Christ Church Jerusalem

Genesis 45 sees Joseph reveal himself to his brothers, declare his good fortune in Egypt, and promise to care for them during the following 5 years of famine. Psalm 67, sung daily between Pesach and S...

John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” But later, he began to doubt and sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the O...

Jacob’s struggle with a mysterious figure was life-transforming and he walked away with a limp and a legitimate blessing gained without deceit. The encounter enabled him to courageously, yet humbly f...

⁠God is already the Almighty King. But what does His kingdom look like on this oft rebellious earth? Drawing on the imagery of Ezekiel, Jesus reveals a kingdom that begins in humility, transforms the ...

The kingdom of heaven isn't just some future paradise. God already reigns, but there are many who oppose Him. Why doesn't He subjugate everything to His will now? He is patient beyond our own understa...

Soil can turn good or bad, based on the care it is given, and so it is with our hearts. A good beginning does not necessarily means a good outcome. We can turn bad soil into a richly producing one wit...

In his only self-descriptive phrase Jesus gives us a key to his ability to carry the burdens given by his Father. His yoke is easy only as and when we humbly accept our lot in life. Yes, under God’s c...

Is it wrong to expect divine recompense for obedience? Over the centuries many have been perplexed by the binding/sacrifice of Isaac. No matter how this event is understood, it is clear that there is...

In our readings today the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, along with that of Jesus calling his disciples, give us much to ponder. Because of that nagging (and all too natural) anxiety of committing...

God is a king who expects His subjects to have compassion and care for those who are sick and those who are wandering. In our hubris, we often do not completely subject ourselves before the almighty L...

The Lord has torn us, but after three days he will heal us", so declare the people of Israel in the book of Hosea. This hope is a good beginning for looking at the healing ministry of Jesus and the ov...

Since the rebellion in the Garden, the human family has been afflicted by the sins of fear and pride. In rejecting what it means to be created in God’s image, we enter the AI age with fears of uncert...

While the Spirit of God is given freely to all who come to faith, being regularly filled with His Spirit is another matter. Like water that always flows to the lowest place, the Holy Spirit keeps a h...

The command to love God with a whole heart raises some questions: How can love be commanded? Can love be without emotion? When we understand this love as more than a theological concept, how is it ...

The shepherd imagery of Psalm 23 is well known and loved by many. What is not so well known is that this psalm is set in the barren Judean wilderness, not on the lush, green hills usually imagined. Y...

We often find ourselves trusting in our own strength and zeal to live for God, only to end up unsuccessful. However, it is a trustworthy statement that when man fails, God does not. How do we become o...

Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we also can be confused and disappointed in how God is working through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But we can learn from the questions asked by the p...

In some churches the second Sunday of the Easter season is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. When reading John’s account of Jesus' appearance with His disciples we see His divine mercy take concrete form...

To better appreciate the unique way that Matthew tells of Jesus’ resurrection, we need to remember the themes in his narrative of Jesus’ birth – fear, _im-anu-el,_ intrigue, worship, deception and dea...

After weeping over the city He loves, Jesus enters Jerusalem and cleanses the Temple. All four gospels record this event, but only Matthew recalls that the lame and blind come to Him and are healed. I...

The scriptures appointed for this week, and a close encounter with mortality prompted this sermon's reflection on death. The fear of death is the work of the devil and its denial and trivialization ar...

The rich symbolism and connection to the Hebrew Bible in the story of Jesus' encounter with a blind man (John 9) gives us deeper insight into God's grace and our calling to be a light in the world....

Jesus went where the Holy Spirit led and did the will of God - evenwhen it was difficult. But what of His disciples? Did they go out into every town and preach the Kingdom of God or did they only do s...

When enemies surround, do we look at them or do we look to the one who made them?...

Summery: The faithfulness and obedience of Jesus, as the second Adam, is in striking contrast to the action of the first Adam. Jesus based his life here fully on the God’s words, thus securing victory...

On the Mount of Transfiguration, God declared, "This is my beloved son." This was not the first time God declared this, He also declared it at Jesus' baptism. But even before that, Peter writes that G...

God’s light shines in the darkness, opening the eyes of the blinds and releasing the prisoner. He gathers sons and daughters to Himself. But He then calls us be a light in the darkness. What a respons...

Many Christians traditionally celebrate the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, forty days after Christmas. In Luke’s gospel, we are told five times that Joseph and Mary acted in accordance with the ...

Ancient Israel was thrown into despair and hopelessness in 722 BC when Assyria conquered much of its land in the north (Zebulun and Naphtali). Yet the prophet Isaiah could foresee a time when gloom wo...

In the first chapter of John we encounter three questions: Who is Jesus? What do you want? Where are you staying? These questions are just as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago, ...

Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River is commonly thought to be the same rite that is practiced by Christians today. But there are significant differences and much for Christians today to consid...

The Season of Epiphany or of the Revelation of the Messiah begins with the Journey of the Magi, priests of the Zoroastrian faith from the Medo-Persian empire, who set out on a journey to find the prom...

This line from a popular Buffalo Springfield song sums up well the life of King Herod the Great. His insecurity and fear drove him to rule with a cruel hand, killing members of his own family and slau...

In this Christmas Day message, Rev. Tom Burden, Director of CMJ Israel, talks about Luke 2:1-20 and how God reached down into the real world to live for us....

John the Baptist grew up hearing the promises of the Messiah foretold through the prophets. He also would have heard of his own miraculous birth—and that of Jesus. The prophecies regarding John were n...

The season of Advent calls us to repentance, humility, and spiritual readiness and directs us to align our lives with God’s purposes even in these times of uncertainty and conflict. Biblical hope enab...

Jesus teaches us to watch and prepare for His return. Yet that teaching is relevant for more than just the Last Days. It prepares us for the unexpected and helps us remain faithful in the face of disa...

When reading prophetic passages we often overlook that they have something to teach us today. Paul, when warning the Thessalonians not to be deceived about the Lord’s coming, highlights the need to lo...

The first chapter of Ephesians is one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testament and has inspired uncountable sermons and commentaries. But if we overlook its Jewish context, we miss the full...

The parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee may not be as simple and straightforward as it appears. One Jewish theologian has suggested that Jesus set a trap for his listeners in order to expos...

Luke 18:1-8 presents a parable, alternately named the parable of the Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow. Jesus deliberately parodies the reality of God as a faithful judge. While we might doubt ear...

After Jesus healed the ten lepers only one came back to express his gratitude. This story in Luke’s gospel teaches us that our worship cannot be separated from gratitude for what God has done for us. ...

When the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, what are they requesting? A related passage in Habbakuk reads, “The just shall live by his faith (Heb.emunah). This word has a cluster of meanin...

The Feast of Michael and All Angels draws our attention to the nature of spiritual warfare and the battle that intensified with satan’s rage at Jesus’ enthronement. This Feast Day highlights an aspec...

The story of Abraham, especially the binding of Isaac, has become closely associated with the Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah. Abraham was promised great blessing, yet his life was full of challenges...

As we approach the season of repentance and intercession in the biblical/Jewish calendar, we turn our focus to mercy and justice and to God who is both. In the discourse on Mt. Sinai, Moses did not r...

We often find ourselves in messy entanglements in our families, work, and more, that seem to be beyond our control. These situations often confuse and immobilize us from living the way that God desir...

In our readings today, the message of Jeremiah could not be more timely. Too often we ignore His refreshing, flowing water and build our own leaky cisterns. So in repentance we are called to reject th...

When we read about Jesus confronting a rural, unlearned synagogue official over Sabbath observance we can easily misunderstand Jesus’ teaching about the 7th day of the week and also His teaching on th...

Jesus warns us that judgment will come. We cannot expect peace when we continue to run from God's peace. Declaring that we have peace where there is none will never bring us closer to peace. But in th...