Author: Jeremy Berg

The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Berg is the founding and lead pastor of MainStreet Covenant Church in Minnetonka Beach, MN, where he has served since 2010. He is an adjunct professor of Biblical and Theological Studies who has taught classes at Bethel University, University of Northwestern—St. Paul, North Central University, Crown College, and Solid Rock Discipleship School. Jeremy earned a doctorate in New Testament Context under Scot McKnight at Northern Seminary (Chicago). He and his wife, Kjerstin, have three kids, Peter, Isaak and Abigail.

No More Mr. ICE Guy

January 7, 2026

Nothing can provoke anger quicker than mercy, when it’s directed to the wrong kind of people.

Marking the church’s Year of Jubilee, Pope Leo XIV invoked biblical language calling for kindness to migrants as human beings made in the image of God. There’s nothing the least bit controversial about this. It’s what the Bible says, what Christians have always believed, what official Catholic teaching makes explicit. Some people didn’t like this. … More No More Mr. ICE Guy

Soul Medicine: Full Serenity Prayer

January 5, 2026

Years ago a therapist prescribed for me the daily practice of praying the famous Serenity Prayer to help me navigate anxiety. While this prayer is usually associated with recovery groups, it has much broader application for many other personal afflictions. I was asked to look up the “full version” which I didn’t know existed. It is medicine to the soul. … More Soul Medicine: Full Serenity Prayer

Beware of ICEy Conditions

December 18, 2025

I’m a pastor in a multiethnic denomination of immigrants, where my brothers and sisters are being terrorized by ICE raids and growing hostility and fear caused by this administration’s rhetoric and tactics. Our immigrant churches are half empty on Sundays, as families are afraid to leave their homes. No presents are under the tree, and cupboards are growing bare as they are afraid to go shopping. … More Beware of ICEy Conditions

Blessed Are the Horoscope Readers

December 17, 2025

Do you think the magi would be welcome in our churches if they showed up this Christmas Eve? I suspect these ouija board playing, crystal ball rubbing, tarot card reading visitors would be met with suspicious looks and hushed whispers, brushed off and awkwardly avoided. They certainly would not be invited to come forward and play a central role in the worship service.  … More Blessed Are the Horoscope Readers

Blessed Are The Speechless

December 15, 2025

We are only reading half the story if we focus only on the speechlessness of Zechariah. Before long the mute becomes a minstrel, the silenced one a songbird, the castigated becomes a crooner for Christ. From that day forward, Mercy and Joy are the theme of Mr. and Mrs. Zechariah’s song. Blessed are those who have been mesmerized by God’s mercy, silenced by salvation, flabbergasted by forgiveness, and enraptured by God’s rescue. … More Blessed Are The Speechless

Blessed Are the Carnies

December 11, 2025

Ebenezer Scrooge had a hard time grasping and embracing the spirit and message of Christmas. The rich and self-sufficient always do. Their own personal kingdoms loom so large that they have a hard time making room for God’s Kingdom.
This is why the glad tidings were given to poor shepherds instead of wealthy aristocrats. Shepherds were the carnies of Jesus’ day. They had a reputation for being  dirty, smelly vagabonds. … More Blessed Are the Carnies

Flesh-Ripping Words & the Word Become Flesh

December 10, 2025

In these days of online retribution, excoriating political opponents, and defaming others’ character, we do well to remember that in the middle of the Christmas story stands a man who goes out of his way to protect another from public disgrace. The historical record gives us very little on Joseph, but one description stands out: “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man.” … More Flesh-Ripping Words & the Word Become Flesh

Blessed Are the Fed Up

December 9, 2025

The fourth Beatitude of Bethlehem announces that God’s favor rests upon those who wake up each morning with the smell of a more just society wafting through the air, and whose heart’s growl from an inconsolable hunger for God’s Kingdom to come “on earth as it is in heaven.” They carry with them secret recipes and samples on a toothpick of the delicious promises God will serve up when His Kingdom comes in full.  … More Blessed Are the Fed Up

Blessed Are the Underachievers

December 5, 2025

The central message of Jesus’ upside-down Kingdom is that He offers good news to the poor and needy losers, and offers a stern warning for the proud and self-sufficient winners in society. He’s not opposed to the winners and hard-working overachievers; he just knows that such folks tend to be less receptive, and at times openly hostile, to His gospel message about free handouts of grace and forgiveness to undeserving screw-ups.  … More Blessed Are the Underachievers

Psalm 23 Survival Kit for Life’s Valleys

December 3, 2025

In a recent sermon on navigating life’s valleys, I suggested packing the Psalm 23 Survival Kit to help you come out the other side. This beloved Psalm is packed full of essential truths and God’s promises to help carry you through “the valley of the shadow of death.” I want to recommend Dallas Willard’s little book on Psalm 23 called Life Without Lack. … More Psalm 23 Survival Kit for Life’s Valleys

Blessed Are The Emotional Wrecks

December 2, 2025

I don’t remember what I preached that Sunday, but I do remember standing in front, holding back tears and weighed down by grief. My message invited us to de-sanitize the Christmas story, strip away all the sentimentality and remember that Advent is the good news that Jesus stepped down into our darkness in order to take the suffering and grief of countless heartbroken parents onto Himself, and to bring comfort to those who mourn … More Blessed Are The Emotional Wrecks

Two Stars: Super-Surrender to Supernova

December 1, 2025

This Christmas reflection examines the crucial distinction between fleeting religious experiences and the enduring life of discipleship. Pastor Jeremy Berg contrasts the Star of Bethlehem, which led the Magi to a singular moment of worship, with the Morning Star mentioned by Peter, which symbolizes the necessary, continuous rise of Christ within the believer’s heart. … More Two Stars: Super-Surrender to Supernova

#SaturdaySong – “Romeo & Juliet”

November 29, 2025

I was about 16 years old and smitten with young love when I first discovered this song by Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. I’ve always avoided playing because I couldn’t replicate the sound of his unique tuning and chords and National resonator guitar. But let’s throw caution to the wind, lower expectations, and give it a whirl on this lazy Saturday morning. … More #SaturdaySong – “Romeo & Juliet”

We Love Shiny Things

November 28, 2025

Many of us are in danger of simply taking in these sights and sounds, and like the magi 2,000 years ago we must decide if we’re going to seek and discover for ourselves the greater reality to which all these shiny things ultimately point. Will we settle for the sparkle and shine that surrounds this season, or will we choose to look beyond them and follow their glow to the real thing? … More We Love Shiny Things

If I Stand

November 20, 2025

This has been my “life song” since college, since I gave my life to Jesus. It’s the song I have told Keri to have played at my funeral someday. It’s by Rich Mullins, a fellow ragamuffin for Jesus. Still, I’ve never really stopped to ponder the lyrics and why this song speaks to my heart. … More If I Stand

Prepare the Way (Advent 2025)

November 14, 2025

This year we’re going to honor the real mood and message of Advent, which is a starker season of preparation for the different comings of God — first, in the events of Jesus’ birth and, second, at the Final Judgment. Advent is for waiting and longing and repenting in anticipation for invasion of Light into our darkness. We will be sitting in a classic Advent text from Isaiah 40:3-5. … More Prepare the Way (Advent 2025)

Nazification and the Church (Russell Moore)

November 6, 2025

The controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson’s platforming of neo-Nazi apologist Nick Fuentes has revealed concerning ideologies among young evangelical leaders. Critics argue that the normalization of such views undermines the church’s moral authority and complicates the interpretation of key Christian principles. This poses a significant threat to the church’s future and its core beliefs. … More Nazification and the Church (Russell Moore)