Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church

Memory is an interesting thing. Without it, we’d never learn anything; every event would be new. Yet, even with memory, people remember things differently. One incident is remembered differently by different people. We remember some people, forget others. We have selective memory; parents know children have these. David had memories he’d like to have forgotten But in the very heart of his prayer,...

What does it mean in the 21st century: you shall not kill? How can we, many of whom have never handled a weapon nor intend to kill, take this command to heart? Or have we, who’ve experienced thousands of murders on TV and movies, become callous to killing? We can look at the command as Jesus did, on two levels: external and internal. Scripture: Matthew 5:21-29; Exodus 20:13

Have you ever felt totally removed from God? Does it seem like there is a divine silence? Maybe it occurs during a lingering illness, at the loss of a loved one, when in a broken relationship. You cried out to God, only to see and hear nothing. If you’ve ever felt this way, Psalm 19 gives you hope. Even when God seems silent, he is always speaking in two ways: through the world and his Word. Scrip...

Paul has been talking about relationships in people’s lives, starting with a marriage relationship and ending with one’s work (slave-master!) relationship. He notes that both are two-sided. In between, he turns to the relationship between parents and children, so important God addressed it with the 5th commandment. Paul reflects on this relationship, which we don’t often think of as two sided or m...

TGIF, ‘Thank God It’s Friday!” is a popular saying people use to celebrate the end of work’s drudgery and look forward to the coming of the weekend, with all of its fun activities. For most, Sunday simply becomes the second day of that weekend, the last day of mindless pleasure. What does the weekend consist of? How might we be able to say “Thank God It’s Sunday!” with great meaning? Scripture: Ex...

David is a happy man; he feels “blessed,” living a “blessed” life. But that was not always the case. Psalm 51 is the immediate expression of  confession over his sin with Bathsheba and God’s restoration of him, filled with the emotion of the moment. Psalm 32 seems to be written later, after some reflection, apparently the fulfillment of David’s vow in Psalm 51:13 “Then I will teach transgressors y...

What’s in a name? Chosen by our parents, a name becomes our character, our identity. It is important, so that we take offense if it is forgotten, misused, abused. Biblical names also tell us about the role of a person. By revealing his identity, God exposes himself to us, his holiness, his dignity. So we can call on him, worship him, confess his name, glorify his name. But we can also misuse and a...

Power had corrupted David. At a time when he should have been with his army, he was instead wandering on the palace rooftop. This led to one sin piling atop another, until the prophet Nathan called him to account. Psalm 51 records David’s prayer for forgiveness and how it affects his fellowship with God. Scripture: Psalm 51

Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim, as Moses commanded (Deut. 11-12) and where had had altars built. Jews knew that God had later commanded worship in Jerusalem, where he had Solomon build the Temple. This was the true place of worship. In a sense, the two temples themselves became idols for them. Both believed that the Messiah would come and justify their position. Into this argument walks Jes...

On our currency we find the reminder: “In God we trust.” But when our life is on the line or a catastrophe like the corona virus strikes, are we willing to trust in God? That’s really what Psalm 46 is all about. Who is God? Where do we find our security, stability and serenity? Scripture: Psalm 46

As we re-gather for corporate worship back in our church building, we are going to break into our regular sermon series to reflect on our return. We met the Sons of Korah in Psalms 42-43, as they made their way into exile in Babylon, already feeling the pull of home as they were forced to leave it. This Psalm reflects a similar longing for being in God’s House ⸺ a longing many of us echoed in the...

External success and internal feelings; most people use these as a sort of cost-benefit analyses to shape their lives in selecting or changing a career, acting morally, hanging friends, etc. External success and internal feelings. In both cases, “self” is the goal of life, the core of life’s meaning, the highest value. Each self becomes its own moral universe, guided by self-interest. What could b...

We are all subject to fears. What are the greatest fears for you? The phone rings at 1:00 in the morning and your heart skips a beat? You hear a noise downstairs and have visions of a burglar? As a child maybe you had fears that this argument between your parents might lead to divorce. Or as a parent you may be concerned about a rebellious child. And, of course, we’ve lived through the fear of a p...

We are free from the Law, we live by grace! We are New Testament Christians who live by love, not Old Testament believers who feared a wrathful God. How often haven’t you heard this from well-meaning Christians? Those who make such statements sometimes make an even greater leap: there is no place for the Ten Commandments! That’s why it surprises some people, if they read the Sermon on the Mount ca...

The book of Psalms begins by reminding us of two ways of life, holding up the “way” of the Bible-observing, righteous person as the lifestyle that is blessed by God. That is contrasted by the person who increasingly “feels at home” with the world and its ways. Join us next Sunday as we begin a summer-long look at some favorite and important Psalms. Scripture: Psalm 1

While we talk about Pentecost as a Christian holiday, it was first a Jewish feast. It was one of three times a year God’s people were to appear before  Him at the Temple. Each feast was a ceremony deeply rooted in the past, but also gave hope for future. God chose those feast days for the great redemptive acts of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. On Passover, Jesus died as our Passover lamb. But on Pente...

Paul’s concerned about unity in the Ephesian church, which is mixed racially, culturally, socially. But now he focuses on what it means to be the church personally. Paul is writing to some who have a long-established habit of “being in the dark.” But he teaches them that their former lifestyle doesn’t match their now-professed faith What does it mean to live as part of the Body of Christ, the Chur...

While the disciples celebrate the ascension of Christ in Luke 24, they weren’t always that thrilled about his leaving them. In John 14:1-21, Jesus reminds them of some of the advantages of his ascension: He guarantees our personal home with the Father, our personal hotline to Christ, and our personal helper, the Holy Spirit. Scripture: Luke 24:50-53; John 14

Have you ever really blown it and thought there was no way you could ever make up for it? Meet Peter. He blew it big time, denying his Lord, the Son of God, three times!  But on the other side of Easter is the restoring love of Jesus, a love which questions our love in order to confirm it, and which calls us toshow our love through actions. Scripture: John 21:15-23

Uncertain about their future, some of the disciples appear to be returning to their location of fishing. Jesus orchestrates a large catch of fish to show them he could still provide for their daily needs, but also to remind them of their call to be fishers of men and of the many "fish" awaiting them. Scripture: John 21:1-14

Preaching is important. In fact, the Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that it is one of the "keys of the kingdom." It opens the kingdom by proclaiming the Gospel message so people might accept by faith a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It closes the kingdom by announcing God's wrath against the sin of those who remain unrepentant. It is, in a sense, the "backbone&quo...

Every Gospel and letter in the New Testament is written from the other side of Easter, which makes a great difference in how we understand the life of Jesus. After Easter, the disciples gained a new understanding of the past (the Old Testament and how it spoke of Jesus), the present ("while I was still with you"), and the future (their new task). Scripture: Luke 24:36-49

Last week we looked at the story of Jesus passing the keys of the kingdom on to his Apostles, giving the church the authority to "open and close the kingdom of heaven (God)." One key is the preaching of the Word, centered on the confession of Jesus as Messiah and Lord, a regular part of the church's weekly life. The second key is less regular and less comfortable: discipline. If tho...

Whenever and wherever Jesus appeared to people after Easter, not only did minds change about the reality of his resurrection, but lives were transformed. The disciples were transformed from fear to courage, Thomas from doubt to confidence, and every one of us from death to life.  Scripture: John 20:19-31  

Political leaders are known to see which way the people are marching and hurry in front to "lead" them.  But not Jesus; he refused to allow public opinion to change his ministry. Now his public popularity has been dwindling. Herod Antipas is concerned about Jesus' political ambitions. The Jewish authorities are increasingly hostile. Some disciples are leaving him, frustrated by his...