Truth and Love, based on Revelation 2:1-7, prepared by Joe Ellis, Jan. 24, 2021
The opening lines in this passage are a reminder of why I thought it was so important for us to hear from the book of Revelation in this season. The Revelation is a letter written to churches in the region of Asia Minor during the reign of the Emperor Domitian. John is writing this letter because he has received a vision from Jesus — and in this vision John has been shown that persecution is about to get much worse for these churches, and it doesn’t appear that these churches
Christus Victor: A sermon on Revelation 1:9-20 prepared by Joe Ellis, Jan. 17, 2020
When life gets difficult — which it always does — how do you see Jesus? When life gets difficult, when the world seems like its unravelling around you, how do you picture Jesus? When you are in the pit of despair, how would Jesus appear to you and I if only you had eyes to see? In those moments are you able to hold on to the truth that He is there by your side, through thick and thin? If so, how do you image he is with you? Many images might come to mind. Growing up, there wa
Sermon on Revelation 1:1-8, prepared by Joe Ellis, Jan. 10, 2020
From most people’s perspectives, this has been a year of apocalyptic proportions — defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary “as momentous
and catastrophic.” This isn’t the precise biblical use of the term (more on that later), but by that definition this year has been apocalyptic. For me, as an American, this last week was terribly apocalyptic — as I looked while my nations capital was overtaken by the force of a mob. Yet, as one of my friends said, this was just the cul