Epiclesis Epiclesis

What are we Christians supposed to do in a world full of cynicism that seems to be falling apart? And what about the unfair successes of the ungodly all around us? The psalmist has some very simple, practical, and even profound advice for the godly in times like these.

Join Pastor Chris and learn about an addition or two to your evening prayer and devotional time.

A couple of notes: The hymn text that Pastor Chris read at the end of his concluding prayer is the ages old "Phos Hilaron" ("O Gladsome Light"), an ancient evening song of praise, perhaps a lamp lighting hymn, that in its original Greek dates back even to the second century.

The artwork associated with this podcast is a woodblock print (one in a series for each of the psalms) by American artist Kreg Yingst. The work is called "Psalm 4."

Christ's work on the cross-- His death, burial, and resurrection-- means that God has dealt with death once and for all. Yet Christ's work also means a reversal of what happened in the Garden. A whole new world has come into being. Join Pastor Chris for an Easter Sunday sermon focusing on the re-creation that happens because of the person and work of Jesus.

The artwork associated with this podcast/post is titled "A Symphony of Praise," by Yongsung Kim.

On this Palm Sunday, Pastor Chris took a look at the prophetic things the crowd shouted when Jesus came riding into the Holy City at His Triumphal Entry. Question: How is the Davidic Dynasty tied to the events of Palm Sunday, and might they be they relevant to us today? Join us as we focus on bending the knee to ultimate King.

Remember the episode in the Bible about the "snake on a stake"? So many questions: Why snakes? What did the Children of Israel do to deserve that? And why did Jesus use that odd event in the desert to describe His coming into the world to the Pharisee Nicodemus?

Join Pastor Chris for this sermon, and spend some time with us as we consider our own wilderness journeys.

The image associated with this podcast is "Moses and the Brass Serpent." Oil on canvas, date unknown. Arthur Sussman.

As we continue our Lenten Season theme of "The Covenant and the Cross," we come to Mount Sinai. God had used Moses to deliver the people from Egypt. They were the descendants, for the most part, of one man, Jacob-- a kind of extended family. But they weren't a nation yet. That happened at the mountain. Join Pastor Chris as he took us through the Sinaitic Covenant, examined the Nation of Israel's faithfulness to it, and then He asked the question, "Has the Sinaitic Covenant been fulfilled?"

Grab your Bible and dig in with us!

The artwork attached to this podcast is Marc Chagall's "Moses Receiving the Tablets of Law" (1966).

In the Old Testament there are promises God made to Israel or to Abraham. But did you ever think about how they might be for you, too? The promises made to Abraham and his seed in the long ago have been fulfilled in a remarkable and wonderful way. Along the way we defined "Christian" and "The Church"-- and we also talked about the amazing inheritance that is ours in Christ.
The artwork associated with this podcast post is by the wonderful He Qi titled "Look Toward the Heavens," his interpretation of God showing Abraham the stars of the sky in describing the patriarch's descendants. Currently a California resident, He Qi Studied at Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing Art Institute in China and Hamburg Art Institute in Germany. Now He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Fuller Theological Seminary.