Oaks Parish

The Oaks Parish Podcast Bryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Please note: A couple minutes are missing from the beginning of this replay, but jump right in for the majority of the sermon! Sermon Text: Luke 3:1-21 Bryan Buck N.T. Wright, Simply Good News Many people today assume that Christianity is one or more of these things – a religion, a moral system, a philosophy. In other words, they assume that Christianity is about advice. But it wasn’t and isn’t. C...

The Oaks Parish Podcast Bryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 2:1-21 Andy Tobin Quotes for Reflection Frederick Danke The faith of the shepherds is revealed by their decision to proceed to Bethlehem to see this thing. Like Mary in an earlier recital (Luke 1:39) they went with haste. What they found at Bethlehem is spelled out in detail in order to emphasize the nature of the response that follows. Depth of spiritual commitment is determi...

The Oaks Parish Podcast Bryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 1:39-56 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship Bewilderment is true comprehension. Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of Amazement They were, all of them, quite simply amazed. Zechariah’s fri...

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Scripture Text: Matthew 5:13-16 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection Pliny the Elder, Natural History But of all the things that are necessary to the life of man, nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine. Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace If you don’t know where you are, you don’t know who you are. George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans), Middle March For the growing good of the world is partly de...

Scripture Text: Ephesians 2:11-22 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection David Brooks, How to Know a Person People need social skills. We talk about the importance of “relationships,” “community,” “friendship,” “social connection,” but these words are too abstract. The real act of, say, building a friendship or creating a community involves performing a series of small, concrete social actions well: dis...

The Oaks Parish Podcast Bryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

The Oaks Parish Podcast Bryan Buck & Martha Van Houten Helpful Links: Click here to sign up for a discipleship group today! Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:1-17 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection Robert M Thune and Will Walker, The Gospel-Centered Life Every good story has a hero. And the hero of the Gospel Story is Jesus. Humanity needs a Savior, a Redeemer, a Deliverer to free us from the bondage and condemnation of sin and to restore the world to its original good. This Rescuer must be truly human in order to pay the deb...

The Oaks Parish Podcast Bryan Buck & Martha Van Houten Recommendations for Further Reading: The Prodigal God by Tim Kell Deeper by Dane Ortlund

Scripture Text: John 15:1-17 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection T.S. Elliot, “Little Gidding”, Four Quartets We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Tim Keller, Prodigal God The prerequisite for receiving the grace of God is to know you need it. Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly He astounds and sustai...

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 30 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection Roger Ellsworth, The Shepherd King: Learning from the Life of David To strengthen ourselves in God means we remind ourselves of what Scripture says about God and his promises, and we bring those truths to bear on the situation. Every trial causes opposing voices to ring in the ears of the child of God. One is the voice of our circumstanc...

Scripture Text: Revelation 1:9-20 David Bast Quotes for Reflection G. B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine The description of the Son of Man is full of Old Testament phrases, which we may track down to their various sources. . . But to compile such a catalogue is to unweave the rainbow. John uses his allusions . . . for their evocative and emotive power. . . His aim is to set the echoes...

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 28:3-25 Andy Tobin Paul Miller, A Praying Life But unlike these other kinds of experts, power in prayer comes from being in touch with your weakness. To teach us how to pray, Jesus told stories of weak people who knew they couldn’t do life on their own. The persistent widow and the friend at midnight get access, not because they are strong but because they are desperate. L...

Sermon Text: 1 Samuel 27:1-12; 28:1-2 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection Tim Chester, 1 Samuel for You The state of our hearts is often shaped by what we say to our hearts. A.W. Pink, The Life of David Alas, when unbelief dominates us, God is forgotten, and deliverance, our own ease, obsess the mind; and hence it is that—unless divine grace interpose—we seek relief in the wrong quarter and by unspir...

Scripture Text: Colossians 3:1-17 Mike Kelly Quotes for Reflection John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion Nearly all the wisdom which we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But, while joined by many bonds, which one precedes and brings for the other is not easy to discern.

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 25 Quincy Robinson

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 24 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection David Brooks, How to Know a Person Jimmy’s gaze when he greets a person derives from a certain conception of what a person is. Jimmy is a pastor. When Jimmy sees a person—any person—he is seeing a creature who was made in the image of God. As he looks into each face, he is looking, at least a bit, into the face of God. When Jimmy sees a...

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 23 Andy Tobin Quotes for Reflection Andrew Murray, Waiting on God Oh, the blessedness of waiting on such a God! a very present help in every time of trouble; a shield and defense against every danger. Children of God! will you not learn to sink down in entire helplessness and impotence, and in stillness to wait and see the salvation of God? In the utmost spiritual famine,...

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 21-22:5 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection Wendell Berry, Jayber Crow, A Novel Telling a story is like reaching into a granary full of wheat and drawing out a handful. There is always more to tell than can be told. Dane Ortland, Deeper To grow as a disciple of Christ is not adding Christ to your life but collapsing into Christ as your life. Closed vents can’t be cleaned, ful...

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 19 Quincy Robinson

Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-17 Bryan Buck Quotes for Reflection William Blaikie, 1 Samuel In the case of Jesus Christ, we have all the noble qualities of Jonathan in far higher excellence than his, and we have this further consideration, that for us He has laid down His life, and that none who receive His friendship can ever be separated from His love.” Jeremey Linneman, Why Do We Feel L...