Bible Teaching from Andrew Calamaro

Whether it is a military deployment, business trip, or trip to the store, goodbyes can cause anxiety. We want to know when the person will be coming back. Somehow, knowing the exact projected time eases the anxiety and we can look forward to being reunited. Assurance of a return produces confidence to endure. We also should have confidence as we anticipate Jesus’s return. We will see that Jesus is...

Most of us have a favorite fruit. At some point, a seed was planted that led to the producing of that fruit. While the seed may look nothing like the fruit, it sacrificed itself in producing the plant or tree that eventually led to the piece of fruit we enjoy. Unless the seed “died,” it could not have taken root and produced growth. Even so, Jesus predicted He had to die to provide eternal life. E...

Jesus is worthy of our worship as the promised Messiah, the Son of God. Mary worships Jesus by anointing him with expensive perfume and is "put on trial" for it. How do we balance the conflict between our culture and our desire to worship Jesus? ESV passage John 12:1-11

Some funerals are different than others. Services for deceased who were not believers seem to have a sense of finality. In contrast, while Christian families grieve, they know they will see their loved ones again. Faith in the resurrected Christ and His promise of eternal life comforts them. The funeral of a believer is not a final goodbye but a temporary farewell until they meet again, where sadn...

Home security is a huge business. We can install a security system ourselves or use professionals to install it, and we can self-monitor or use a company. We want to feel we are secure and the things we possess are secure. In Bible times, shepherds served as security systems that protected sheep. Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepherd, explaining that He protected His sheep. ESV passage John...

What makes a person’s changed life a powerful means for sharing about Jesus? Many of us take endless photos on our phones, each with a story. Some photos carry greater significance than others, especially if the scene is a once-in-a-lifetime moment or our first time to see a place, thing, or person. We can get frustrated when others do not find our photos important or if they question the image. A...

Jesus’s response to a group of religious leaders who have brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. Mammoth Cave in south-central Kentucky is the largest known cave system in the world. The mapped system covers 420 miles. During guided tours, guests are given the opportunity to experience complete darkness. The Bible compares our sin-filled world to living in darkness. Just like turning on the li...

Why were people so divided by what Jesus was saying and doing? Most of us remember teachers who positively impacted us. They may not have been our favorite teachers, but what set them apart was something beyond their likability. Their wisdom, experience, or honesty may have set them apart. The people of Jerusalem were evaluating Jesus’s teaching, especially His authority. In the process, they were...

In Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist , a starving Oliver brings his empty bowl to the master and pleads for more food. Instead of food, he receives a blow to the head and a prompt decision to sell him. That master viewed Oliver as a nuisance and not a person in need. Jesus not only compassionately fed thousands of hungry people, He reminded us that only faith in Him will satisfy our deepest nee...

Jesus is Lord over all creation and values all people, we see played out when He heals a lame man. Pity usually involves our response to a situation. We define a person by what he or she is experiencing.  Compassion usually involves our response to a person. We define the experience by how the person is impacted. Compassion tends to move us toward acting because our focus is on the person and...

Jesus provides eternal satisfaction for all who trust in Him. We are thirsty. Advertisers play to that thirst, promising us their product will give us what we are missing. Social media feeds our thirst as well, knowing what will cause us to keep scrolling through the endless feeds. People throughout history have had that same thirst, looking for something that will quench it—anything. Jesus encoun...

A new year represents a fresh start. This is the day we start that new diet; the day we begin to finish that project; the day we take that first step toward completing a 5k run without walking. This is a new year with no history or regrets. Jesus told Nicodemus that his life could be characterized by newness if he would believe in Him. ESV passage John 3:4-18

In this episode we will see that Jesus brought honor to the Father in word and deed. While driving, we may see a sign that indicates what is on the next exit. That sign is not the entity it advertises but points beyond itself to a restaurant, hotel, or other attraction we may want to visit. John wrote his Gospel so readers “may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believi...

Most of us are a little skeptical when it comes to promises made to us, with our experiences getting in the way. We want to trust the one making the promise or their product, but we’ve been let down too many times. We just can’t do it. Some people approach spiritual matters with this same hopeful skepticism, keeping their distance due to past experiences. The best response we can make may very wel...

John declares Jesus to God by emphasizing His eternal nature, role in creation, and incarnation.  While many people think of Bethlehem as the beginning place for Jesus, this is not where John begins his Gospel. To appreciate what happened in Bethlehem, we must travel back through time eternal. Then, we may understand the baby of Bethlehem was the eternal God who took on human flesh to save hu...

Most of us grow impatient when told to wait. We use apps so we can skip the ordering line. We pay additional fees for the freedom to skip a line at a theme park. Micah wrote to a nation that had waited year after year for the coming of a Messiah who would right the wrongs of the world and bring salvation to the people of God. They needed to realize that hope was found in God’s promise of salvation...

We know about sports fans who stopped watching a game because there seemed no way for their team to win, only to discover they missed one of the greatest comebacks in that team’s history. There are times when things appear hopeless for God’s people. But no matter how hopeless the situation seems, in the end God will do what seems impossible and turn their sorrow into joy through the Lord Jesus Chr...

What does God’s response reveal about Him? Some of the greatest words we can ever hear said to us are “you’re forgiven.” This is the reason the gospel is good news. It is a call to sinners to turn from their sin and be forgiven. God is a holy and just God who, because of His nature, must judge sin. At the same time, He is a compassionate and merciful God who is ready to forgive sinners. Given that...

How does self-reliance instead of trust in God lead to disaster for the people of God? Breakups are painful. They rarely happen suddenly or for one single act but usually are an accumulation of missteps and breaches of trust. Each misstep carries a consequence that eventually adds up. Couples cannot neglect their relationship and hope everything will turn out good. Israel disregarded the consequen...

How does God express His despising of false repentance and His delighting in undivided loyalty instead? We expect our friends to be loyal. We want friends who keep their word. We want them to be dependable, respectful, and gracious. Our friends should expect that same from us. Why would it be different when it comes to God? God remains loyal to His people and expects them to remain loyal to Him in...

One of the most difficult offenses for us to forgive is betrayal. The difficulty is even greater when the betrayal has been going on for an extended amount of time. That being the case, it is mindboggling to contemplate God’s compassion toward His people when we are unfaithful to Him, considering all He has done for us. God directed Hosea to marry a woman who would betray their marriage vows, thus...

What are the pros and cons of knowing that God extends grace to all people?  What attitudes surface when grace is extended to someone we believe to be undeserving? As believers in Christ, we realize we are sinners and have been saved by grace through faith. But let’s be honest. We can be prone to think that some people deserve heaven while others deserve hell. In truth, apart from the mercy a...

Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis is attributed with the statement, “He can run, but he can’t hide.” The boxer who tried to outmaneuver Louis by staying away from him in the ring was eventually “found” and knocked out. Believers may try to use the same strategy with God, trying to run away from Him when we don’t want to obey. However, in the end in the end we will learn what Jonah learned: we...

The prophet reminded the people of his day that God offers hope to those who return to Him in repentance.  The best hopes are not passive. A football team can hope to win, but those hopes must be accompanied by action. The team would be foolish to sit on the couch all week and somehow hope to win the game. A future college graduate cannot start studying the night before graduation. Four years...

Three-year-old's love to play hide and seek. They want us to count while they run and hide. However, they typically pick places to hide where they can easily be seen—under the piano bench, poking out from behind the recliner, or behind the glass coffee table. They hide in easy places because they want to be found. As we begin a lesson about seeking God, it is good to note that He is not hiding in...