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.
CHICAGO, IL (April 16, 2019) – COVENANT COMPANION | by Stan Friedman It took only a few moments for the Notre Dame Cathedral to change the life of Covenant pastor Don Johnson. Johnson and his wife, Martha, were celebrating their fifteenth wedding anniversary in 1990, when he entered the cathedral as “a dumb tourist.” “When I … More Covenanters Reflect on Cathedral Fire
The Passion of Saint Perpetua, Saint Felicitas, and their Companions is one of the oldest and most notable early Christian texts. It survives in both Latin and Greek forms, and contains a first person prison diary of the young mother and martyr Perpetua. Scholars generally believe that it is authentic although in the form we … More The Martyrdom of Perpetua (203 AD)
As we wrap up the “CrossRoad” series, let me share a collection of great quotes on cruciformity or, a life shaped by the cross. Imagine each quote as a friendly sign or enticing billboard by the side of the road to help keep us on the Narrow Way and from veering into a ditch or … More CrossRoad 6: Cruciformity Quotes
Source: The text below is the full story, from around 160 AD, of the martyrdom of Polycarp, the Bishop of the church in Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor (modern Izmir in Turkey) devoted to Roman worship. The account is in the form of a letter from eye-witnesses to other churches in the area. It … More The Martyrdom of Polycarp (155AD)
The climax of every Asian food experience is breaking open that fortune cookie to gain new insight our own imminent futures. I keep waiting to open the one that says, “Your love for deep-fried Cream Cheese Puffs will shorten your life.” But my fortune this time was: YOU WILL BE A LION IN YOUR NEXT … More CrossRoad 5: Lamb Power in a Lion’s World
This Holy Week, as an outflow of our CrossRoad sermon series, I am sharing some stories of early martyrs who took up their own cross and bore the ultimate witness to the cross-shaped Kingdom. One of the great treasures of church history is the collection of writings called The Apostolic Fathers. These are the earliest writings outside the … More The Martyrdom of Ignatius (c.107AD)
The original vision for MainStreet was centered around the “house to house” fellowship described in the Book of Acts. The more formal nature of a Sunday service in a church building was to be viewed as secondary. We dreamed of a number of house groups popping up all over the town, with gracious hosts reaching … More ‘House Church’ Revisited
Jesus asked, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has … More Can You Drink the Cup?
Yesterday our youngest, Abigail, celebrated her 4th birthday with a day filled with sparkly balloons, glittery outfits and unicorns! She is crazy about unicorns at the moment. I just tucked her into bed wearing her unicorn jammies, a unicorn snap bracelet on her wrist, a unicorn headband, hugging a unicorn stuffed animal, and reading her … More StarryEyed Birthday Girls & CrossEyed Disciples
During one of my Christmas breaks in college, I came home with an old paperback version of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic The Pilgrim’s Progress. I was going through a radical spiritual awakening, and was voraciously devouring the Christian classics I missed as a non-reading sports jock in high school. The Pilgrim’s Progress collided with my … More The Pilgrim’s Progress & Our Story Shaped Lives
“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place!” (Genesis 28:16-17) One of my all-time favorite stories in the Bible is about Jacob in Genesis 28:10-17, running scared in the desert, thirsty, lonely, doubting God’s promise and his own future. He lies down to sleep, with his head … More Angels in the Desert
Here’s another good challenge from Skye Jethani on the idol of nationalism: The temptation to root our identity in our country is certainly nothing new. It was equally prevalent during the early church when Christians were divided by their loyalty to Christ and his church, and their loyalty to their nation of origin—whether Rome, Greece, … More Christian Colonists or Tourists?
MainStreet Covenant wants to partner with our parents and provide resources to help nurture the faith of our children beginning in the home. Beyond our wonderful Sunday school ministry and new Jason’s House gatherings, we are trying to be proactive in offering things like Tech-Wise Sunday, a Grace-Based Parenting Lifegroup series this past fall, giving each family … More Partnering with Parents to Raise Godly Kids
In his ongoing series on American Idols, this week Skye Jethani is taking on the idol of patriotism in his “With God Daily” devotional. This clarion call and challenge has been a key concern of mine. Keeping the church’s identity and witness distinct from national agendas and partisan politics is essential for the mission of the … More America is Not the Chosen (Skye Jethani)
By Skye Jethani | With God Daily Devotional In my previous role as an editor at Christianity Today, I had the opportunity to engage many Christian leaders and to see “behind the curtain” of numerous ministries. Often I came away from these encounters deeply encouraged and grateful. Sometimes I did not. Occasionally, my time with … More Doctrine, Demons & Disciples (Skye Jethani)
Last week we held a Tech-Wise Sunday at MainStreet featuring a message by Andy Crouch based on his book The Tech-Wise Family. You can watch the entire presentation below. The first 60 minutes of the video is Andy’s main talk, and the second half is the panel discussion we enjoyed over lunch. (Thanks to The … More Tech-Wise Family Resources
In this sermon series, we’re exploring how the Cross was not just the way Jesus died, but also the new pattern for how Jesus’ followers are supposed to live. We’re called to not only embrace the CrossEvent, but also learn to walk the CrossRoad. The season of Lent begins with Jesus being tempted by Satan … More CrossRoad 4: Temptations
When the last shovel of dirt is tossed onto my grave and the benediction has been read, I want people to walk to their cars and drive back to the church for cold sandwiches thinking, “He took Jesus at his words, did his best to pursue His Kingdom and live by cross-wisdom — leaving the … More CrossRoad 3: The Foolishness of the Cross
Last night a handful for MainStreeters gathered on Ash Wednesday to watch the movie “Paul, Apostle of Christ.” We all came away amazed at what it cost to be a Christian in first century Rome — that is, often your very life! Better than any Bible film I’ve seen, this one beautifully portrays how the early … More Counting the Cost (Skye Jethani)
Here’s some books I’ve been reading lately (aside from school reading). Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush by Jon Meacham Drawing on President Bush’s personal diaries, on the diaries of his wife, Barbara, and on extraordinary access to the forty-first president and his family, Meacham paints an intimate and surprising … More Books I’ve Been Reading
Last time I opened up a bit about the journey I took to have my thinking reshaped by the cross. Jesus slowly chipped away at some long held convictions and values I had been brought up with. The largest pill to swallow was learning to let Jesus’ strange commands have more sway than the common … More CrossRoad 2: Did the Disciples get it?
Yesterday I began my next doctoral essay. Here’s a sneak peek at the introduction -JB. “If you had sent a letter…there would have been nothing to prevent my seeming to be actually in your company, and enjoying it as though we had been together… But why do you not write?” –St. Basil to Leontis, 364 AD Pastors know … More The Unbearable Silence of Monday
This series of sermons and posts is from my CrossRoad sermon series from Lent 2019. The series emphasized that the cross was not just the way Jesus died, but a new pattern for how to live. Followers of Jesus don’t just celebrate the CrossEvent; we embark on the CrossRoad. Links to other posts in the … More CrossRoad 1: Introduction
One of the most insightful and timely books I have read is Michael Gorman’s Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness. This widely misunderstood document — The Apocalypse of John — was written to encourage Christians living in politically charged times when it was easy to get caught up in the idolatrous influences of a super-empire. Revelation … More Revelation: Theopolitical Worship & Witness
We’re spending the season of Lent in a sermon series called the “CrossRoad.” (Listen here.) In his book The Day the Revolution Began, N. T. Wright reminds us that the cross was more than a momentary transaction to deal with individual sins (though it is also that!). The story is much bigger and deeper. The cross launched a … More The Revolutionary CrossRoad
Jeremy Berg 