ReflectionRead, again: Matthew 5:20-48 In Sunday’s message, I suggested (as noted by the brilliant commentator, Frederick Dale Bruner) that this part of the Sermon on the Mount is framed by six salt-and-light, surpassing–righteousness New Commands from Jesus. Each of the six follows a three-part formula: 1) “You have heard that it was said . . […]

PreparationRead: Matthew 5:20-48 This longish section of the Sermon on the Mount begins with a summons to a righteousness that surpasses that of the serious and saintly religious leaders (5:20) and concludes with a call to “be perfect . . . as your heavenly Father is perfect” (5:48).   Clearly, we’re going to need help with […]

Reflection Read, again: Matthew 5:13-20Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World is the title of a book by Rebecca Manley Pippert, first published in 1979 and re-released in 1999.  The book’s premise can be found in it’s title: In order to do our savory gospel task, we Christians need to get out of the church (both the […]

PreparationRead: Matthew 5:13-20 My children used to groan dramatically when I tried to be hip and use street slang. Now my grandchildren have joined them.  But I still think I can hang with them.  Do you know what it means when someone is described as being “pretty salty” …as in, “Better stay out of her […]

Tuesday, September 15, 2020Reflection Read, again: Matthew 5:1-12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  (Mt. 5:2)“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”  (Lk. 6:20) We must be careful not to romanticize poverty.  Have you ever heard an very-upper-middle class Christian friend returning […]

Thursday, September 10, 2020​Preparation Read: Matthew 5:1-12 Six months after COVID-19 completely changed the way we lived, we now know who the real heroes are.   We have been getting along quite well without those star athletes and glittery entertainers who so often are the objects of our hero worship! The real heroes through this pandemic have […]

Tuesday, September 8, 2020Reflection Read, again: Matthew 4:12-25​“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” N.T. Wright insists that “…there is one thing supremely important: we need to know what this kingdom of heaven is that [Jesus] said was approaching, and what action he expected people to take…this is central to everything Jesus was […]

Friday, September 4, 2020“The Kingdom is Here!” Read: Matthew 4:12-25 Have you ever noticed how the same message can sound very different when coming from two different messengers? I can almost hear my mother’s lilting voice, sweetly summoning us in for supper on a summer afternoon: “Dave, Doug, Darlene, Daryl, Dawn . . . it’s time […]

Thank you for subscribing to Oakdale Park Church’s summer devotional series on Sabbath. Last week was our final week of offering daily devotions connected to the series. But we are pleased to announce that this fall we will be offering messages twice a week from our interim minister, Pastor Dave Sieplinga, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Each […]

Friday, August 28, 2020​LaughterThe author of this book talks about the role of laughter in her grandfather’s ministry. She writes,  “When asked what it took for him to become a Nobel Laureate, he’d say, ‘A big nose and sexy legs!’ before roaring with laughter at his own joke. My mother tells me he used to make […]