To the MDC Community,I wanted to write this post to extend an invitation for a corporate practice during Lent this year, as well as offer some of the heart and vision behind this invitation.First, the invitation itself is for us, as a community, to consider practicing “phone-free” corporate worship through Lent this year (which begins on March 9th). Practically, this would mean leaving your phone/...  Read More

I received a great question in response to the sermon from January 26th. The questioner asked about the role of 'anger' in the life of a Christian. Is it possible for anger to be healthy? Or is Jesus calling for Christians to avoid all anger? Is that even possible?This is actually something that, after the sermon finished, I continued to wrestle with, because I believe I could have been a bit clea...  Read More

As many (if not all) of you are probably aware, the nation was shocked by what appeared to be (and was soon confirmed as) an attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a political rally in Pennsylvania last Saturday (July 13th). I've had conversations with a few of you about it, especially in light of the recently concluded "Gospel Politics" sermon series, and so I wanted to offer just a few refle...  Read More

Series Title: Now Choose Life!Deuteronomy and Life with God in Uncharted TerritoryI'm excited to let everyone know that we will be spending some time this Summer and Fall in Deuteronomy, the final book of the Pentateuch (or, the first five books of the Old Testament). In the biblical narrative, Deuteronomy captures a critical juncture in the life of God's people. They have fled Egypt, received the...  Read More

Two questions were submitted in response to the sermons on Acts 19 and Ephesians 3.Why is there a temple to Artemis in Ephesus when it's a Roman city now? Shouldn't it be a temple to Diana?I absolutely love the history behind these questions, so I'll ask you to indulge me here (if you aren't interested in this kind of history, feel free to scroll to the second question!). There is a significant am...  Read More

Understanding that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, when is it appropriate for followers of Jesus to speak out about current political affairs? For example, the prophets often spoke out against corrupt regimes and injustices of their time. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King have done the same in recent times.This question shines a bright light on what I see as the central tension of ...  Read More

If Pilate finds no guilt in Jesus, why does he have him flogged?There is no direct explanation for Pilate's motives for having Jesus flogged in John 19, so any explanation is speculative. That said, as the text tells us explicitly that Pilate didn't think Jesus deserved to be executed for treason against Rome, it is plausible to me that he was attempting to placate or appease the Jewish leaders by...  Read More

In Verse 36, who are the “servants” (or “supporters”) that Jesus is referring to here?John 18:36 is part of Jesus' response to Pilate, in which he says, "“If my kingdom were from this world, my supporters (Greek - hyperetes) would have fought, to stop me being handed over to the Judaeans." Many English translations also read "servants." The most straightforward understanding, and the most likely, ...  Read More

3 great questions were submitted in response to my sermon from April 21st, on Mark 12 and 'Render Unto Caesar.'Is there only 1 Caesar or do we each have our own Caesar?It can be a bit tricky to answer questions like this, as I may be misunderstanding the premise, but here is my best attempt! It seems to me that this question is getting at the difficulty of "applying" Jesus' teachings to our lives ...  Read More

One question was submitted in response to my sermon from Matthew 4.1-12, and it's a great question:Why is it important that Jesus' temptations are genuine?I emphasized a few times during the message that I believe these three temptations from the Accuser were genuine temptations for Christ. In other words, I believe Jesus felt, on some level, the allure they held. I don't think he simply shrugged ...  Read More

It's no secret that 2024 is an election year in America, and by all accounts, likely to be one of the most bitter and divisive elections in recent memory. How should Christians navigate living through this? What might it look like for Christians to pursue peace, maintain unity and publicly witness to Jesus as Lord, while thinking through political questions and pressures without giving into politi...  Read More

I can remember sitting with a friend, years ago, in a restaurant. On the screens surrounding us was a televised political debate (I honestly can’t remember who was even in it at the time) - but I do remember one moment in which I looked at my friend (who wasn’t a Christian) and said, “I can’t imagine a single one of those politicians climbing up on a cross for me.” The reason this came to mind for...  Read More