philadelphia...

There is nothing like driving through the streets of Philadelphia listening to Neil Young's 'Philadelphia'. This has to be in the top ten of most beautiful songs ever written.

As I was driving, I was contemplating how Jesus looked at the region in which he lived and how he viewed it in light of the history of the people of God. For me, certain places bring up certain emotions. Feelings of home, joy, warmth, and peace.

Jesus left heaven to make earth his home. This Sunday, we are going to look at how Jesus viewed the regions and peoples around him. Put on a favorite piece of music, look at Matthew's Gospel, and join us on Sunday to see where home really is.

3 kings?

For so long we have looked at the '3 kings' in Matthew 2. We have sang the songs, and even recreated them in our Christmas Pageants. But Matthew 2 is not just a Christmas story. In fact, what Matthew was trying to communicate had nothing to do with the '3 kings'. Rather, he uses this group as part of his larger story.... Matthew 2 is about 3 groups of people rather than the three kings.

Herod -

Magi -

chief priests and teachers of the law -

This Sunday, as part of our Great Suggestion sermon series, we will discover and go deeper into a familiar story of our faith. Join us.

the great suggestion

The Great Suggestion

How has the Great Commission ever become the 'great suggestion'? At Tabernacle, we take the words of Jesus very seriously when He asks us to, "Go and make disciples of all nations." In fact we base our lives, mission, and purpose around it. Some may believe that the Great Commission is just a tagline to the end of Jesus' ministry. However, if you look closely with us through the Gospel of Matthew, you will see it is something that defines who Jesus was. Join us in this journey together.

learning to fly

"life is a preparation for eternity." Rick Warren

This week at Tabernacle we are going to investigate what it means to "learn to fly".

Søren Kierkegaard the Danish religious philosopher and minister, wrote a multitude of works in the middle of the 19th-century. Among his papers, is a story he wrote entitled the Tame Geese. In this story he asks one to imagine that these geese could, like us, talk and think and do the kinds of things that we do.

The geese went to church every week. Each week they were inspired by a powerful, motivating sermon by the high goose. The sermon always went the same. The high goose would tell the assembled geese of their high destiny and about what a high goal the Creator had appointed geese for he had given them wings. As he said all this, the geese would honk and squawk their approval. The geese curtsied and the ganders bowed their heads in honor of the great words. With their wings, the high goose told them, they could fly anywhere they wanted around the world. They were most pleased to hear this. And each week after church, as they dispersed, the geese would ...waddle ... home.

I want to fly. Some glad morning when this life is o'er. I'll fly away.