Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.   For in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. -  1 Corinthians 12:12-13 The church. An institution? A building? Or a body of believers? When you think about the church, what is the firs...

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.” - Psalm 3:5 How many of you ever have trouble falling asleep at night? Perhaps that’s not your problem, but instead more along the lines of staying asleep? Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night mulling over things? Maybe you don’t have difficulty falling asleep; but do you ever have trouble staying asleep? Sometimes I...

“ 25   Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  26   And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.” Have you ever waited so long for something that it caused you to lose hope? How did that time of wai...

As a boy, Charles Dickens knew poverty from bitter experience. He never forgot what he had learned. Many of his novels deal with the huge gap between wealth and poverty. Perhaps the most unforgettable is A Christmas Carol. Its main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is a “grasping, clutching, covetous old sinner” who can squeeze blood out of a stone. Bob Cratchit, his underpaid bookkeeper, shivers in hi...

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” - Luke 2:20 The birth of Jesus was amazing news. But who were the first to hear this great news? Lowly, stinky shepherds. Because shepherds were out with their flocks for months at a time, they often did not take part in religious ceremonies or worship. They were...

Some things in life can take us completely by surprise. Some­times things happen that seem to turn our world upside down. That happened to a man named Joseph, a builder living in the town of Nazareth in Galilee about 2,000 years ago. Engaged to be married to a young woman named Mary, he was looking forward to when they would become husband and wife, have children, and make a home together, surroun...

“’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.”-Luke 1:38 For Mary, the news came too soon. Unlike her relative Elizabeth, who was married, far along in years, and said to be barren, Mary was a young, unmarried woman. She had a future. Her whole life was ahead of her. Still, like her uncle Zechariah, she was greatly troubled when the angel G...

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  “What does God want from me, and what does he want for me?” These two big questions nag us throughout life. We try to decide on a career, a school, a spouse - or even smaller things, like what book to read, film to see, or game to play. And we may wonder, “What does God want?”  Well, one thing is clear...

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:2 I’ve read this passage numerous times before, but have you ever slowed down to think about it - the disciples “heard” the Holy Spirit speaking! We think of God speaking directly, or speaking through angels, or speaking through prophets or...

“He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”  Daniel 2:21 As we have seen in previous weeks, God has always used his people in society. Daniel showed amazing courage in front of Nebuchadnezzar—the most powerful ruler in the world at that time. Nebuchadnezzar was merciless toward the leaders of nations who resist...

“If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” -  2 Chronicles 15:2 Long ago in Israel things were bad, really bad. Why? Because, God’s people tried to live without the true God. It’s ironic that a nation called out by God and formed by God could forget God; but that’s exactly what they did! And what was the result? Disaster!  But what do you think brought...

Have you ever had someone question your rightful authority? Have you ever given a truthful answer only to be called a liar, ridiculed, lectured, and mocked? Have you ever experienced ill consequences as a result of someone else’s false decision of who you are, your intentions, or your actions? If you have, you know how terrible you may feel as a result. And yet, this is exactly what Jesus faced! I...

Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ -  Joshua 5:14 As we survey the Old Testament this week, one of the passages we will encounter gives instructions to circumcise all the Israelite soldiers before they go to battle. On the one hand, this makes no military sense. Blood loss from sur...

As I begin this week’s newsletter, I need to print a “retraction” of sorts. During the first service on Sunday, I mistakenly said that when a father holds up the “afikomen” during a Jewish Passover Seder, he says, “This is my body broken for you; take and eat.” The result is that it made it sound like Jesus’ words of institution at the Last Supper. I knew it wasn’t right at the time, but I got los...

And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”    Luke 22:15-16 As Jesus was introducing his disciples and us to the Lord’s Supper, he gave us an imaginative clue about the future. One day, Jesus said, he will be feasting again with all of his disciples. After all...

Have you ever arrived at a ban­quet or a special event and been surprised at the beauty of the table that has been set up for the occasion? Sometimes, a decorative “centerpiece” draws your attention. Sometimes, it’s the place settings. And, sometimes, it's the food itself. In Psalm 23, we are reminded that the Lord prepares a banquet for us. There is a sense of intentional care and hospitality, as...

“The wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.”  Revelation 19:7 Every culture gives a special place to weddings. They are celebrations of beauty and life. They declare not only the love between a man and a woman but also the community's hope for the future. Great time and effort are invested in planning and preparations. Family and friends travel from great distances...

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16 As you read John 3:16, I don’t know what comes to your mind. I don’t know what’s on your heart. I don’t know what you believe. What I do know is that the world we live in is full of pain and strife. We turn on the news or read our feeds and we see images o...

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned in a sermon that surveys show that the number one question people would want to ask God if given the chance is, “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?” We then spent time talking about the “why” of sin and suffering. However, closely related to that is the question that makes it more personal, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Or perhaps said mor...

The world in which we live is either  the sphere of our control or the sphere of our accountability. The  core  of our life is either filled with time and chance as expressed by our soul-less existence or the  core  of our life is occupied by the creator God who revealed himself, who gave us choices though we fell. That is the sphere and the core, now for the outer edge. At the end or edge of our...

How many of us have ever muttered these words, “Why does God allow suffering?” We all have when we see, experience, or witness tragedy. For Christians, though, these questions can be even more acute because we believe and proclaim that at the bright center of the universe, there is a good, loving, and all-powerful God. In fact, there is a classical argument against the very existence of God that g...

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) These words in 2 Timothy are often used as a prooftext for the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible. While I will be using these words as such this Sunday, it is important to remember that...

I’m not the smartest person I know, and I’m OK with that. I’m also not the wisest, though I would like to be. God also knows I’m not the smartest or wisest person, but I am deeply grateful that his love for me is not based on how wise or foolish I am (Romans 1:14). Yet God does draw some lines that I need to understand. According to the Bible, God does reveal himself to all people through his crea...

It wasn’t that long ago that a certain something swept throughout our world that caused economic, political, social, and physical chaos. However, history is full of similar stories. Change is constant, and any hope we put in the status quo will be dis­appointed.  Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:24-29 that it’s not a matter of “if” those storms come; it’s a matter of “when.” Twice, he says,  “The rai...