Pastor Quinn • December 1, 2024

A Real Christmas Requires Remembering Why Christ Came

It is easy to get so caught up in the imagery—a tiny newborn baby, lying in the straw filled manger under a star-filled sky—that we forget the why. Why did the Son of God come into our world and take on human flesh? So that he might die as the sacrifice for our sins. One Christmas carol puts it this way. “Neither crib nor cross refuses, all he suffers for your good to redeem you by his blood.”


Advent marks the start of a new Church Year. We begin at the end, watching Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey colt, knowing full well that he would be killed before the end of the week. The events of Palm Sunday serve as a microcosm for all Jesus’ work, proving the Son of God was willing to humble himself and endure anything for our salvation. That is precisely why Christ came. And a real Christmas requires remembering why Christ came.

Say it Out Loud: Love God Above All

By Pastor Quinn • June 28, 2026
Not all love is good. It is self-destructive to love bad things. It is just as harmful to love good things in a bad order. For example, it would seem to be a good thing for a man to love his dog. But if he loves his dog more than he loves his wife, his “love” for both is disordered. For love to be healthy, it needs to be properly ordered. Christians love the people whom God has placed into their lives. But when those people desire something that God does not desire, Christians love and serve God above all. Properly ordered love leads us to be faithful to God and his Word. We love God above all because he first loved us.

Say it Out Loud: Jesus Leads Us

By Pastor Quinn • June 21, 2026
Without the resurrection of Jesus, I would have to choose my own direction in life. I would be terrible at it, because, like a sheep, I can generally see only what’s in front of me at the moment, and I get myself into trouble. It is especially difficult for me to look far into my future as planned by Jesus. If he had not risen from the dead, I would be on my own. But he lives, and it makes a difference. I have the reliable direction of the Good Shepherd. He feeds us with his Word. He protects us from the roaring lion, Satan. He is leading us into the green pastures of eternal life. For centuries, the Church has observed this Fourth Sunday of Easter to celebrate that Jesus lives to be our Good Shepherd.

Say it Out Loud: God Loves Sinners

By Pastor Quinn • June 7, 2026
They never forgot their past. Moses never forgot how he killed a man in a fit of anger. Paul never forgot how he had savaged the Church of God. Matthew never forgot how, as a tax collector for the Roman Empire, he was considered a traitor to his people. But God forgot their past. He forgave all their sins and called them to proclaim his mercy. Christians are sinners whom God has mercifully called. Only mercy can explain why Jesus brings people to faith and promises them salvation. Only grace can explain how he calls them to serve as they are able, even in the ministry of the gospel. God loves sinners.
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