Messages by Al Stoltzfus
Why Are you so afraid? Facing our giants
The Sea of Galilee can be a beautiful, calm, peaceful place. It can also quickly become a tempest of life-threatening proportions, which is what it was for Jesus disciples on this night. The storm was real. They are afraid for their lives. Jesus understands those fears. With a probing question he invites them to go beyond their fears to trust in Him. In the storms of life faith grows stronger when we are captivated by the power and glory of Jesus. Text: Matthew 14:22-33
Of Saints & Sinners…Worship the King who Transforms
The events that occur after the birth of Jesus offer a graphic picture into the mission of Jesus. Magi from the east come bearing gifts. They seek the child-king. They also stir up the ire of king Herod. What follows is a horrible scene that presses us deep into the evil mess which Jesus has come to redeem. Text: Matthew 2:1-23
Of Saints and Sinners: The Names that Surprise Us
The often overlooked genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel includes five women. Why does Matthew break with tradition to include these women? Could it be that these women, like the men, offer vital clues about Jesus mission and the kinds of people Jesus came to restore to life? I think it is this, and more. Text: Matthew 1:1-17 (esp. v. 3, 5, 6b and 16)
The Secret to Thanksgiving
In five compact verses and with a host of words and posture, this mighty psalm urges us to praise God with gladness. It is a Psalm of Thanksgiving which prompts us to be clear-eyed and fully aware of the enduring love of God which overflows in our joyful response of praise. Text: Psalm 100; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Titus 2:14
How to be blessed this Thanksgiving
Psalm 1 sets forth two ways to live. One way is shiftless and unrooted. The other is deeply rooted in commands of God. Only one leads to wholeness and blessing.The person who is blessed finds delight in Jesus and runs firmly in the way of God’s commandments. Text: Psalm 1; Luke 24:44; Romans 10:4
The wheat and the tares…making sense of evil & suffering as a healing community
What is the cause of evil and suffering in our world? Can we fix it? Or, will it always be this way? To answer these questions, Jesus parable of the wheat and the tares presses us deep into the character and purposes of God and points forward to the cross where the love of God, seemingly so weak, ends up victorious and ultimately destroys the power of evil. Text: Matthew 13: 24-30
God’s Excellence for All
Where on earth does God display his excellence and majesty the most? Certainly the splendor and vastness of the universe speak to the majesty, power, and excellence of God, but more significantly God displays his excellence in human beings He sent his son Jesus to die for so that we can be restored. Text:Psalm 8:1-9; Exodus 3:13-15; Hebrews 2:5-9
What Four Little Creatures Tell Us About Wisdom
What is wisdom? Wisdom is the skill of living life in a God-honoring way. The writer of Proverbs invites us to consider carefully four seemingly insignificant and vulnerable creatures, and by observing these little creatures, to discover our own vulnerabilities and learn how we can navigate life wisely, that is in a Christ-centered, God-honoring way. Text: Proverbs 30:24-28; 1 Peter 3:8