Sunday Morning Greek Blog

April 21, 2026

Call on the Name of the Lord (Psalm 116)

Filed under: Christology,Communion/Eucharist,Easter,Ecclesiology,Life of Christ,Luke Gospel of,Passion,Prayer,Psalms,Resurrection,Romans,Theophany — Scott Stocking @ 5:33 am
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I preached this message on the third Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2026, at Mount View Presbyterian Church.

Psalms 111 through 119 make up a unique subsection of what your English Bibles call “Book V” of the psalms. They are called the “Egyptian Hallel” because each chapter begins or ends with the shout “Hallelujah.” We know that means “Praise God!” Psalms 111–112 are introductions to the Hallel, each being an acrostic psalm, that is, each “half-verse” of the psalm begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The last chapter of this Hallel, 119, is of course an acrostic as well, and most English Bibles will indicate that. Chapter 119 has 22 sets of 8 verses that are in alphabetical order according to the first letters of each of the verses in the respective sections. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is also famous for its exaltation of God’s words and decrees, with all but three verses mentioning God’s word or decrees using a variety of terms.

The central psalms in the Hallel are 113–118. These are the psalms that were sung before and after the Passover seder meal, with Psalms 113–114 sung prior to the meal, and psalms 115–118 sung after the meal. This context “sets the table” (allusion intended) for taking a deeper dive into Psalm 116 this morning. Psalm 116 is reads like two psalms in one, because the second half of the psalm parallels the first half. As such, I want us to compare the two halves and see what gems we can discover. It’s also possible that the Emmaus disciples sang this psalm after their “surprise” dinner with Jesus since they were not too far out from Passover.

First of all, you may have noticed from our reading that there is a pervasive theme across the whole psalm of “calling on the name of the Lord.” In fact, it seems intentional that those who decided to pick and choose a few verses from Psalm 116 for the Lectionary reading were intentional about focusing on that theme. So let’s run with that.

You’ll notice that in the first half of the psalm, the author is calling on the name of the Lord in the midst of trouble and sorrow in vv. 1–4. The author speaks of crying out for mercy, being entangled in the cords of death, and overcome by grief, anguish, and distress. I think we can all relate to that at certain times in our lives. As we switch back and forth between having the air conditioning and furnace running in our not-so-stable Nebraska spring weather pattern, we ask the Lord that neither system fails us, right?

On a more serious note, we feel the sense of dependence when we lose a loved one or a loved one is facing serious medical issues. Even some of those who don’t attend church regularly will cry out to God for help in those situations. We feel the need for something beyond us to step in and bring hope or healing.

On the flip side of that, in the second half of this psalm, we see the author calling on God in the midst of good times as well. When he speaks of “lifting up the cup of salvation,” he’s referring to the last cup of the seder dinner, the same cup that Christ used when he said it was the new covenant in his blood for the forgivenss of tins. (see Luke 22:20, Matthew 26:28).

The good times, ironically, are also the times we can forget about calling on the Lord. Everything is going great, yet we forget that God is the one who had a hand in making things great for us. We forget to ask (and answer) the question in verse 12: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?” Since the context here is the Passover seder, the author is saying he will participate with joy in the celebration of escaping the slavery of Egypt. In other words, he sees the big picture of God’s plan from the earliest days of their nation. He also takes the opportunity to renew his pledge to live righteously in the world.

Allow me for a moment to switch to a related sidebar here: As Christians, we keep the Passover, so to speak, by taking communion together. Jesus essentially redefined the Passover seder to focus on his pending sacrifice on the cross. I know you know this, but it bears repeating: Communion is the time we come into the presence of the Savior and sit at the table he’s invited us to. Not only is it a time of remembrance for us, but also a time of recommitment to follow him. When the Bible says, “God remembered his promise,” that always means God is ready to act on the fulfillment of that promise. When we do communion “in remembrance of him,” we’re pledging ourselves to continue to walk in his ways.

Now let us look at the two halves of this Psalm side-by-side. In verse 1, the author says “I love the Lord,” while in verse 11, that love for the Lord prompts him to say “I trusted in the Lord” when he poured out his heart about his troubles. In verse 1, he also has the confidence to say that the Lord has heard his voice and turned his ear toward him.

The imagery in that last statement is key to God’s love for us: God doesn’t just sit on his throne and process prayer requests all day long. He leans into it. You and I might lean in to a conversation because our hearing is getting bad, but God doesn’t have a problem with hearing. He wants to hear what you have to say, and he never tires or gets weary of listening to us when we come to him in faith and humility. God wants to know our complaint or concern, even if it’s a broad generalization like in verse 12: “Everyone is a liar!” He knows what we mean. He knows what’s on our heart at the moment. Let’s not forget the promise of Romans 8:26 either:

 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.[1]

The promise that follows in Romans here is why we can have confidence and trust in calling on the name of the Lord:

God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.[2]

The cry in vs. 4 after the author pours out his heart is “Lord, save me!” Verses 13–14 parallel this by the author providing his own solution: “I will lift up the cup of salvation.” He knows the seder ritual is more than just a ritual, but a powerful promise of God’s presence, just as I spoke of when I compared this our own communion service.

Hear the words of vv. 5–6, since they weren’t included in our reading this morning:

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

6 The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.[3]

The author follows through here on his cry in vs. 4 by affirming that the Lord did indeed save him at his lowest point. The author’s desperation at the beginning of the psalm may have put him in a frame of mind where he thought he was going to die. In verse 15, he has the confidence to say that the death of a faithful servant is “precious” in the Lord’s sight, so it would seem he had come to terms with his own mortality. This could also be a messianic prophecy about Jesus and the martyrdom in the early days of the church. We saw in verse 14 that he committed himself to live faithfully, and he does so again here in verse 16: “Truly I am your servant, Lord,” and compares it to the history of his own mother’s servant heart.

Verse 7 is a turning point in the first half of the psalm. The author feels complete, made whole because of the Lord’s goodness to him. This parallels the question of vs. 12 I spoke of earlier. In verses 8 and 9, he reaffirms that God has rescued him from sorrow and calamity. In verses 17–19, the author basically repeats verses 14–15, just like a singer might do with the chorus when they come to the end of their song. That’s the clue to us, the readers and worshipers, that this was the intended point of the whole psalm, and it sums up the psalm’s main points succinctly:

First, let us never fail to give thanks for the salvation we have through Jesus Christ. Whether we do that with words or worship, we can have the confidence to speak boldly and not hold back on those things that concern us. We can absolutely be certain that the Lord is trustworthy.

Second, call on the Lord. This is an essential part of our salvation experience. Romans 10:9 says:

 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.[4]

Additionally, Paul addresses the church at Corinth in terms of both their calling and whom they call upon:

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.[5]

Third, but not necessarily finally, commit or reaffirm your commitment regularly, and do so publicly. That doesn’t mean you need to make an alter call every Sunday morning; “publicly” just means you’re not hiding it. If you have an accountability partner or good friend that can keep you honest, that’s a good place to start. If you want to proclaim it more broadly, do that too. After all, the author says in the closing verse he will fulfill his vows in the temple as well as in the heart of the city of Jerusalem for all to see.

May God bless you this week as you continue to spread the gospel in word and in deed. Amen.

[1] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[3] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[4] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[5] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

March 16, 2026

Lectionary Help (Fifth Sunday in Lent): Raising Lazarus (John 11)

Filed under: "I Am" Statements,Ecclesiology,Eschatology,Hebrews,John Gospel of,Lent,Passion,Resurrection,Trial of Jesus — Scott Stocking @ 10:44 pm
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Welcome to Lectionary Help for March 22, 2026.

Wow, things are moving quickly this season. We’re already at the fifth Sunday in Lent for 2026.

Here are the passages for this week:

Old Testament Ezekiel 37:1–14

Psalm   Psalm 130

New Testament Romans 8:6–11

Gospel John 11:1–45[1]

The gospel passage this week is Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It is the only one of the seven miracles of Jesus recorded that coincides one of his seven “I am” statements he makes in John’s gospel in the same chapter.\

This passage shows the full range of Jesus’s human and divine natures, especially the human emotions that Jesus expressed. It’s important to emphasize Jesus’s humanity as evidence that he was a high priest able “to empathize with our human weaknesses—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15),

Martha is the one trying to hold it all together. It seems as if she’s not even started the grieving process yet. She and Mary are both upset that Jesus didn’t get there in time. But Martha is sure of the resurrection, something many of the disciples, I think, were still trying to wrap their heads around.

Jesus’s response just before he himself weeps is worth noting here. When John says Jesus was “deeply moved…and troubled” (NIV), some commentators have suggested Jesus may have groaned in agony or even anger at death itself. He was doing all he could to control his emotions when he asked, “Where have you laid him?” I’m not so sure he asked that politely. More like, “Let’s get this over with.”

Jesus seems to be in take-charge mode at this point. In vs. 38 we see he is “deeply moved” again, to the “Take away the stone!” command may have sounded like a very frustrated outburst.

We must be careful not to generalize from Jesus’s actions and attitudes in this event any sort of pattern for how you and I respond to the death of a loved one. Each one of us handles grief in our own unique way, but the one generalization we can make is that Jesus was fully relying on God in this moment of earthly existence. The one who came to bring us life had to confront the very thing he came to defeat.

I do hope this will give you some good ideas on how to make this story “come to life” (so to speak) for your congregation. I’ve included a couple links below, one with an audio file of my sermon, and the other that highlights the connections between Jesus’s miracles and his “I am” statements in John.

Peace to all of you.

Pastor Scott Stocking, M.Div.

My views are my own.

Jesus Wept 2.0 (John 11:32–44) | Sunday Morning Greek Blog

The “I Am” Statements of Jesus | Sunday Morning Greek Blog

“I Am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25) | Sunday Morning Greek Blog

[1] Consultation on Common Texts. 2011. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife.

March 1, 2026

Lectionary Help: The Woman at the Well (John 4:5–42; Romans 5:1–11)

Filed under: Biblical Studies,Christology,Christology,Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,Isaiah,Jeremiah,John Gospel of,Lent,Old Testament,Repentance,Romans,Zechariah — Scott Stocking @ 9:57 pm
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Lectionary Help for Third Sunday in Lent, March 8, 2026, Year A.

Taking a look at the literary context and historical setting of the account of Jesus speaking to the woman at the well in Samaria can help answer a few questions people may have about this passage. For example, why was Jesus so insistent that he “had” to go through Samaria? Consider the following points.

John begins his gospel by saying Jesus is the light of the world and has been around “from the beginning.”

Jesus shows his earthly authority over the Temple at Jerusalem by overturning the tables of the money changers, yet that doesn’t seem to be enough for him to insist that Jerusalem is the proper (or only) place of worship.

The well where he meets the woman is Jacob’s well. Jacob, of course, is one of Jesus’s earthly ancestors, so Jesus is in the land of his ancestors when he first reveals (at least in John’s gospel) he is the Messiah. That fact shouldn’t be overlooked.

The following is a passage from my message on this passage [A Woman, a Well, and Worshipping God (John 4; Romans 5:1–11)] three years ago.

“He establishes Jesus is fully divine and that God is his Father. Since he’s God’s “only begotten” on Earth, Jesus then is the primary authority in the Temple, which the Jews believed was home of God’s presence. Finally, Jesus, having been established as the authority for the Jewish religion, essentially abolishes the long-standing prejudice against Samaria by going to the place where his ancestor Judah’s father, Jacob (renamed Israel) first established himself in the Promised Land after returning from Laban’s home. I think this aspect of the story lends to its credibility and to the principle of worship he puts forth.”

The epistles passage is Romans 5:1–11. This is where Paul makes the point that Christ died for us “while we were still sinners.” This ties in nicely with the woman at the well story, of course, as Jesus is offering the woman living water in spite of her current social and relationship status.

A few Old Testament passages can provide some background for the “living water” Jesus speaks of. Isaiah 49 (esp. vv. 6 & 10) speaks of springs of fresh water, while Jeremiah 2:13 and 17:13 both describe the Lord as the Jews’ “spring of living water.” Of course, we can’t forget Ezekiel’s prophecy in 14:8–9:

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. 9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”

I pray this helps you prepare this week. I’m updating my previous message, which includes both NT passages, to reflect some of the things I’ve learned or rediscovered in my recent work in Romans.

Peace to you all this season!

Pastor Scott Stocking, M.Div.

My views are my own.

January 25, 2026

Desiring the Presence of God (Psalm 27; Matthew 4:12–23)

Filed under: 1 Chronicles,2 Chronicles,Ecclesiology,Epifanía,Epiphany,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,Hebrew,Joshua,Matthew Gospel of,New Testament,Psalms,Repentance — Scott Stocking @ 4:06 pm
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I presented this message on January 25, 2026, at Mount View Presbyterian Church, Omaha, NE. On the liturgical calendar, it was the third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A.

Good morning! The Lord be with you!

Much of today’s gospel passage from Matthew is very similar to the events and themes we covered in last week’s Gospel passage from John. As such, I’m not going to spend much time in that passage today and instead want to look at our Old Testament reading, Psalm 27.

However, I will say a just a few words about the Matthew passage because there is a story in Matthew 4 that appears at first blush to disagree with John’s account about a similar encounter. Last week you may remember that Andrew was the first one of the disciples to want to follow Jesus, and he had meet Jesus at the place John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan River. He in turn went and got his brother, Simon Peter, to share the news that he had found the Messiah. After Peter met Jesus, John says they went and spent the day with Jesus.

Matthew’s account, as you heard, also has to do with the calling of Andrew and Peter, along with James and John, the sons of Zebedee as they’re fishing in the Sea of Galilee. However, in Matthew’s story, this comes immediately after Jesus spends 40 days fasting, praying, and being tempted in the wilderness. It seems clear then, that one of the things Jesus was praying about was who, among all the people he had met and interacted with during John’s “baptism revival,” would make the best choice for his band of 12 disciples. After all, Jesus had been in the wilderness 40 days, so it’s possible Andrew and Peter may have wondered what happened to him by that point. I’m guessing the four of them were pleasantly surprised to get the call from him, even if they didn’t yet understand the kind of commitment they were making.

The important takeaway for us in the choosing of Matthew is that Jesus wasn’t apparently looking for the well-educated scribes and well-respected, Pharisees, and Sadducees to be his followers. They surely would have argued with him the whole time given what we learn about them in the gospels and Jesus wouldn’t have gotten anything done. Although Jesus did come to preach repentance and a proper understanding of what our relationship to the Law and eventually Grace would look like, he was even more concerned about bringing people eternal hope, love, and joy in the midst of a religious structure that had grown increasingly legalistic and impersonal. The religious leadership of the Jews seemed to have a stranglehold on what the Jewish faith should look like, with hundreds of extra rules in place to keep you from even coming close to breaking the law.

This is where Psalm 27, a psalm of David, comes in. David’s leadership helped establish the nation of Israel as a regional powerhouse after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and a few hundred years of rule by regional judges. It was during the period of Joshua and Judges where they conquered and in some cases wiped out nations that had “earned” the wrath of God for their wicked practices and animosity toward God’s chosen and beloved people.

Psalm 27 is filled with confident assertions and positive desires from David that he and perhaps the rest of Israel are in a right relationship with God. The Israelites were still adjusting to being a unified “kingdom,” not just scattered tribes ruled by local judges. But the attitude and the joy expressed by David in Psalm 27 seems to reflect a different mind set in his day than what comes across in the gospels. After all, you don’t see any of the Herods writing these kinds of psalms of praise! On the contrary, we get the impression that the Herodian Dynasty, which had descended from the Maccabees who had overthrown Greek rule almost 200 years prior to Jesus’s ministry, had become corrupt and heartless toward their own people in trying to appease their Roman overlords.

Our reading this morning left out a few verses from Psalm 27 this morning, so I would like to read through the whole Psalm a few verses at a time to talk about what it has to say to us this morning. We’ll start with vv. 1–3:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me

to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.[1]

David didn’t have Pharisees and Sadducees telling him how to interpret God’s word and who added a “hedge” around the law. The “hedge” was a set of rules that rabbis had established much later in Israel’s history, probably sometime around 200 B.C. They were not strictly biblical commands, but they were guidelines intended to keep you out of situations that might increase the temptation to sin. It’s sort of like how some denominations today don’t want their members to dance because it might lead to “other things.” One such example from the Bible is when Jesus criticized the Pharisees because they tithed their mint, dill, and cumin—the smallest spices they knew about—but did nothing about justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).

David knew where his power and protection came from in Psalm 27: it came straight from God. He is emphatic that he has no need to fear. He knows his enemies will stumble and fall regardless of who comes after him. That is true faith, true confidence in God’s sovereignty. It’s no wonder he was called a man after God’s own heart.

4 One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord. [2]

These three verses are interesting in that David speaks of God’s dwelling, his temple. Yet at this time, the first Temple had not been built yet. But twice, David references God’s “sacred tent.” This is a reference to the Tabernacle that the Jews had carried around in the wilderness for 40 years and was in use by David and the priests right up to the time Solomon built the Temple (1 Chronicles 6:32; 2 Chronicles 1:5)[3].

David understood the importance of a leader being present at worship regularly as an example to the people. David had brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, so had been in the visible presence of God at least one time in his life. That is how he knows how awesome it is to gaze on the beauty of the Lord.

How does that apply to us today? We know when Christ died that the veil was torn in two, from top to bottom, so God’s presence no longer “hid” behind a thick curtain. God’s new way of working in his people after the death and resurrection of Jesus was to give each of us the Holy Spirit. So we most likely will not see a manifestation of the presence of God inside our four walls here, but we can see how the Holy Spirit is working in each of us as we fellowship, worship, and serve together in his name and for his glory.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations. [4]

David also realized in times of trouble that being in God’s presence allows him to call upon the Lord for mercy, protection, and strength. He asks God to “hear my voice” and for God not to “hid your face from me.” He desires to be taught continually so he is better able to serve God and lead his people away from and protect them from the dangers of the surrounding nations. He knows that people are out to get him. He knows God is the only one who can protect him from those aggressors.

We do this as well on Sunday mornings here, and throughout the week, by praying together for those things that are on our hearts. As a fellowship we can seek support from one another to receive comfort and strength. In all my years as a minister, I’ve lost track of how many people have told me they don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. Technically, that may be true, but it sure makes the Christian walk much easier when you have others around you who share the struggles and joys of human existence.

Finally, we have vv. 13–14:

13 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord. [5]

This is David’s concluding benediction, which seems to serve the same purpose in worship as something like our “Gloria Patri” or the Doxology choruses. David reaffirms the confidence he had in vs. 3. He calls on all the worshipers to “Wait for the Lord.” The most common translation for the Hebrew word translated “wait” [קָוָה qā wā(h)] is “hope.” David is waiting, hoping with confidence that the Lord himself will act to keep him and his people safe in the land of the living. David also calls the worshipers to “be strong and take heart,” something both Joshua and Jesus said in their respective ministries.

Early in Joshua’s account of taking the Promised Land, he writes to his fellow Israelites:

6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

……….

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” [6]

Jesus said in his final instructions to his disciples just before his prayer at the end of the Last Supper:

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”[7]

So I leave you with those words of encouragement this morning. May the peace of God reign in your hearts as you go from this place. Amen.

Pastor Scott Stocking, M.Div.

My views are my own.

[1] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[3] In 1 Chronicle 23:26, David relieved the Levites of their responsibility to carry the Tabernacle since Israel was permanently settled in Jerusalem.

[4] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[5] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[6] The New International Version. Joshua 1:6–7, 9. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[7] The New International Version. John 16:33. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

January 16, 2026

A New Song of Victory

Filed under: Ecclesiology,Ephesians,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,Joy,Prayer,Psalms,Thanksgiving — Scott Stocking @ 8:25 pm
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I’m coming up on the 25th anniversary of my very first full-length article published in Christian Standard, February 4, 2001. When I wrote the article, I had been working with the Paxton (IL) Church of Christ (Instrumental) to help get a new contemporary service going. It was also a time when “worship wars” were prevalent in many denominations as contemporary music was starting to enter the “sacred” Sunday morning service scene. Do we even have worship wars anymore? I’ve been in a large, contemporary church for so long now I’m out of touch with what’s going on in smaller churches that have a mixed demographic.

I’m including a link to the Christian Standard archive site below for the article. If you wish to comment on it, you can do so on this post.

Christian Standard | February 4, 2001 by Christian Standard Media – Issuu Pages 10–12

If you’ve got a story about dealing with worship wars, I’d love to hear it here. Peace.

Pastor Scott Stocking, M.Div.

My Nondenominational Creed

Filed under: Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness — Scott Stocking @ 7:57 pm
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Christian Standard, a once weekly publication for Christian Church (Instrumental) goers of the eponymous publication house, published this article I wrote for their May 26, 2002, issue with the theme “Not the only Christians…” I had been teaching for a Missouri Synod Lutheran high school at the time I wrote it, but I only taught for one year there. I’ve provided the link for it below. If you want to comment on it, you can do so on this page. This has been sort of my life, having taught Bible in the colleges of several different denominations over my teaching career and now preaching half-time at Mount View Presbyterian Church in Omaha where I grew up and where my mom still attends.

Christian Standard | May 26, 2002 by Christian Standard Media – Issuu Pages 12–13.

Thank you for reading!

November 23, 2025

The Reign of Christ the King (Luke 23:33–43; Colossians 1)

Filed under: Advent,Christology,Christology,Colossians,Ecclesiology,Ephesians,Eschatology,forgiveness,Life of Christ,Liturgical Calendar,Luke Gospel of,Passion,Resurrection,Theophany — Scott Stocking @ 10:06 pm
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I preached this sermon at Mount View Presbyterian Church on November 23, 2025. It was the last Sunday of Year C of the Lectionary Calendar, commonly known as Reign of Christ the King Sunday. It was also the Sunday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday before the first Sunday in Advent. I had not checked the advanced copy of the church bulletin thinking they would have the Lectionary gospel reading for the day printed, but as it turned out, they had a Thanksgiving Service planned (more music), so I hadn’t prepared a message based on the reading. I went ahead preached the message I had prepared, which worked out find, because with more music, the service was a little longer than usual, and my message had been shorter than usual. I’ve also included some links to past Advent messages since the season is upon us.

We had a soup lunch afterwards and had a drawing to give away a few of the quilts our ladies had made. I won what I’m calling my Joseph Quilt. It is a nice sized quilt worked on by several of the ladies. My mom provided the stitching/decoration around the border.

Have you ever seen one of those movies where they start with some dramatic scene. In the cop shows, it’s usually a murder or finding someone badly injured in an unexpected place. In a Hallmark movie, it might be a wedding scene or a passionate kiss (we all know that’s coming in the Hallmark movie, so no need to put it off until the end!). But then in the next scene, the graphic pops up: “Six months earlier.” The opening scene has gone by so quickly that you didn’t even get a chance to figure out much about who the characters are, then you’re thrust back in time and have to figure it out all over again.

Today we come to the conclusion of the liturgical calendar: “Reign of Christ the King” Day. It’s hard to believe Advent (and the new liturgical year) starts next week. The Lectionary is kind of like those movies I mentioned earlier. Even though we read about the crucifixion of Jesus this morning, we’re not going to get back to that dramatic event of the Resurrection that kicked off the last eight months of the calendar until Easter next year.

This past year, we’ve journeyed through the gospel of Luke, which has the most material on the life of Jesus. Five months ago, we read in Luke 9:51 that Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” The rest of Luke’s gospel from that point on is set in that context of Jesus knowing his life would be cut short. Yet he continued loving, healing, and teaching the masses about God’s true love for them. He also did not shy away from confronting the religious leaders of his day for their abuse of the spiritual authority God had entrusted to them. That violation of God’s trust brings us to where we are today in the gospel, the crucifixion.

Luke has details in this story that the other three gospel writers do not have. Luke is the only one who has Jesus saying “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” He wasn’t just talking about how the Roman soldiers were treating him either. Matthew and Mark tell us that the criminals who were crucified with Jesus were BOTH hurling insults at him, but Luke indicates that one of them must have had a change of heart after hearing Jesus say “Father forgive them” and asked Jesus for forgiveness in his last hour. Jesus, of course, granted it.

The religious leaders were jeering and sneering at him as well. “He saved others, or so he claims! Let him save himself if he’s the Messiah!” One might expect that kind of behavior from criminals, but from those who had presumably dedicated their lives to serving God at the Temple or in the local synagogues? You know you must be getting close to the corruption and hardness of heart when the people who should be on your side are rejecting you for your teachings.

Even though our gospel reading stops just short of the final moments of the crucifixion, we are all familiar enough with that story to finish it from memory. And we know that because Christ defeated death and rose again into his heavenly glory, he lives and reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. While his kingdom is here on earth, it is not of this world. Paul says in Ephesians 1:3 that God has “blessed us [i.e., Christ followers] in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. It was evident from the moment of Pentecost that God had begun a new work in his people through the empowering of the Holy Spirit sent to us by our risen Savior.

As Christ followers, then, we are by default emissaries of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the rest of the New Testament we see Paul and the other apostles planting and shepherding churches that are growing by leaps and bounds in various places. In many cases, the word of God has already spread to places where Paul had yet to travel because other believers were doing that missionary work as well. In the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, we get a glimpse at Paul’s heart for them in the first chapter. Paul praises them for having a faith that is “bearing fruit and growing” in their hearts and around the world. Let’s pick up his praise for them in verse 9:

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, t 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [1]

Paul has incredible respect for the Colossians and wants to ensure they continue on the path of growing in righteousness and faithfulness. This is significant in that Colossae was an incredibly diverse town in south-central Asia Minor. He wants them to be filled “with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” Paul has a similar thought for the Ephesians in the opening of that letter: “18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”[2]

In Colossians 1:6, Paul affirms that the gospel is “bearing fruit and growing through the whole world. He reassures the Colossians are doing their small part to contribute to that in vs. 10.

Being strengthened in all power means that they understand the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They do have some challenges, apparently, with some coming among them making “fine sounding arguments” against the gospel. But Paul has confidence that their knowledge will help them discern false teachings and stay the course of the true gospel with patient endurance.

They are also continually giving thanks because they’ve been rescued from darkness. They believed the gospel and have been living it out boldly because they know they’ve been forgiven and redeemed.

After praising them, Paul continues from verse 15 talking about the supremacy of Christ and why he reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords:

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. [3]

The concept of Jesus being the “firstborn” here seems to have a dual meaning. In verse 15, Paul says Jesus is the firstborn over all creation. That seems to suggest what we learn from John, that Jesus, the light of the world, was the “light” that God created on Day One of creation. A few verses later, in verse 18, Paul calls Jesus “the beginning,” which would seem to confirm the Genesis theory, but the then also calls Jesus “firstborn from the dead.” John also uses the phrase “firstborn from the dead” of Jesus in the opening chapter of Revelation (1:5). This of course is a reference to his resurrection.

Even though there are a few others in the history of the Bible who were raised from the dead, they all came back to life in their original human bodies. Jesus is the first one whose body was raised from the dead AND transfigured into its heavenly version. That earns him the title of head of the church—King of Kings and Lord of Lords—having supremacy over everything. This supremacy is not only for this world, but in the heavenly realms as well as Paul indicates.

Harkening back to Ephesians 3:10, we see that we have a role in proclaiming the gospel not only here but also in the heavenly realms. “10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.”[4] The passage in Ephesians 6 on the armor of God reaffirms our role in fighting the good fight not only against flesh and blood, but against the powers in the heavenly realms. We have the divine protection and strength to stand firm in those battles because of Christ’s victory over death and the redemption he won for us. Not only does he reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our lives, but he has also provided the means for us to walk faithfully in this world.

As we wrap up the liturgical year and look toward Advent and the Christmas season, we can take comfort and courage in having citizenship in the kingdom of Christ. A blessed Thanksgiving to all of you this week, and please join us for the meal after service. Amen.

Pastor Scott Stocking, M.Div.

Here are some of my other Advent messages.

Advent Hope

Advent Love (Luke 1:39–55; 1 Samuel 2:1–10)

Advent Peace: John’s Message of Baptism and Repentance (Luke 3:1–12)

Waiting for the Messiah…Again (Matthew 24:36–44)

[1] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[3] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[4] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

September 20, 2025

My Tribute to Charlie Kirk

Filed under: Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Evil,LGBTQ,Spiritual Warfare — Scott Stocking @ 8:59 pm
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I left for an eight-day road trip to Houston and then Minneapolis the day after Charlie Kirk was assassinated. With all the travel and spending time with my kids for the first half of the trip and my coworkers the last half, it was difficult to sit down and focus on any serious reflection. This is probably good, because I’ve had a chance to see the reactions of others and witnesses the abomination of those especially on the Left who are mocking or celebrating Charlie’s death before I could finish up what I’m presenting here. The problem is Evil, pure and simple, and Charlie was a warrior fighting against the darkness of that evil in the heart of enemy territory at times. I had done the same thing on a much smaller scale thirty some years ago as a campus minister, so I appreciated Charlie’s courage. Here’s my reflection on how he influenced and emboldened me.

As a former campus minister who, with some fear and trepidation, walked into the offices of the nation’s largest Gay/Lesbian Student Union at Northern Illinois University in the early 90s to try to develop a dialogue with a very militant group (at least their rhetoric against Christians in the school paper made it seem as such), I have looked up to Charlie Kirk ever since he came on the scene in 2012. His approach was similar to mine. Let’s talk about the assumptions you’re making about Christianity and that some Christians are making about homosexuals. AT NIU, I was able to have what I thought were “productive” conversations with the G/LU to show a more compassionate side of Christianity that didn’t hate the sinner a la Westboro Baptist in Topeka, Kansas, back in the day. I earned enough respect to be invited to sit on some panel discussions, and several appreciated the tone I took. (For historical context, keep in mind that “political correctness” was just starting to rear its ugly head in those days.)

Unfortunately, that rhetoric has now reached intolerable levels. The way to counter speech you don’t like should be more speech. That is the Right’s attitude with a few rare exceptions. However, the Left’s attitude has been to cancel, shame, dox, impose fear, name calling, and rename our position as “politically incorrect.” Let’s not forget that they also burned up cities and vilified the police, and even committed open anarchy in places like Seattle all in the name of a criminal drug addict who refused to comply with police. Now you can add deadly violence to that as well. I’m not going to be silenced, and I have never shied away from confronting such things in my blog or from the pulpit.

I don’t think it’s a cop-out to suggest that mental health is part of the problem here, but the bigger problem is just plain evil. If we just say “Violence is wrong regardless of who commits it,” but it misses the point of the larger scope of violence, not just the act of cold-blooded murder. (The echoes of those criticizing “Our thoughts and prayers are with you” is still ringing loudly in my ears.) The moral equivalence would seem to stop there. Charlie Kirk stood for freedom of speech and freedom of peaceably assembling, guaranteed First Amendment rights. As a Christian, I believe those First Amendment rights are also God-given rights based in the Bible. Those First Amendment rights are guaranteed and protected, in part, by the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms. Tyranny seeks to strip those rights from those who are citizens. The Second Amendment should not necessarily be the first response unless danger is imminent, but it can’t be ignored, either.

When you juxtapose what Charlie Kirk stood for against say the Democratic Farm-Labor Party former Speaker of the Minnesota House who was targeted, the moral contrast is stark if not frightening. Charlie stood for free speech, community engagement, and dialogue with those who disagreed with him. He believed in human dignity. That’s the fundamental basis for First Amendment rights. On the other hand, the Minnesota State Legislature, led by Speaker Hortman at the time, passed a law in 2023 that expanded abortion rights and eliminated clear language about NOT classifying pedophilia as a sexual orientation in favor of extremely vague language:[1]

Let the record show that Speaker Hortman voted in the affirmative for that bill (2023 S.F. 2909).[2]

Here’s a Twitter post that gives additional evidence that the bill (now law) is a step toward normalizing pedophilia.[3]

Here’s the finished product after it was enrolled (i.e., the law was updated):[4]

Yet for all these things she supported, she was never targeted by a MAGA loyalist for violence. Nor, apparently, were any of these things the motive for her and her husband’s assassin. Let the record show that their assassin was apparently not a MAGA supporter. He had “No Kings” literature in his vehicle when they caught him, and the “No Kings” rallies in Minnesota were cancelled after that discovery.[5] Those were anti-Trump rallies planned around the time of the 250th anniversary of the Army. Just a few days earlier, Hortman had voted with Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature as the only Democrat in support of a bill stripping State-funded health care benefits from adult illegal aliens (Who Is Vance Boelter? What We Know About Suspect in Democ… – Newsweek). Presumably that is what prompted the assassin to take lethal action (https://x.com/amuse/status/1969070353356820789). That puts the lie to the claim that the Right fostered any kind of culture of violence in this situation. When the violent, dangerous criminal and drug user George Floyd died, the country erupted in violence. No one in the media seemed to condemn that kind of violence. If violence is never okay, then why didn’t anyone make a concerted effort to stop that kind of violence when it spread across the country?

Yet when Charlie Kirk gets murdered by an assassin, Christians come together and pray and do NOT riot in the streets or burn down cities. When a liberal speaker comes to a campus to speak, there’s barely a fuss about security. When someone like Charlie or Ben Shapiro or Candice Owens comes to a campus to speak, there are riots and violent protests and a heightened need for greater security.

The causes of the Left’s violent bent are precisely the kinds of things Hortman and her Leftist colleagues supported. Abortion is the murder of innocents; the blood of the innocent is on the hands of the so-called professionals who perform them AND the politicians who legitimize the procedure. Otherwise, why would Minnesota law have to exempt abortion from the Minnesota criminal Murder statute when it comes to unborn deaths? If violence is never okay, then why do people continue to want to legitimize the violence of abortion against the innocent and helpless unborn?

Transitioning youth is also an act of violence against the human body. It involves bloodshed as well when you start cutting off body parts and making phony structures (glory holes; inflatable penises; etc.) in the body. It involves violence against the body when you start introducing high doses of the opposite-sex hormone into a system that was designed to function on the hormone native to the biological sex of the individual. If violence is never okay, then why is the violence of transitioning youth and making them infertile for life in many cases still tolerated and promoted?

Whether you transition from boy to girl or girl to a boy, pumping opposite-sex hormones into a body not designed for those hormones is like putting motor oil into the fuel tank of a car designed for unleaded gasoline. The body will push back against that. It will try to create what is missing or eliminate what it considers invasive. We’re starting to see what happens with these kinds of procedures, both mentally and physically. That’s why many European countries have started restricting or banning such transition procedures.[6] The individuals often end up in worse mental and physical shape than they were in before the transition. If violence is never okay, then why do we continue the violence of experimental surgeries on vulnerable populations?

In other words, when the Left condemns violence, they should start within their own house. None of these facts justify in any way the assassination of Hortman and her husband. But they do create the contrast between what Hortman stood for and what Charlie stood for.

Charlie Kirk argued against these acts of violence; held peaceful, orderly assemblies where he allowed those who disagreed with him to come to the front of the line; and preached the gospel of peace and salvation in Jesus Christ to a generation in need of hope, yet he was violently assassinated by a left-wing nut who confessed openly to it. If violence is never okay, then why do some on the Left mock, ridicule, and cheer on the death of a man of peace?

If you haven’t already seen it, I would encourage you to watch Erika Kirk’s Address to the Nation on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination she made just two days after his death. I would encourage you to look up the recording of the September 15, 2025, broadcast of the Charlie Kirk Radio Show hosted by Vice President J.D. Vance where he interviews several people from the Trump administration (including Robert F. Kennedy) talking about the influence and character of Charlie Kirk on their own lives.

Let me ask this question of men: Men, are you living the kind of life and loving your wife in such a way that she would praise you as Erika did Charlie? None of us are perfect, of course, but what can each of us do better? Women, do you love and support your husbands in such a way that they know they are appreciated and honored in your home?

Charlie Kirk’s assassination shows that the Left will stop at nothing to try to silence Christians and the political Right. We who believe are ALL in danger and need to be vigilant against such attacks. But we must also pray and allow God to be the one to take revenge in his time, not in our own. This is not to say we can’t act to protect ourselves or others from an immediate threat like an active shooter situation or an out-of-control individual flailing a knife around. The people who kill or try to kill in cold blood like these assassins and would-be assassins have mental health issues. We need to keep cooler heads and immerse ourselves in prayer and service. Get connected with a community of believers if you’re not already. Stay in your community of believers for mutual support and encouragement. Don’t stray from your community and act the lone wolf.

Put on the full armor of God, everyone. We are likely going to need it.

Pastor Scott Stocking, M.Div.

My opinions are my own.

[1] Chapter 52 – MN Laws

[2] House Journal 70th Day Monday May 15 2023

[3] Gays Against Groomers on X: “BREAKING: A transgender representative in Minnesota has introduced a bill that will remove the exclusion of pedophiles from the protected class of “sexual orientation.” This means it will be illegal to discriminate against child rapists. This is what we have been sounding the https://t.co/9Rjbp6C6rz” / X

[4] Sec. 363A.03 MN Statutes

[5] Minnesota Assassination Suspect Had Flyers Reading ‘No Ki… – Newsweek

[6] Why European Countries Are Rethinking Gender-Affirming Care for Minors | Best Countries | U.S. News

August 17, 2025

Who’s in YOUR Great Cloud of Witnesses? Hebrews 12:1–2

Filed under: Ecclesiology,Evangelism,Faith, Faithfulness,Hebrews,Providence,Thanksgiving — Scott Stocking @ 7:18 pm
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I preached this message at Mount View Presbyterian Church on August 17, 2025. I decided to break from preaching the Lectionary’s Gospel passage for today and went with the Epistles passage from Hebrews 11 & 12. The first question I asked myself when I started thinking about how to preach it was, “Who is in my great cloud of witnesses?” We all stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. No sooner had I asked that question then the Holy Spirit replied, “Testimony Time!” I didn’t need anything but a list. These are the people who have influenced my faith (I got on a roll and inadvertently left out my immediate family; sorry guys). Mount View’s 70th anniversary is coming up in October, so I encouraged the congregation to do this exercise for themselves as well. 

No sermon text. I delivered the message extemporaneously. I may have mentioned some people from StoneBridge and Christian Campus Ministry (Agape House) at UNL in the 1980s.

Here’s the Rumble video. Who’s in YOUR “Great Cloud of Witnesses”? Hebrews 12:1–2.

I would love to hear who’s in your Great Cloud of Witnesses.

Scott Stocking

My opinions are my own.

June 16, 2025

Trinity Power (Psalm 8; John 16:12–15)

Filed under: Christology,Creation,Ecclesiology,Eschatology,John Gospel of,Pneumatology,Psalms,Soteriology,Ten Commandments (Decalogue),Trinity — Scott Stocking @ 5:59 pm
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Historical context and notes: I preached this message on Father’s Day, June 15, 2025, at Mount View Presbyterian Church. It was also “Trinity Sunday” on the Lectionary calendar, the Sunday after Pentecost. Culturally, this weekend also saw the parade/celebration for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, “No Kings” protests nationwide (thus a few extra references to God as our King), the onset of a conflict between Israel and Iran with the goal of degrading Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities, and the politically motivated assassination of a Minnesota State representative.

Happy Fathers’ Day, and a blessed Trinity Sunday to all of you. I’ve had a busy three weeks traveling hither and yon. Two weeks ago, my brother and I took our third annual fishing trip to South Dakota and caught our limit of walleye both days. Last weekend, my wife and I went to Branson with our small group and saw the production of David at the Sight and Sound theater. If you ever go to Branson, the Sight and Sound theater is well worth the price of a ticket. The entire operation is a ministry that focuses on telling biblical and patriotic stories. They tie the biblical story to the message of the cross toward the end, and after the show some of the cast make themselves available to pray with people.

Now even though I had a very relaxing few weeks off and feel somewhat refreshed from a busy schedule, I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s been kind of tough to focus on writing a message this week with all the other chaos going on in the world. Nevertheless, I think perhaps the example of Jehoshaphat in the Old Testament can help us deal with the potential chaos some may be experiencing. When Jehoshaphat was faced with a nearly impossible battle in 2 Chronicles 20 against the Moabites, Ammonites, and Meunites, he had the people pray in the temple courtyard. The next morning, he put the men’s choir out in front of the army as they marched toward the Desert of Tekoa. As they sang, God set ambushes, and the three opposing armies wound up destroying each other. Israel never had to lift a finger to fight. God is the true King, and when we put him first, good things can happen.

In our Old Testament reading this morning, the first couple verses of Psalm 8 say this:

1 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

2 Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger. [1]

If those two examples aren’t enough to show the power of praise, consider the story of the walls of Jericho which, by the Jews marching around the city, blowing their trumpets, and lifting up a mighty shout of praise, crumbled as a result of that sonic boom. God is the true King, and when we put him first, good things can happen. Psalm 22:3 in the English Standard Version says, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”[2] If you’re used to the King James Version, that verse is translated, “Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”[3]

This demonstrates the point that our praise is mighty and effective against evil because the God who dwells in that praise as it goes forth from our lips and our lives is mighty. This is God Almighty, God the Father, God the King, the creator of all that is made, even life itself; the giver of breath; the author of wisdom and truth.

We see the might, power, and even the orderliness of God in the creation narrative, for example. On Day One, he begins with the “formless and void” rock we call Earth and creates “light.” We don’t know what that light is, because the things that make or reflect light aren’t created until Day 4. What is this Day One light then? Is it the light that emanates from God because of his spiritual nature? Is it the afterglow of a “big bang” that produced the formless and void Earth and everything else in the universe? Is it meant to have a more metaphorical meaning like moral clarity? Or is it a reference to someone who would later claim that he is the light of the world, and of whom John would make the claim that nothing in this world was made without him? Hmmm. More on that later.

On Day Two, God separated the waters below from the waters above, most likely a vapor canopy that created a greenhouse effect for the new life that was coming. The separation between the waters was called “sky.” On Day Five, he created the creatures that dwell in the air and the creatures that dwell in the sea.

On Day Three, he brought forth dry land and created the diversity of flora that grows on the earth today. I find it interesting that the plants that need the sun to photosynthesize and grow are created the day before the sun is created. Anyone ever notice that? That’s one reason why I think each of the days of creation represent a 24-hour time period. If the vegetation had been created thousands of years before the sun came to exist, it would not have survived. On Day Six, he creates all the creatures that would dwell on land, including his ultimate creation, Mankind.

With each day of creation, not only is God creating people and animals and plants and objects in the solar system, he’s also creating all of the physical, biological, geological, and psychological (and all the other “-logicals”) rules and principles by which all the natural, or created, world operates under. On Day Seven, God rested. He had taken the “formless and void” third rock from the sun and transformed it into a well-formed, orderly creation.

Not only was God mighty and powerful as our king, though. He was also the epitome of righteousness. In him there is no fault, no stain, no sin. Perhaps that is why his “light” is the brightest of all, so bright that no mortal, sinful man can stand in the presence of it. From the Fall to the Flood, God demonstrated great patience with the wickedness of man, but God had a built-in judgment plan. The vapor canopy had worked quite well to ensure the young earth would flourish and grow, but man’s wickedness had become too much for God to bear. He told righteous Noah to build an ark and brought Noah a pair of every kind of animal to rescue them through the Flood.

The Bible says the rain came down and the flood gates of the earth were opened. Sounds to me like a giant meteor pierced the vapor canopy and all that water condensed and fell to the earth. It also may have broken up Pangea, the not-so-hypothetical single continent that once existed on Earth and started what we know today as plate tectonics, the movement of the continents, and all the fun stuff that comes with that, like earthquakes and volcanoes. This shows the enduring power of God’s creation, but it also shows that he is a God who expects the praise we give him for his righteous judgments.

The signature expression of God’s righteousness is the Ten Commandments. The first three commandments are specific to our direct relationship with God: Don’t put anything above God. Don’t make an image of God to worship. Don’t misuse the name of God. I think we all get that. The next two are positive commands that have to do with what God expects from us: Keep the Sabbath day holy. Honor your parents, who represent God’s authority over you on earth.

The final five commands have to do with our relationships with one another. They are prohibitions against committing violent acts. According to Merriam-Webster, “violence” not only means committing a physical act of aggression like murder, assault, or rape, but it can also mean “injury by or as if by distortion, infringement, or profanation” and gives the synonym “outrage.” Even coveting is not just a thought crime about desiring someone else’s property. When Jesus summarizes the Ten Commandments in Mark 10:19, he uses the Greek word translated “defraud,” “cheat,” or “rob” in the New Testament (ἀποστερέω apostereō). Coveting is violence, because its goal is to obtain something by illicit means.

Because the Ten Commandments are God’s foundational laws, and because they addressed fundamental issues of our relationships with God and with others, a violation of any of them could have resulted in the death penalty, were it not for the provisions in the law for blood sacrifice and the forgiveness of sin. But God knew from the time of the Fall he would need another way to address mankind’s sin. That’s where the second person of the trinity is introduced to the world.

Of course, this is Jesus, the son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. He would come to walk among us as a human being and learn, through his fully divine nature and insight”, what it was like to live as a mortal among mortals. Hebrews 4:15 says: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”[4] This Law is good because it shows us what sin is, but the Law itself is not able to provide forgiveness, righteousness, or salvation. Only perfect obedience can do that, but no one is perfect, at least, no one who is fully mortal.

Romans 10:4 says: “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”[5] That word “culmination” (τέλος telos) doesn’t mean the Law is no longer relevant. It means that what the Law was intended to accomplish, imperfect as we are, is now accomplished through the faithfulness of Christ in his death on the cross and our faith in acknowledging Jesus Christ as our risen Savior. This is what John means when he calls Jesus “the word.” What we call “the Ten Commandments” in Hebrew is just simply “Ten Words” (עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים ʿǎśě·rěṯ de·ḇār îm). Jesus’s death on the cross paid the penalty for all time for violating God’s Law. All we need to do is trust in his grace and mercy and live faithfully for him. He is, after all, declared to be Lord of Lords and King of kings in Revelation 19:16.[6]

This is where we meet the third person in the Trinity. I’m not sure what passage your speaker addressed on Pentecost last Sunday, but if it was John 14, you would know that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come and teach us what we would need to know to live faithfully for Christ. We do have the Bible, but without the Holy Spirit to help us spiritually understand, discern, and apply the words of the Bible, they are ultimately just words on a page. The Holy Spirit is the divine presence in our lives. The Spirit is the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made at his ascension that he would be with us always even to the end of the age.

The words of our gospel reading this morning bear repeating here:

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”[7]

In a world hounded by chaos and strife in these days, I find it comforting that we have a God who loves us and has provided the way of salvation for us through Jesus’s death and resurrection and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Spirit that we can also lift up songs of praise and worship, which brings us full circle this morning. God inhabits the praise of his people by virtue of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives. This is our powerful weapon to confront the evil around us. The Spirit also brings comfort, healing, and restoration to our lives.

The words from last week’s gospel passage are appropriate to repeat here, and I’ll close with this.

27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”[8]

May the peace of God go with you today. Amen.

[1] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. 2009. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[5] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[6]See also 1 Timothy 6:15b and Revelation 17:14.

[7] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[8] The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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