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Resources For "Scandal of Grace" From Each Harderwyk Preacher I. New For This Week From Scandalous Stories – Daniel Emery Price & Erick Sorensen “The biblical reality is that sometimes weeds become wheat. In fact, all wheat were formerly weeds. This transformation doesn’t happen through weeds trying harder to be like wheat. It doesn’t happen by weeds shaping up, acting better, or being more devoted. And it most certainly doesn’t happen by cutting them down and casting them out. So we can put away our judgmental evaluation of the person in the pew across from us and our critical assessment of all our neighbors. It seems we are in need of constant reminding that this transformation happens by the grace of God. It happens through the good news that because of the finished work of Christ, all may come and be part of the good master’s harvest, just as they are. To become wheat, you must come as a weed.” Consider Joining A Scandalous Stories Discussion Group - Wednesday Night ...

Resources For "Scandal of Grace" From Each Harderwyk Preacher I. New For This Week Our focus on Sunday will primarily be the parable of the sower but stuck between is a somewhat confusion word from Jesus where he quotes Isaiah 6.  Capon explains this text in a helpful way distinguishing between prescriptive and descriptive meanings. “Then follow two startling statements.  The first is ‘for to him who has, more will be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’ This seems to me to be one of those hard sayings of Jesus that cries out, not for a prescriptive interpretation, but for a descriptive one.  Jesus, though he could be taken as issuing a statement about what God will do to reward or punish those who hear the parables, seems to be more reasonably understood as giving a simple description of the way things are. ‘If you grasp the fact that the kingdom works in a mystery,’ he seems to say, ‘then that very grip will give you more and more under...

Resources For the "Scandal of Grace" Series From Each Harderwyk Preacher I. New For This Week From Stories with Intent: A Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus (2nd edition) by Klyne Snodgrass On the Mustard Seed - "This parable is less direct in its application than some because it is so focused on addressing the doubts of Jesus’ contemporaries about the nature of his ministry. Its most important point is that the kingdom is indeed present in his ministry, and, if that is so, the obvious import and next question are about one’s stance toward the kingdom. If the Mustard Seed similitude is an apologetic that the kingdom has come, it is also comfort and exhortation with regard to one’s identity. It is wrong to think this parable is about the spiritual growth of the individual; it is not wrong to understand the dynamic of God’s working and apply it to the individual or to other circumstances. It is not only with Jesus’ ministry that things may look small and insignif...

Resources For "Scandal of Grace" From Each Harderwyk Preacher I. New For This Week Jesus' Parables – Scandal of Grace This Sunday we will kick off a new series on the parables of Jesus we are calling Scandal of Grace.  Our companion for the series is, “Scandalous Stories” by Price and Sorensen and we will have copies of the book on Sunday.  We are jumping right into the parables with a brief introduction to the parables, but honestly we could have given that introduction a Sunday of its own.  We come to the parables with many assumptions and sometimes we try to do more or less than they were intended to do.   Scandalous Stories  is a great book that the three preachers are using together as well.   CLICK HERE  for Amazon link to purchase you own copy for about $10.   Scandalous Stories Discussion Group  - Will use the book and previous Sunday Sermon to follow on with a Discussion G roup on Wednesday evenings at Harderwyk follow...

Resources For "Genealogy of Hope" From Each Harderwyk Preacher I. New For This Week Heidelberg Catechism - This week we are looking at sin.  Not a popular topic but our Catechism reminds us that is important to address.  Only when we understand the extent of our sin can we begin to understand the extent of God's grace and love given in Christ Jesus.  CLICK HERE for Lord's Day 1 as a helpful reminder and meditation. “The Genealogy of Jesus"  by Irish priest Herbert McCabe - CLICK HERE to view, download or print a copy. Jesus’s Troubled Family History  by Nancy Guthrie helped me see Jesus' Family Tree - and especially Tamar - through the eyes and experience of a woman.   CLICK HERE  for the entire post. How Church Leaders Can Help Domestic Violence Victims by Laura Baxter is a helpful, first-hand account that can help us see what it would look like to deal with this issue well and in light of the Gospel.  CLICK HERE for the entire post. Ce...

Resources For "Genealogy of Hope" From Each Harderwyk Preacher I. New For This Week Naomi & Ruth - In all of our communities this week we will be focusing some time on the story of Naomi and Ruth.  CLICK HERE for an excellent video that summarizes the themes and structure of the book of Ruth by the bibleproject. My Train Wreck Conversion - CLICK HERE for Rosaria Butterfield sharing the surprising story of her conversion on the ChristianityToday.com website.  This was a closing story about "Gospel Hospitality" and how God works through His people to welcome and invite "outsiders" - which is how ALL of us began - into His family. Celebration Sermon Outline - CLICK HERE for this Sunday's Sermon Outline. II. From The Commentaries On This Passage From Craig Keener’s commentary Matthew on Matthew 1:2-17: “The Gentile mission. Through four interracial marriages Matthew teaches us about missions and racial reconciliation (1:3, 5–6). While Matthew’s mos...

I. New For This Week Podcast Episodes from Bema Discipleship to help our understanding of what was happening culturally when Christ came into the world.  CLICK HERE for  Season 3, Episodes 73-81.   If you only have time for a couple of episodes, I would recommend episode 75 & 81 for an overview. The Five Major Sects of Judaism at the time of Jesus’ birth.  CLICK HERE for a brief blogpost by Marty Solomon of Bema Discipleship for this helpful background material. Celebration Sermon Outline - CLICK HERE for this Sunday's Sermon Outline. II. Ongoing Resources 1) Spiritual Formation Resources Page - CLICK HERE - This is still a work in progress, but be a part as we look to build 2) Scotty Smith’s Heavenward Daily Prayers - CLICK HERE - to see the daily prayer blog of Scotty Smith.  You will see an option to have them delivered to your email inbox each day as well.   3) Simple Lectio Divina Overview - CLICK HERE - for a simple introduction ...