Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church

Being parents is more than just giving birth. And the same is true for being a spiritual parent. Paul described himself in the previous verses as mother and father to the Thessalonians. This infant church was barely walking when Paul had to flee, and now you can sense the nervous parent coming out of this bachelor-evangelist. But what we learn from Paul, in his anxiety, is not nervous parenting, b...

Zephaniah's not very original.  In speaking of a God of justice, he condemns the people's sins, calls them to repentance, and warns them of the "day of the "Lord", he simply echoes the prophets before him.  Maybe that's why we're not very prophetic today.  Everything we say sounds old, like it came from a 2000-year-old book.  It's not new, but they are words...

After Paul had to flee Thessalonica, enemies tried to discredit him with a malicious smear campaign.  They tried to lump him in with the many false teachers, charlatans who preached for money, prestige, power, and fringe benefits.  Today similar people have given the Christian community a black eye, because they are in it for similar reasons.  That makes the job of Christian witness harder, as we...

This summer we are going to ask the question: what does it mean to live as a Christian> That was the question Paul was trying to answer in his letters to the Thessalonians. These new converts in the city of Thessalonica were asking what was different about living a Christian life, in contrast to the way they lived as pagans in the Greco-Roman culture.  Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1

We've talked a lot about how the prophets condemned the sins of Israel and Judah, and prophesied exile as punishment: Israel would fall to Assyria and Judah to the Babylonians.  But in the later parts of their prophesies, both Jeremiah and Ezekiel deal with people already in captivity and their prophesies turn to hope.  And a major part of that hope is a renewed covenant God promises to his p...

Jeremiah is God's mouthpiece against (politically) unwise and (spiritually) evil kings.  The destruction of his nation, his city and his temple leaves Jeremiah weeping in the streets of a devastated Jerusalem, lamenting for what might have been.  But in the midst of the chaos, God still uses him. both to tear down and to build up.  And once again with his assurance: "I am with you and wi...

Jesus tells a story which is very likely recalling a couple of famous tales of his day, but then changes them for his purposes.  In his story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus isn't condemning wealth (Abraham himself was very wealthy, and he's in heaven!).  But he seems to be addressing two aspects of life; social and personal, loving neighbor and loving God. Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

This week we look at what might be the most important parable of Jesus; next week we will turn to the most confusing parable. Parables (stories) can be used to make a variety of points, and nowhere is that clearer than with this parable. At issue for readers is: • Why would Jesus commend a dishonest person and use him as an example? • What verses are part of this parable and its application? • How...

Around 700 BC, Assyria began its rise, taking over smaller countries around Israel. In 712 BC this happened in Israel; Assyria brought in non-Jewish people who mixed with the remaining Jews, resulting in religious syncretism, intermarriage, etc. to the point where they began to lose their identity. This is the backdrop to Isaiah. We’ll look at two main stories from the time of Isaiah, and how two...

Have you ever felt that God has left you?  You may not admit it out loud, but it sure feels that way: nothing's going right; the heavens are brass; you feel abandoned.  What happens when God leaves (or appears to)?  God wants to live with us.  But if God is not wanted, He won't impose himself on us.  If you and I decide we really don't want God intruding in our daily life, He won&ap...

In Jesus' day, "big brother" might have referred to the Pharisees, at least some of the more legalistic of them who were watching, looking down their noses, and casting judgment on "sinners".  Their definition of "sinner" was "law breaker"; the assumption was that they, the "lawkeepers", were righteous.  And some of them were angry with Jesus,...

Luke 15:11-32 is extremely familiar to us, and sometimes familiarity makes us miss things. This parable, which we call the Prodigal Son, would have sent absolute shock waves into the people who heard Jesus telling it.  It is so packed with questions and theological truth that we are going to take three Sundays to unravel it. This is  the  story of Jesus' ministry. We will take turns looking a...

Every generation has their moment: "where were you when _______ happened?"  For many years it was November 22, 1963 the day President John F Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas.  His assassination paralyzed the nation, especially since he was the leader of a new generation (the first president born in the 20th century), a leader of promise.  But now our leader is dead; where do we go from...

Jesus spent much of his time browsing over the lost and found table of Israel (that was why God sent him, he says). But there were a few who saw this and murmured: why do you spend so much time with all that junk? Hookers, crooked IRS agents, AIDS victims.  In the two parables we look at this morning, Jesus responds with his answer: Because they are mine! They were lost and I've come to find...

Jesus Christ sends us out in his peace.

Scripture: James 2:14-26

Scripture: Selected Readings from Hosea