Shipwrecked 1: Hymenaeus and Alexander
October 16, 2020
Sometimes God calms the storm, but other times the ship goes down. We need to represent Christ in either case. … More Shipwrecked 1: Hymenaeus and Alexander
Category: Kingdom of God
Trump’s Blasts, or the Trumpet Blast?
October 3, 2020
Will the American church heed the Trumpet blast, or be animated instead by Trump’s twitter blasts? … More Trump’s Blasts, or the Trumpet Blast?
Sunday Service – May 24 – Ascension of Christ
May 24, 2020
A Memorial Weekend service with a message focusing on the meaning and significance of the Ascension of Christ … More Sunday Service – May 24 – Ascension of Christ
Apocalypse Now 3: Lion & Lamb
May 10, 2020
This is part 3 of “Apocalypse Now”, a sermon series on the Book of Revelation. Jeremy draws out key themes of Rev. 5 & 6 – the centering vision of the entire book – while drawing inspiration from local sites of his hometown. … More Apocalypse Now 3: Lion & Lamb
Revelation Confronts Realism
April 30, 2020
Christianity’s Biggest Challenge Comes from Realists. Christianity believes the kingdom has been inaugurated; realists don’t. … More Revelation Confronts Realism
Prince of Peace, Reign Through Us
December 23, 2019
Oh, Prince of Peace, help your people to establish your reign of shalom in our war torn world. Use your Body, the global church, to obliterate the dividing walls of hostility we have erected. … More Prince of Peace, Reign Through Us
A ‘Set Apart’ People in a Partisan Culture
December 21, 2019
To all God’s beloved living in the United States today, Paul would write urging us, like the church in ancient Rome, to be a set-apart people, setting up little beachheads of Christ’s eternal kingdom right here and now in the swamp of partisan politics and idolatrous nationalistic sentiment. … More A ‘Set Apart’ People in a Partisan Culture
The Nativity: “It’s All Upside Down!”
December 13, 2019
“It’s all upside down!” was the perfect remark by a 14-year old after our youth group gathered in my cozy study to discuss the story of Christmas. … More The Nativity: “It’s All Upside Down!”
Welcome the Foreigner: Fiery Words from the Prince of Peace
August 16, 2019
‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels . . . I was a foreigner and you did not invite me in.” The Gospel lesson in this week’s lectionary reminds us that Jesus was no lap cat savior but the roaring Lion of Judah. He came … More Welcome the Foreigner: Fiery Words from the Prince of Peace
Dandelions: A Modernized Parable
May 6, 2019
Originally posted on Jeremy L. Berg:
When Sarah was a little girl, she loved to dance and twirl barefooted across the soft green grass of her childhood home and feel the soft blades in between her toes. One day she noticed a small solitary yellow dandelion growing up amidst all the green and thought, “How…
Inhabiting the Lord’s Prayer
April 25, 2019
This Sunday my sermon is on prayer. Here’s a repost. Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. … More Inhabiting the Lord’s Prayer
CrossRoad 5: Lamb Power in a Lion’s World
April 16, 2019
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
StarryEyed Birthday Girls & CrossEyed Disciples
April 9, 2019
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
Christian Colonists or Tourists?
April 2, 2019
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?
CrossRoad 4: Temptations
March 12, 2019
This Lent 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 to bring His … More CrossRoad 4: Temptations
Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony
November 11, 2018
This is an excerpt from a much longer essay I wrote called “Royal Scribes in the King’s Court: Ancient Education & Christian Discipleship” published in a little book of essays called “Life in King Jesus’ Colony” from my doctoral studies. I hail from good Lutheran stock from the Midwest (Minnesota) where we shared … More Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony
Revelation for Today
March 15, 2018
I recently gave a lecture on Reading Revelation Responsibly based on the great book by Michael Gorman by the same title. Needless to say, trying to cover the entire Book of Revelation in 90 minutes is a lofty task. I began with the following illustration: What if a silver DeLorean drove up to your house, the … More Revelation for Today
American Disciples at the Cross – Part 3
March 13, 2018
What if we’ve only preached half the message of the cross for most of the history of the church? What if the message of the cross was meant to be more than a momentary transaction at the foot of Christ’s cross? What if the evangelization of the world prior to Christ’s return requires a community … More American Disciples at the Cross – Part 3
American Disciples at the Cross – Part 2
March 8, 2018
“My husband was laid off work over a year ago and has not been able to find a job. I guess unemployment and its financial impact is our current cross to bear.” “Our marriage has been rocky for many years, and I don’t see signs of improvement at the moment. I guess this is our … More American Disciples at the Cross – Part 2
Church & Politics: A Jesus-Shaped Approach
January 30, 2018
“Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” -Jesus My politics actually haven’t changed all that much over the years. When I go to the polls every two or four years to give “caesar” my opinion on how best to run this particular “kingdom of the world” called America, I still … More Church & Politics: A Jesus-Shaped Approach
A Case for a Cruciform Justice
January 20, 2018
It seems hardly necessary to make an argument for the universally experienced suffering and injustice prevalent in the world. If pain really is God’s “megaphone to rouse a deaf world”, as C. S. Lewis argued, then the message is deafeningly clear and God might consider turning the volume down a bit. What then is the church’s appropriate response to the world’s injustice and suffering? … More A Case for a Cruciform Justice
Aching & Yearning for the Kingdom
January 16, 2018
A friend in ministry just texted me a light and fluffy Friday afternoon question: “I’m laying out a vision for Discipleship with my people on Monday. What are 3 awesome things about being a disciple? What are 3 awesome things about making disciples?” He might as well have asked me to sum up the mystery … More Aching & Yearning for the Kingdom
Trump, Immigration & The New Colossus
January 13, 2018
“Give me your tired, your poor…” -Emma Lazarus, inscribed on Statue of Liberty Tweeting this past week, President Trump fears immigration policy where the United States “would be forced to take large numbers of people from high crime countries which are doing badly.” Instead, Trump says, “I want a merit based system of immigration and people who … More Trump, Immigration & The New Colossus
Immigration Reform & the Tower of Babel
September 6, 2017
I wrote this piece 10 years ago! In light of the latest DACA decision and ongoing conversation, I want to repost this today. As a pastor I do not believe its my place to tell folks how to vote on complex political issues, but I am called to help folks think biblically about such matters. … More Immigration Reform & the Tower of Babel
Jesus on the Ancient School Bus
September 4, 2017
Tomorrow morning we send off our firstborn, Peter, to his first day of kindergarten. And he wants to ride the bus. [Cue the tears.] So, as we all behold those yellow buses on the move, shuttling precious loads of anxious, squirmy, hyperactive, pimple-faced, (hopefully!) potty-trained rug rats, let us pause and ponder their place in our … More Jesus on the Ancient School Bus
Jeremy L. Berg 