St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Sardis’ ‘s capture twice in its history while watchmen neglected their duty became a cautionary tale of misguided complacency and lack of vigilance. As a result, while Sardis once enjoyed a famed past, its glory had since faded. Jesus comes in the presence of the Holy Spirit (the seven spirits of God) and warns His church that they face a similar predicament. He separates their reputation from the...

Thyatira was a politically and culturally marginalized city, finding its identity economically, with guilds dealing in metals and fabric (Acts 16:14). Guilds celebrated their patron deities in periodic festivities, so Christians may have been tempted toward the message of a “prophetess” who advocated participation in illicit sex and food sacrificed to idols, both staples of the social scene. Excav...

The church at Ephesus resisted false teaching, and Smyrna endured persecution. Believers at Pergamum battled both fronts. Twice Jesus acknowledges Satan’s throne and presence in their midst (the only city where Satan is said to have his throne!). Pergamum was the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple for emperor worship, boasting of itself as a “temple-warden.” As such, it became a leading ce...

In this service for Ash Wednesday, we are drawn to Calvary to receive forgiveness. In word and song, we contemplate how to live lives of forgiving one another as we have been forgiven by Christ. through the cross.

Following the prologue, John greets the seven churches on behalf of the Father, Spirit, and Son, whose redemptive work has released us from sin and given us new status as a kingdom and priests to God (1:4-6). For the church to persevere in the midst of tribulation and culture’s pressure to compromise, we need God’s grace and peace. Moreover, despite overwhelming odds and difficulties which try fai...

Ezekiel closes his book with a description of God’ new city. The city is described as a perfect cube (a new Holy of Holies) with gates assigned to each of the 12 tribes – 3 gates per side. Moreover, Ezekiel saves the best for last. The city has a remarkable name: “The LORD Is There.” (Heb: YHWH Shammah). The name indicates its true character and recalls the observation in the introduction to this...

The LORD God brings Ezekiel back into the inner court of the temple where he sees water flowing from below the threshold of the temple which goes down into the Arabah and brings the Dead Sea to life. “Wherever the river flows, everything lives!” So says Ezekiel (v9). Where is this river of life today? Ezekiel’s river flows into John’s gospel (and Revelation). From Jesus, the ultimate temple (Jn 2/...

Ezekiel 43 essentially begins: “Behold, the glory of the God of Israel.” These eight words will change one’s life forever. The return of God’s glory to the temple is one of the most dramatic moments in the book–the undoing of its prior departure in 10:18-22 and 11:23. After all, the only thing lacking from this sacred space was God Himself. This temple transformation signals a new beginning, a new...

Ezekiel – whose name means “God strengthens” – lives out his prophetic ministry among God’s people while they are exiled in Babylon. Ezekiel’s vision likens the Israelites in captivity to very dead, very dry bones. The Spirit of the LORD asks him, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Then the Spirit tells Ezekiel to speak the word of the LORD upon them, and when he does, this valley of dead, dry bo...

So far, Ezekiel’s focus on God’s work of restoration has been externally focused (i.e., new shepherd, new covenant). In Ezekiel 36, God’s work of making “all things new” encompasses the internal too. What God’s people in Babylon really need is a new heart! True transformation happens only by divine intervention from the inside-out. Through His Spirit, God promises His people heart surgery – removi...

God says, “I will cut with them a covenant of peace.” (Ezekiel 34:25) What does that mean? A covenant in the OT was not an impersonal contract, informal agreement, or word-of-mouth handshake; rather, covenants were cut and binded two sides via animal blood. With His persistently rebellious people, God promises a covenant of peace (shalom). Peace is not simply an absence of conflict; peace means wh...

After the fall of Jerusalem, God chastises the unfaithful religious leaders (i.e., shepherds) of His sheep. At the hands of their gross, spiritual negligence, His people have become prey, malnourished, scattered, lost, and injured. Therefore, God promises that He Himself will be their Shepherd. He will search for His sheep and rescue them. He will gather and feed them. He will bind up and strength...

God’s power works best in our weakness, but no one relishes feeling weak or powerless! By learning to rely entirely on God’s grace, however, we discover that He has been at work in us, even when we thought we were in charge of our lives.

The picture of eternity encompasses an uncountable throng from every nation, tribe, peoples, and tongues uniformly praising God and the Lamb for His wondrous salvation! Jesus foretells this very picture to a Roman centurion when He says, “I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Hear and celebrate what God is doing...

This section of Hebrews 11 continues the long list of OT believers who accomplished great feats through their faith in the LORD & His coming Messiah. The author draws our attention to the stories of “Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fir...

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, Saul of Tarsus was one of the most widely known names around Palestine; however, on the way to Damascus to round up and persecute more Christian men and women, Jesus broke into Saul’s life with the purpose of carrying His name to the Gentiles (Acts 9). Two other times in Acts (22 & 26), Paul shares his Damascus Road story as a testimony to the true go...

Near the end of Jesus’ dialogue with a Samaritan woman at a well in midday, she leaves her water jar (perhaps because at this point she’s more concerned with living water than natural water), returns to her town, and invites people come see a prophet who is perhaps the Christ (v29). Many townsfolk believe in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony (v39), and they ask Jesus to lodge in their village...

As Jesus continues His ministry of teaching and healing, He travels way north to Tyre, Sidon, and the Decapolis. A man is brought to Him who is deaf and mute; they beg Jesus to lay His hand on him. Jesus takes the man aside privately, opens his ears, and releases his tongue. Although Jesus charges them to be silent, the healed man and witnesses go forth and continue to proclaim what Jesus had done...

On the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, a man with a legion of demons (a Roman legion had 6,000 soldiers) confronts Jesus. Jesus casts the demons into a herd of nearby pigs who then rush down the bank and drown. Understandably, the freed man longs to be with Jesus as a disciple, but Jesus commissions him to return home and declare how much God has done for him. The man does just that; he goes a...

Envious rulers under King Darius of Persia frame blameless Daniel for breaking a king’s decree which could not be revoked. In accordance with the decree, Darius reluctantly has Daniel cast and sealed in the den of lions, hoping that Daniel’s God would deliver him. Darius returns first thing in the morning and calls to Daniel if the living God has been able to deliver him. Daniel affirms that his G...