From the Pulpit

The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfu...

The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfu...

The author of Hebrews gave believers a task: "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds ... , not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another ; and all the more as you see the day drawing near" (10:24–25). One of the ways we, as the people of God, can stimulate and encourage one another is by sharing stories of God's faithfu...

When I was thinking about what I was going to preach on today, I got thinking about how special it is when Christmas is on a Sunday, because it happens so infrequently. There’s no denying that these Christmas Sundays are special, and in some ways that can make it feel like a lot of pressure. I know it’s not uncommon for preachers to struggle with a real or self-imposed expectation when it comes to...

My full name is James Stuart Turner Rennie. It's quite a moniker to attach to a little baby! The Stuart part is from my Dad’s Scottish roots. The Turner part is from my mother’s English family roots.  The James part is my Dad’s first name so I was named after him. James is a biblical name. He was the Lord’s brother. James comes from the name Jacob in the Old Testament. So many Bible names hav...

On August 5, 2010, the collapse of a mine in San Jose, Chile trapped thirty-three workers 700-meters underground. For seventeen dark days they survived on tiny rations of food and dirty water. Finally, a 4.5” hole appeared in the wall. The attempt to reach the cave by workers above had worked and, through this tiny shaft the miners were supplied with food, water, communication, and hope. Obviously...

C. S. Lewis once wrote, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Do you share his optimism? Do you believe, as a Christian, that your future is immeasurably greater than even your most precious experiences so far? I hope you do because this is one of the privileges that Christ offers his children: beauty and glory ahead. But western Christians today can struggle with this...

A Christmas Carol is the story of a mean, selfish old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by a series of ghosts come to show him how his behaviour has affected others. At one point of this supernatural education, Scrooge is led to the home of his ill-treated employee, Bob Cratchit, and, looking through the front window, observes something powerful and foreign. He sees a family marked by cont...

Scripture is full of individuals who, when faced with a God-given task, immediately felt ill-equipped and insecure, sure that the Almighty had chosen the wrong person of the job. For example, consider Abraham and Sarah (Gen 17:17), Moses (Ex 3:11), Gideon (Jdg 6:15), Jeremiah (Jer 1:6), Mary (Luke 1:34), and Paul (1 Cor 15:9). These were real people wanting to serve a real God who had given them r...

Jesus is the absolute and incomparable Christ who preexisted all (Col 1:17), created all (1:16), is over all (1:15; 2:10), sustains all (1:17), and owns all (1:16). All the fullness of divinity dwells in him (1:19; 2:9), all things are being reconciled to him (1:20), and all the treasures of wisdom are hidden with him (2:3). Jesus is everything and, because of that, believers lack nothing. By virt...

This morning we are going to look at Psalm 47. This psalm has been categorized by some as one of several “psalms of the Lord’s kingship” or “enthronement psalms”; that is, it specifically deals with the acknowledgement of God as King. One of the things I find particularly interesting about this one is that, while the majority emphasizes God’s universal reign as king over all the earth, there’s a l...

A quick internet search informs the budding altruist that a good person is someone who is kind, attentive, wise, self-controlled, and courageous. They are people who are happy, promoters of happiness, and who never stifle others’ happiness. Further online research suggests that such exemplary character can be achieved by such means as embracing change, being grateful, taking care of yourself, comp...

Let's think together about Heaven. Some people call this the afterlife, about what happens when you die, and though we can understand the thought, the term “afterlife” is technically incorrect and not something that can be found in the Bible. Let's go to Scripture today and find a better understanding of Heaven, one that can encourage us to seek it, to set our minds on it, and to look forward to i...

While many have heard of claustrophobia (a fear of enclosed spaces), acrophobia (a fear of heights), and arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), fewer are familiar with sciophobia—a fear of shadows. One publication explains that, for someone wrestling with it, sciophobia “may dictate major decisions they make in their day-to-day life such as choosing to not go outside in the daylight … in fear they may...

Some assignments are so big they can be overwhelming. Maybe it’s a comprehensive final exam or a massive term paper, a necessary home renovation or a significant health issue, a mountain of personal debt to climb or a relational tension to overcome. Huge tasks like these can be intimidating, deflating, and immobilizing. “Where do I even start? Is it even possible? Should I even bother?”  Some...

“Handle with care.” We’ve all heard, read, said, and maybe prayed those three words of request. Whether when passing a newborn to an excited older sibling for the first time, packing and transporting boxes of irreplaceable items, or offering help to a vulnerable, ill, or discouraged loved one, the need is the same—to proceed with caution, to speak with compassion, and to handle with care. And the...

Music is powerful but, for Christians, music that celebrates and venerates our Lord and Saviour is especially so. Consider these well-worn and majestic words: “All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name! / Let angels prostrate fall; / bring forth the royal diadem, / and crown him Lord of all!” Or how about these more recently-penned lines: “You’re the Word of God the Father / from before the world began; /...

One of the burdens of every generation is to teach the next generation good manners. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, and baby-sitters all join forces to help children learn to be polite, to do things like use a napkin at the table, hold doors open for others, and say ‘excuse me’ when appropriate. But perhaps the most foundational and obvious example of good manners is children lear...

In July 1961, Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers, stood before thirty-eight professional football players ready to start a new season. Six months previous, they had lost the championship game in the final minutes and had been sitting in that memory ever since. These athletes were ready to adjust what needed adjusting to make sure this year was different and were waiting for their coach...

From Paul's letter to the Romans, Dr. Rennie encourages us how to rightly identify our spiritual giftedness and how to use that giftedness for the building up of the body of Christ.

Oftentimes an end is also a beginning. The end of summer signals the beginning of autumn. The end of childhood means the beginning of adulthood. When life as a single person comes to an end that typically means life as a spouse is beginning. Trusting Christ for everlasting life marks the end of separation from God and the beginning of the process of becoming like him. Oftentimes an end is also a b...

It is customary for a good sermon to begin with an introduction of sorts, an attempt to orient the hearer to the text or topic about to be studied. However, there are some passages of Scripture that simply require no introduction. These are sections of God’s word so momentous, so profound, so dramatic, and so captivating that they demand attention with little outside help. Such is the case with Ma...

A “kangaroo court” is a trivial-sounding idiom that, in reality, describes something far less playful than its title may suggest. According to one source, this expression refers to “an unauthorized mock court or legal proceeding in which some or all of the due process rights [of the accused] are ignored and the outcome appears to be predetermined.” In other words, a kangaroo court is a sham t...

Young pastors are often advised, “preach to suffering people and you’ll never lack an audience.” Why? Because everyone is well-acquainted with the subject. We all suffer, facing times of uncertainty and vulnerability, pain and inconvenience, fear and heartbreak, mistreatment and loneliness. Indeed, each of us have endured, are enduring, and will endure hardship. But how can we endure well ? That’s...

Chapter 26 marks a dramatic shift in Matthew’s gospel. In it is a transition from a teaching on things to come to a retelling of things that are, from predictions of Jesus’s future return to predictions of Jesus’s soon departure, from powerful scenes of victory and vindication to pathetic scenes of vulnerability and apparent defeat. Whereas the disciples had been promised that the Son of Man will...