I once worked with a supervisor who was highly driven, but could sometimes be insulting. Sometimes they were harsh or short tempered. They kind of made you feel like the proverbial parent you could never quite live up to. They tended to come into meetings telling you what they wanted, but rarely asking for input. They were not hesitant to remind you who was in charge.

This could be demoralizing to other team members, sucking the air out of the room and sometimes even bringing people to tears. Employees still had a responsibility to respect and obey their leaders, but there was just a general lack of grace from the leader. In contrast, God says in Colossians 4:1 that those in authority should lead “justly and fairly,” knowing you also have a Master in heaven.

If you think about it, we spend more time working and supervising others than almost any other human activity. Yet how many of us have developed a theology of work? One helpful passage to look into is Colossians 3:22-4:1. In this section, we learn…

• How work is one of our greatest acts of devotion toward God
• Respecting those in authority
• Staying faithful in the little things
• Thoughts on slavery in the Bible and our American founding
• Instructions for those who manage and supervise
• A great quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on our work

I preached on this passage several months ago at Calvary Church. Here’s the link:

Thanks for listening! You can find more sermons on the Sermon page of this blog. 

The “Worship wars” may have reached their height in the 1990s, but churches still struggle how to remain both doctrinally rooted and culturally relevant.

It’s good to incorporate newer, more modern songs in our repertoire, but we would be remiss to erase all the older hymns from our collective memory. It can be a challenge because some of the language can be antiquated, and sometimes their music style has not aged well. But I believe worship is best when we can find a blended form of both traditional and contemporary, uniting together newer and older songs.

As Bob Kauflin put it, that our worship should be “rooted and relevant.” Rooted in Scripture and 2,000 years of Christian tradition, yet relevant with new songs and melodies and styles continuing to express our hearts before God and to symbolize that the growth and spread of the gospel continue.

There may be different styles, different lengths, and different topics, but most importantly, the church needs to sing, and our minds should be focused on the Word. Meditating on it, reciting it, mulling it over, making new connections, recounting old stories, and overall letting the word of Christ dwell richly in us the whole time we are singing. Every time the church gathers to sin is an opportunity to teach and admonish one another.

To learn more, check out my sermon on Colossians 3:15-17. In this message, we learn…

• How I respond when people ask what denomination our church is
• How to find peace in Christ
• What does it mean for the word of Christ to “dwell” in us?
• A brief history of praise and worship
• Finding balance between the traditional and contemporary
• The centrality of scripture in our worship

Thanks for listening! For a complete list of sermons, please visit the Sermon page.

“I forgive you” is one of the hardest things you’ll ever say, but it will take a huge weight off your shoulders. In our latest sermon podcast from Colossians 3:12-14, we talk all about forgiveness…

Last Sunday, I preached on the Parable of the Tenants from Mark 12. Sometimes on Palm Sunday, I preach on the Triumphal Entry itself. This time I thought I’d pick a related theme, and show how Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected but became the cornerstone. It offers a vivid description of those who reject the Messiah but God’s gracious offer to bring salvation to others.

Tuesday of Passion Week is sometimes called the “Day of Controversy.” During that day, Jesus told a parable about a vineyard owner and his rebellious tenants. It is a shocking parable that connects many of the themes unfolding during Passion Week itself. In our study of Mark 12, we learned…

• A basic overview of the events of Passion Week
• Why Jesus spoke in parables
• How God often referred to Israel as his vineyard
• How rejection of the gospel is a matter of spiritual blindness
• God’s promise of judgment in the tribulation
• God’s kindness to invite both Jews and Gentiles to inherit his kingdom

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