Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church

 As a child, Christmas was agonizingly slow in coming. Do you remember waiting, days dragging ever so slowly? Then it came and went too quickly, with life going back to ordinary. How would you like to wait, knowing that after Christmas all you had to look forward to was your death? Simeon was waiting eagerly for “the consolation of Israel” – God’s Messiah. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that...

Micah 5:1-5, Luke 2:1-7

There had been no prophetic word from God for almost 400 years, since Malachi prophesied the coming of Elijah to prepare the way for the Messiah.  Now the priests were shackled by tradition, the king was a tyrant, and the Romans were in control.  Into this dismal picture steps Zechariah, who, with his wife Elizabeth, is described as righteous and blameless. And yet they were also barren, usually a...

“Would the CRC hire John the Baptist?” It’s an interesting question. John dressed funny: no  three-piece suit or wingtip shoes for him; he had more of the jeans and work boots style. He had a strange diet. He had no tact in speaking; John was always in your face. But John had something important to say. Let’s listen again to the voice of John the Baptist this advent, as he reminds us how to prepar...

Isaiah has a beautiful dream of Israel’s future in Isaiah 35, where he dreams of a time when: The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.  Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy… they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.  This was not the present reality, however badly Isaiah wanted it. Isa...

Hellen Keller, a woman born blind, was asked what one sense she'd most want, and she replied "hearing", because, she said, "if I can hear, then I can see."  Jesus' point in this parable is that it is in "hearing" the Word that we can begin to "see" the kingdom of God.  He's not just talking about simple hearing (as in church on Sundays), but a...

An army chaplain asked: "Is there such a thing as getting the "breaks" in prayer?  What about the fellows who pray regularly, but get killed regularly?  What is the deciding factor?"  Do we ever ask the same questions?  Especially when we encounter a passage often entitled "the prayer of faith."  Is the prayer of faith always answered?  If not, is faith lacking?  Does...

A common theme in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, is the idea that God is going to set things right in the end, the Day of the Lord which brings about the coming of his kingdom. Those who do evil are warned and those who suffered because of them will be vindicated. It was the great hope of Israel, one they kept alive during their captivity, one which they rekindled during the Roman occ...

“It’s a matter of opinion,” we may say when in an argument with someone. We live in a world that attempts to value everyone’s opinion, yet the most popular opinion wins. French philosopher Voltaire once said: “Opinion has caused more trouble on this little earth than plagues or earthquakes” Why? Herbert Spencer chimes in: “Opinion is ultimately determined by the feelings, and not by the intellect....

In our society today, we seem obsessed with personal planning. But James, in 4:13-17, says that maybe we shouldn’t be so obsessed with this. He even warns his churches about giving into having a Day-Timer attitude: people living by their future planning. Perhaps they were even bragging about how many appointments they had lined up or how efficiently they ran their world. But James calls it boastin...

One variation of an old spiritual goes: “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen... nobody knows but Jesus.” But sometimes we may wonder: does Jesus really understand the pressure we’re under? The demands of our job, with long hours and the pressure to perform. The demands of managing a household and having to be at three places at one time. The pressure of getting older, balancing medications and doct...

James 4:1-12

In a way, James' question is rhetorical: "who is wise and understanding among you?" Everyone would like to think of themselves as wise.  But James is saying: "You think you're wise and understanding? Let's check the quality of your wisdom." He does so through a series of contrasts between the unwise and the wise. James 3:13-18

In Mark 2:1-17, we found Jesus on a collision course with the religious leaders twice: 1) with the paralytic, showing his power and priority for spiritual healing vs. the indifferent and skeptical Pharisees; and 2) with Levi the tax collector, showing love and compassion for sinners vs. the spiritual elitism of the Pharisees. In today's passage, we encounter three more clashes regarding relig...

The air was charged with electricity. This young rabbi – Jesus – was wowing them with not only his preaching, but his healing. The Pharisees and other religious leaders had the duty to check out his orthodoxy. In this house in Capernaum there was a standing-roomonly crowd, but the religious leaders made sure they had the seats of honor. Others could not even get in, including one man desperate for...

Have you ever said anything you’ve regretted? Do you ever wish you could take words back that hurt someone or made you look like a fool? Throughout the book, the probing question James is asking is: “If you say you believe like you should, why do you behave like you shouldn’t?” Now he focuses this theme in a very specific direction: controlling the tongue. Or: “If you say you believe like you shou...

God created us to live in a tangible world.  As humans, we respond to tactile stimulation:  touch!  We live in a world in which we touch and respond to touch.  It is a natural response to someone who is hurting, to show concern or appreciation, to express affection.  What would it be like to be touched by God?!  We shouldn't be surprised that part of the incarnation (becoming flesh) of Jesus...