Wilderness Wanderings

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Romans 6:1-14 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca   Wha...

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge" (Psalm 14:1,4,6) There are various reasons why lament rises from the heart of the godly. In Psalm 14, it is 'the fool' who causes the dirge. Biblically, the fool...

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed"; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. But I...

Everyone lies to his neighbour; their flattering lips speak with deception. "Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them." And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times (Psalm 12:2,5,6) Does it seem to you that Psalm 12 describes our society? Do we e...

In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: "Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes...

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1) At first glance the opening stanza of Psalm 10 strikes us as less than pious. But at a second glance it strikes us as right on the mark. It is, after all, a prayer of lament. Still, it may not be our normal way of addressing God. We tend to use with nice, polite words, often, with little emotion. But this...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is 1 Corinthians 2:3-16 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube.  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelminis...

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. … Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. Strike them with terror, Lord; let the nations know they are only mortal. (Psalm 9:9-10,19-20)   Most of this Psalm is a prayerful song of praise...

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1 & 9) John Calvin gets credit for suggesting that the psalms contain both the entire gospel and the entire range of human emotion. Psalm 8 transverses the vast kaleidoscopes of both the gospel and the human soul. Consider the stanza that brackets the song, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth ." God's...

God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows. Whoever is pregnant with evil conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause...

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? (Psalm 6:1-3). Yesterday, Pastor Anthony used Psalm 5 to remind us of the basic elements of Lament: taking God seriously, taking evil seriously and submitting ourselves to God. Prayers of lament art...

Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. … For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome. … Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open...

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Romans 6:1-14 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety (Psalm 4:8). How many of us wouldn't love to be able to sing the ending of this Psalm? How many of us haven't felt guilty because we lie awake for hours at night stewing over this and that? How we wish we had the faith displayed at the end of this Psalm! We would all like to live a worry-free life. Christians who wo...

1  Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, "God will not deliver him." 3  But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5  I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side...

Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, "Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles." The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them (Psalm 2:1-4). Back in 1850, a French philosopher wrote, "Each citizen is habitually engaged in the contemplatio...

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.  Not so the wicked! They are li...

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God (Luke 24:50-53). Luke ends his gospel in the place where it began: in the temple. God's people are at worship. Bu...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is 1 Corinthians 1:1-2:2 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelm...

He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be...

He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piec...

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. (Luke 24:36-37)   We quickly forget that worshiping a risen Lord is actually a very odd thing to do. Jesus has just appeared to the disciples on the Emmaus road.  In fact, he's appeared to Peter and likely to others at this p...

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread (Luke 24:33-34). Remember! Remember! Much of life is about remembering. When families get back together...

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So, he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he disa...

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings!  The text is Psalm 62 from the New International Version of the Bible.  Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection! To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it  here on YouTube .  Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC:  immanuelministries.ca...