NEW LENTEN SERMON SERIES NOW AVAILABLE

NEW LENTEN SERMON SERIES NOW AVAILABLE


NEW LENTEN SERMON SERIES NOW AVAILABLE

The familiar words of the Patriarch Joseph, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20 ESV) capture something of the uniqueness of Luke’s account of Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection. Enemies, faithless disciples, hapless crowds, pragmatic powerbrokers, and Satan himself are all arrayed against the perfectly innocent ..


Advent 3 • 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24 • December 14, 2014


Advent 3 • 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24 • December 14, 2014

By Jeff Gibbs It would be tempting to regard this text, a series of short imperative clauses, as a random series of “inspired one-liners” that exhort the Thessalonian believers (and us) to general Christian behaviors and attitudes. To be sure, there’s some truth in such a description, for there is no complex argument involved and the hardest structural ..


Advent 3 • Isaiah 35:1–10 • December 15, 2013


Advent 3 • Isaiah 35:1–10 • December 15, 2013

Editor’s Note: The following homiletical help is adapted from Concordia Journal, October 1998. By Jeffrey A. Gibbs Textual observations: The historical situation at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy isimpossible to determine. Oppression by Assyria is one possible setting. These verses are matched with Isaiah 34 as oracles regarding Edom’s doom and Israel’s salvation; the present text is ..


Proper 24 • Ecclesiastes 5:10–20 (Mt 5:9–19) • October 21, 2012


Proper 24 • Ecclesiastes 5:10–20 (Mt 5:9–19) • October 21, 2012

By Jeffrey Gibbs Textual Notes (using English Bible versification) One of the challenging issues in translation occurs in verse 10, the first verse of the appointed reading. The second line reads, literally, “And whoever loves abundance, not revenue (or income)—also this is vanity.” James Bollhagen suggests that since the particle לֹא normally negates a verb, ..

Reaching the Summit and Holding On to Hope: 1 Corinthians 15 and the Resurrection

Reaching the Summit and Holding On to Hope: 1 Corinthians 15 and the Resurrection


Reaching the Summit and Holding On to Hope: 1 Corinthians 15 and the Resurrection

“Reaching the Summit and Holding On to Hope: 1 Corinthians 15 and the Resurrection” is presented in five video vignettes. The first four videos feature discussion of the text of 1 Corinthians Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs with Dr. Jeffrey Kloha in a casual, fun setting. In the video for the last session, Dr. Gibbs and Rev. Gary Ellul discuss implications for hope in Christ as it applies to challenging questions of life and death. The Leader Guides and Student Handouts were written by Pastor Ellul. The flexible format allows the facilitator to complete this study in as little as one session, or up to five

Who is the Greatest? (It’s Not Who You Think)

Who is the Greatest? (It’s Not Who You Think)


Who is the Greatest? (It’s Not Who You Think)

The “Who is the Greatest? (It’s Not Who You Think)” series is presented in 4 separate video vignettes discussed by Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs with Dr. Jeffrey Kloha in a casual, fun setting. The Leader Guides and Handouts were written by Pastor Gary Ellul. The flexible format allows the facilitator to complete this study in as little as one meeting or up to four