First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge

More than 80 times in the gospels, Jesus refers to himself as “the Son of Man.” Do you think that’s odd? The other New Testament writings almost never use that title. It seems particular to Jesus himself. He preferred Son of Man. But what kind of title is Son of Man? Is it humble or exalted? Is it clear or is it mysterious?

For you, little child, Jesus Christ has come, he has fought, he has suffered. For you he entered the shadow of Gethsemane and the horror of Calvary. For you he uttered the cry, “It is finished!” For you he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and there he intercedes — for you, little child, even though you do not know it. But in this way the word of the Gospel becomes true. “We love him, be...

DAWN. Jesus is always meeting us with the sunrise of his love. He is always on the way. Dawn is a name for Jesus and the light he shines into us. DAVID. Jesus is the Key of David. The key lets in. The key gives understanding. Liberation. Future. DESIRE. Jesus is the Desire of Nations. He is what the nations have been seeking all along (Haggai 2: 7), looking too often in wrong and weary places. He...

Welcome to Lent, a season of preparation for the celebration of Easter in six weeks. Our tradition at church has been to focus intently together on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We don’t talk so much about giving up pleasures in Lent as we do about adding practices that cause us to pray more, study more and reflect more on Jesus. This year, we’ll be taking up a different name of Jesus each...

Jesus! what a friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul. Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior, makes me whole. Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah! what a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end.

"Father, give me the desire to desire what you desire for me?” When we can honestly and wholly pray that prayer, we are praying with the mind and heart of Christ. We desire to glorify the Father with whom we are now in eternal relationship. What is at the top of your list? "What Is Your Heart's Desire?" John 17: 1-5

Jesus received the woman. He received her extravagant gift. He received her touch. He received her in that immediate moment despite her poor timing, out of control life and shameful behavior. Stopping her would have been declining to be her savior. He could save the appearances but he would lose this soul. Jesus made the choice he would always make no matter the cost. He did in this moment for her...

What do Pharisees and pagans have in common? They both think they are ok in themselves. They have both relied on their own rightness, their own decisions, their own path as being a sufficient way to live. Refusing the purposes of God occurs whenever I will not submit my will to the Father’s will. Whenever I decide that I own my life, not God. Whenever I determine that I know better than God what m...

John the Baptist asks Jesus in Luke 7: 18, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Jesus confronts a less visible but powerful foe in this passage: the power of fear. Fear that we are going wrong. Fear that we have wasted our lives. The antidote to such fear is faith. Faith in Jesus that he is the One we’ve been waiting for. Faith that enables us to trust him and give our l...

Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” That word arise can mean to wake up from sleep. Or to get up from sitting or lying down. It’s the same word used of Jesus when he came back from the dead. He arose from death. He woke up and he got up. This was a preview of Easter. The dead man sat up at Jesus’ command. He began to speak. And Jesus gave him to his mother. He didn’t tell the man to come...

Jesus heard authentic humility in the centurion from Luke 7. “I am not worthy to have you under my roof.” Jesus heard love that dared to ask. “Only you can save my servant.” Jesus heard faith that came right out of the man’s deepest understanding of how his life worked. A man who lived under orders and gave orders recognized in Jesus the ultimate authority to speak a word and have it enacted. The...

The temple court can be so clogged with the day to day trading that there is no room for prayer and worship. The marketplace is so loud we don’t hear the cries of the little ones. Get these things outta here! The new temple has been established. The body of Jesus is the temple. We are joined to him, we become living stones in his temple, growing and fitted together in love. "Get Out!" John 2: 13-2...

At the beginning of the New Year, we still believe the best is yet to come. 2019 may bring suffering or triumph, prosperity or struggle in our daily lives. But we know that Jesus will return to set all things right. We know that as we partake of him in faith, he makes us part of his mission to the world. Our little lives get taken up into the significance of his mighty work on behalf of all people...

Jesus is the weakness of humanity and the strength of God in one. He is fully who we are while never ceasing to be all that he is as the eternal Son. Son of Man and Son of God. This is the key to a successful, growthful life in Christ. "In the Shadow of the Sphinx" December 30, 2018 Gerrit Dawson

What you seek is not out there. It’s right here. You’ve got to make home be something you carry inside you. But we can’t do that on our own. We can only do that when we carry in us the God who made earth his home. We can only make home at ourselves when we receive the God who makes his home in our hearts. Life isn’t somewhere else. "This Is Somewhere" December 24, 2018 Gerrit Dawson

The journey of the magi belongs to all of us. It is a journey that costs not less than everything. And returns exceeding great joy. We give up being settled with life the way everyone else lives for themselves, just trying to cope and get through until it’s over. We die to a life of isolation and enter a life of communion. We give up autonomy we never had anyway. Instead we worship. We fall on our...

Experience the awe of silence, the humility of redemption, and a shout of Christmas joy with the Creative Arts Ministry in a special presentation of “The Silence and the Sound.”

Again and again, Joseph had to cling to the angel words, “Joseph, do not be afraid. Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For this child is of God.” Again and again, Joseph had to recall the stories of his namesake in the Scriptures. God lets suffering come to us. But he has a greater plan. If we persist in faith and faithfulness, we can say with both Josephs: You did not send me here. God d...