical passages to unpack a little of what that could mean. Shameless...

In our Maundy Thursday service, Andy preaches from John 13. Before He goes to the cross, Jesus leaves with His disciples, and each of us, three things. An example of service. The promise of presence. And a new command. 

Good Friday is essential to Easter. We cannot rush through it. We must not rush through it. It is not easy. It is not fun to sit with and in our sin.  We don’t like it. We don’t like that way because of the way that it makes us feel. But if we do not sit with and realize our sin, we cannot truly feel forgiven. Without Good Friday, without the cross, without this, we truly don’t realize or experien...

Maundy Thursday is one of my “favorite” days of the church year. I put that in parentheses because it’s also a hard day. The day Jesus was betrayed. The day the journey to the cross really picks up speed. So, before He leaves, Jesus shows us what matters.  Service. Presence. And Love.  They will know we are His disciples not by our opinions, our politics, or our worship. But by our love. That was...

As we continue walking through Holy Week, Wednesday marks a subtle but significant turning point. Monday and Tuesday were filled with teaching, challenge, and public presence. But today, we move quietly yet definitively toward the cross. Though Scripture doesn’t give Holy Wednesday a dramatic narrative like the days that follow, it carries a deep spiritual weight. Some Christian traditions even re...

Tuesday of Holy Week is traditionally remembered as a day of teaching. In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 23 stands out as one of the most intense and honest teachings Jesus gives during his final week. It is a direct and passionate rebuke of religious hypocrisy, but in the end, we see how deeply He loves even these religious leaders. Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new,...

We begin our time together for Holy Week by looking at the cleansing of the Temple. This is an interesting story, and also one that can be a danger to us. We see Jesus flip tables and make a whip. It is tempting for us to run first to “that” Jesus. If we are going to be honest, very few of us have the spiritual maturity to run to flip tables. I know that I don't. But what is actually happenin...

In our traditional Palm Sunday message, Andy shares with us from Luke 19: 28-40. On this Palm Sunday, we see Jesus enter Jerusalem. The energy is eclectic. But the next step for everyone is always the hardest step.

The first line of today’s Psalm is one that most of us know quite well, and it is one that is always associated with defeat. It is one of the last things that Jeuss says upon the cross - My God, my God, why have you forgiven me.  It starts with despair and pain, but when you keep reading, what do you find? You find victory. This Psalm ends with hope for what the Lord has yet to do. So, Jesus was n...

Today, we’ll start a two-day look at the Psalms. We’ll read Psalms 131-133. These Psalms come near the end of that section of the book. Psalms of ascent are very specific things; these are psalms that were intended to be sung as the pilgrims were climbing Mt. Zion, as they were on the way to the Temple. These are some of the most beautiful Psalms in scripture. The ones we will read today focus on...

We finish up James with one of its most well-known verses. It’s one of those verses I can’t help but say in the old King James - “The prayer of the righteous availeth much.”  The Bible tells us, in several passages, that somehow, our prayers have an effect on God. How does that work?  How do our prayers change God? I have no idea. But it does make us stop and ask the question. Do we pray like our...

James gives us some words that I believe are helpful for every relationship.  Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.”  Mean what you say and say what you mean. Every relationship, from time to time, will have issues with communication. We spend some time today talking through some helpful tools with communication, and then James reminds us once again about the importance of patience to our...

Today, we see James’ harshest condemnation of the rich. It is easy for us to hear this passage as a condemnation of the church and all that the church has. But in James’s day, the church was poor.  It has nothing. This is actually a condemnation of those outside the church who are persecuting the church. It’s a good reminder for us to think about what is happening in this text. But this text does...

In our Traditional message from April 6, 2025, Andy shares with us from 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22. All are dead through Adam, but through Christ, all can live. We are more than our failures. We can live because of Jesus!

Today is another day where Jaems feels like Proverbs. James talks to us about two things: judging others and making plans for the future. In both of these, his message is this. You are not God. How can you judge?  You are not the lawgiver.  Only God is the lawgiver. Judging is His domain, not ours.  Likewise, how can you say what tomorrow will hold?  Only God can do that.  This perspective gives u...

James reminds me of a New Testament Proverbs. There is so much good stuff there within it.  Today, we see such good advice about lament and pain; we also are told to resist the devil, and he will flee. We are not bound up in our sins. But the main thing that we talk about is this. What does it mean to say we should not be friends with the world? Yet, at the same time, we are called to be holy. How...

James teaches us today that there are two types of wisdom. I struggled with thinking about this at first, as I don’t think of worldly wisdom as “wisdom” at all because I think of wisdom as thinking or seeing from God’s perspective. There are, without a doubt, worldly ways of thinking, and as we see with the fruits of the spirit versus the works of the flesh, what we are producing shows where we ar...

In our Traditional message from March 30, 2023, we look at Jesus's third temptation. This one cuts the heart of all other temptations.  Who are we? Where does our allegiance lie? We also learn this truth - temptation is always a lie.

Today, we look at one of the passages where James really goes from preaching to meddling.  He talks about the tongue. We live in an age of cell phones and social media, and we forget that the person on the other side of our online argument is someone made in the image of God. All are made in the image of God, and Jesus died for everyone. That means that how we speak to and about each other really,...

Today is the section that Martin Luther did not like at all. James today tells us that faith alone does not save us but that we are saved by our works. It was his works that saved Abraham, not faith alone. Doesn’t this contradict Paul?  Didn’t Paul say the exact opposite thing in Galatians?  What does this mean?  We’ll take a few minutes to explain how Paul and James speak from the same hymnal. Th...