Cutlerville East Christian Reformed Church

Genesis 12 is a peak in the Bible on which we can stand and survey all that is significant. As we look back, we see the creation, then see it fractured by sin. That eventually leads to the downward spiral of sin, which results in murder, the flood of judgment, and the tower of Babel showing that people hadn’t learned their lesson. What will God do? Will he let man destroy everything? Genesis 12 sh...

On Cadet Sunday we’ll look at their theme: coming to God in prayer, especially coming in confidence that God is listening to us. Jeremiah 29:12 says: “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Is that sometimes hard to believe? That the Creator God actually takes time and loves us enough to listen to what we  are saying to him? Jesus promises that “your Father kn...

Noah and his society faced lived in a dry land, with very little rainfall. Yet Noah announces that God is sending a flood and he begins building an ark! It had to sound ridiculous. Today, this may be the way people respond to talk of God’s final judgment. The flood of the Old Testament was the final judgment for that society. And Noah’s faith response has something to say to our faith response to...

Imagine you are Gospel writer with the task of convincing people that Jesus is not just another claiming to be Messiah; he really is! Thankfully God has given you a lot to  work with. He has shown how his birth and childhood fulfill prophecy. And at his baptism we hear the voice of God authenticating Jesus and we see the Holy Spirit empowering him. But now Jesus goes into the wilderness to be temp...

Hebrews 11 gives us a number of Old Testament examples of faith. The example of Abel deals with our attitude in worship. While the Genesis 4 story emphasizes his murder and the spread of sin (and that certainly plays into God’s evaluation of Cain), Hebrews 11:4 comes from another angle: God’s acceptance or rejection of our worship. It forces us to ask the question: How do we worship God: from the...

Around thirty years old, Jesus is finally ready to begin his ministry, and his first action is baptism. Why? That was John the Baptizer’s question. He recognized as the sinless Lamb of God who would take away sins of world and baptize with the Holy Spirit. Now Jesus asks to be baptized himself. John’s baptism was one of repentance, a cleansing for sin. Why would Jesus, the sinless one, need to und...

One survey found that 86% of Americans call themselves Christians, but less than half go to church. Even fewer exhibited knowledge of basic Bible facts and stories, and they found very little difference between Christians and non-Christians in their behavior. Why would that be so? Some would attribute it to an increasingly Greek way of thinking, in particular in our view of faith as opposed to the...

Over the next couple of months, we will focus on an exploration of “Jesus our Jewish Messiah,” with the underlying premise that to understand Jesus and his teaching more fully, we need to understand who he was within culture of day. One of the foundational misunderstandings Christians have about Jesus is his relationship to the Law/Torah. We’ll begin with two seemingly disparate passages to learn...

We’ve already asked about Mary and Joseph, how far was it to Bethlehem for them?  What did it take to get them to a face-to-face encounter with God’s incarnate Son?  And what will it take us this advent season?  One of the farthest journeys was taken by the oddest characters of to be part of the story: Magi from the East.  Why did God include them as part of Jesus’ greeting party?  How does Matthe...

As the shepherds encountered the angels in the night sky outside of Bethlehem, what do you think was their first impression? I think it might have been one of glory. Today we use that word rather casually, applying it to sports stars, political figures, entertainers and other celebrities. But in the Bible, glory properly applies only to God himself, and eventually to his son Jesus. God’s glory evo...

“Are we there yet?” “How far is it?”  We used to hear this a lot from our kids during a long road trip. As we mature, we still ask “how far is it?”, but with a different purpose in mind. We learn that a journey is a process that brings us from one point to another, with stops and starts, re-fueling and adjustments along the way. The same is true of a spiritual journey. Whether days, weeks, or year...

In conjunction with the children’s Christmas program, we will look specifically at the shepherds in the Christmas story. As we look at all the characters surrounding the Christmas story, including the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, and the “King of the Jews,” Herod the Great, who would be the best candidate for a world-shattering announcement? For a king to be introduced? To whom would God reveal...

You could make the case that Joseph is the forgotten man of Christmas. Some call him “Joseph the just” (and he was), but we could also call him “Joseph the Silent.” He never speaks a word! He is seemingly a minor character in the Christmas story. But, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Joseph’s actions spoke so loudly that he didn’t h...

What’s in a name? Having asked that in the morning service, we will continue our look at the name of Jesus and the power it had for the early church. Peter mentions the name “Jesus” in Acts 4:12, affirming that there is no other name by which people can be saved. But then Peter adds another name to the mix:  “Christ.” What does this name mean for us?

Names make a difference. Why else would so many go to court to have theirs changed? Why do parents agonize over naming of a child? Why do nicknames have such influence, positive or negative, on people’s lives? That is especially true in the Bible, and no biblical names are more important than those of our Savior. Matthew now moves from the historical significance of Jesus’ family tree to the signi...

Matthew 1:1-17 You will be a little bored when you read Jesus’ family tree in Matthew 1. But for a Jewish person, this genealogy is anything but bland and boring. On the one hand, it is a very impressive pedigree! But, on closer investigation, this genealogy reveals reminders of colorful people and events that would cause some eyebrow raising and head shaking. Some are downright embarrassing, peop...

Isaiah 64 - Isaiah has a beautiful dream of Israel’s future in Isaiah 35, where he dreams of a time of shalom for the people of God, presently in exile. The desert will bloom, God’s people will return from exile, gladness and joy will overtake them. This was not the present reality, however badly Isaiah wanted it. Have you ever wanted something that bad. Isaiah breaks out of prophecy mode and talk...

Luke 11:1-13

Isaiah 41:8-13 Comfort - Do not fear for I am with you. Calmness - Do not be dismayed for I am your God. Confidence - I will strengthen you and I will help you. Conquest (Victory) - I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The Etiquette of the Kingdom – Luke 14:1-14 I’ve never been one to pay much attention to Miss Manners or Emily Post, to get too involved with social etiquette. I don’t really like people telling me what I can and cannot do! So this parable doesn’t really get my heart pumping — and I’m not the only one. This has to be one of the most ignored parables in the Bible. Has Jesus turned into a Mr. Manner...

Relational Communication – Colossians 4:2-18 Paul has encouraged and challenged the Colossians to uphold Jesus Christ as supreme and sufficient for their salvation, and as the starting point of holy living. Then he describes what holy living should look like in one’s personal life and in relationships (church, marriage, family, job). Now Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians describing a few...

Rule for Relationships - Colossians 3:18-4:1 Paul moves from giving rules for holy living personally and within the church community (3:1-17) to holy living within our relationships. He addresses the three primary  relationships that most people have: marriage, family, job.

The Fair Unfairness of the Kingdom– Matthew 20:1-16  This is perhaps one of the most puzzling of Jesus’ parables, not because meaning isn’t clear but because we have a problem with the fairness/unfairness of it.  Here we learn from Jesus’ lips about the radical nature of God’s grace and generosity.