February 22, 2026 – Jesus, Son of God
Today, we begin our journey through Lent, where we will focus on some of the most central aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry—the essentials of who Jesus is and what he’s up to. Today, we find Jesus directly after his baptism, where the skies had opened, the Spirit descended, and the voice of God came down, saying: “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” Having been named the Son of God, Jesus then follows the Spirit into the wilderness. Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty...
Read MoreFebruary 15, 2026 – In The Light of Resurrection
Today we’re jumping ahead in Matthew from the Sermon on the Mount to the middle of Jesus’ ministry in towns all over the countryside—teaching and healing, preaching and wondering. We meet Jesus today in Caesarea Phillipi, just 6 days after Jesus’ first declaration that he would be killed and rise again. Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them...
Read MoreFebruary 8, 2026 – Stay Salty
Last week, we heard from the prophet Micah. This week, we’re looking at a different prophet with a similar, but different message: Isaiah. The part of Isaiah we’re about to hear was likely written after the exile to Babylon. When the southern kingdom of Judah was overthrown in 687 BCE, Jerusalem was ransacked and the temple was destroyed. Most of the upper classes and skilled labor were carried into exile in Babylon, scattered throughout the empire. A full generation later, after the Persians had overthrown the Babylonians, the king allowed the people to return to their homeland and...
Read MoreFebruary 1, 2026 – What God Doesn’t Want From Us
We’re taking another slight detour this morning into the Old Testament. We’ve just heard the very beginning of Jesus’ sermon on the mount, the beatitudes – Jesus’ encouragement for a weary people, desperate for some hope. But we’re also going to flip back a few pages in our Bibles to hear from one of the Old Testament prophets, Micah. The prophets are not known for being subtle, but I want to give us some context for what we’re about to hear, so that we can make some more sense of it. What we now have in one short book (only 7 chapters long) are words from the prophet Micah that...
Read MoreJanuary 25, 2026 – Jesus Went
We took a detour into John last week, but today we’re back in Matthew. To catch up to where we are right now, here’s what’s happened so far. Matthew starts with a genealogy, then a very short story about Jesus’ birth, followed by Herod’s slaughter of the innocents and a couple stories about young Jesus. We’re introduced to John the Baptist, and then, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River and immediately sent into the desert. He fasts for 40 days, and is tempted by the devil. He resists those temptations, and…that’s where we pick up the story. Scripture: Matthew 4:12-25 Now when...
Read MoreJanuary 18, 2026 – Come & See
After Jesus’ baptism, his public ministry really begins. But in John’s gospel, we don’t hear much from Jesus himself right off the bat – instead, we hear others proclaim who Jesus is and what Jesus is up to. As we listen to this passage from John’s gospel, I encourage you to pay attention to the names used for Jesus, and the way each person describes who Jesus is and what Jesus is doing. Scripture: John 1:29-42 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me...
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