Category Archives: Sermons

Ungraven Images (Exodus 19-20)

Posted on February 18, 2026 by salooper57

The form we have here comes from the kingdom of the Hittites and the so-called suzerainty treaties that conquered nations were required to sign. But there is a difference: God did not conquer Israel and force them into a treaty. Rather, he rescued them and offered them the choice to be his people. Continue reading →

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The Passover: He Delivers (Exodus 12)

Posted on February 11, 2026 by salooper57

He did everything God told him to do … and things got worse! Much worse. And what’s more, the Hebrews blamed him (which is just what Pharaoh intended)! In frustration, Moses lashed out at God. He said (5:22), “Why did you [even] send me? . . . you haven’t rescued your people at all.” Continue reading →

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Laughter Will Not Die (Genesis 22)

Posted on February 4, 2026 by salooper57

And now we come to chapter 22 where God’s Plan-Only, which was entirely dependent on a boy named Laughter, was put at risk. And it was God who put it there. Continue reading →

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The Call of Abraham (Genesis 12)

Posted on January 27, 2026 by salooper57

Abram is the beginning of the cure because he is the beginning of a line … The long line runs through a young woman – hardly more than a child – named Mary. Then the line becomes a point: a point of contention for some; a point of no return for others; but the point of it all for us who believe. Continue reading →

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When Adam Jumped into an Abyss (Genesis 3)

Posted on January 21, 2026 by salooper57

…part of the story is left out. It is not just from stone to iron, but from stone-headed axe to iron-tipped spear, from iron-tipped spear to lead bullet, from lead bullet to thermonuclear warhead. We jump, but we usually land further down, not further up. Continue reading →

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In the Beginning

Posted on January 14, 2026 by salooper57

Every human composition is but a “Variation on a Theme by God.” He made birds and streams sing, waves and waterfalls crash. The wind croons; the oceans roar; the leaves on a billion trees dance, and all creation keep time to the music. Continue reading →

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The Story of the Bible (as told on the Emmaus Road)

Posted on January 7, 2026 by salooper57

God, apparently, is not satisfied to stuff Scripture into our heads. He wants to burn it into our hearts. Continue reading →

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Look Four Ways Before Crossing (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Posted on January 1, 2026 by salooper57

Sin clings; it won’t let go. We must be determined to get rid of it, or it will damage us. That damage, as the author of Hebrews points out again and again, takes the form – this is important to understand – of unbelief. Continue reading →

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Bedlam to Bethlehem

Posted on December 25, 2025 by salooper57

I started by speaking of “thin places,” where heaven and earth meet, but the barrier between heaven and earth is not permeable in a place; it is permeable in a person: Jesus. It is in a manger that heaven and earth meet and kiss. And it is at a cross that the gate of heaven opens. Continue reading →

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You Better Find Somebody to Love (4th Sunday of Advent)

Posted on December 21, 2025 by salooper57

You may say, “But I do know God. He takes care of me. He provides for my needs.” But because he cares for you does not mean that you know him in any way more meaningful than the golden retriever knows the owner who feeds him. Continue reading →

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