For on the cross, Christ forgave our trespasses, our guilt piercing His hands. And in His resurrection, He disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them in triumph (Col. 2:13–15).

This was in fulfillment of what is called the “protoevangelium” or “first gospel” found in Genesis 3:15, in which God curses the serpent, declaring, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” As the Apostle John wrote, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn. 3:8b).

After His resurrection, Jesus then commissioned His Church to go throughout the earth, proclaiming His victory to every creature and nation. Satan had once offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world as a reward for His allegiance, but Christ refused, and having crushed and bound Satan, He instead received the nations as His rightful inheritance from His Father in heaven (Lk. 3:5–9, Rev. 20:1–3, Ps. 2:8). And now as the Church walks by the Spirit under Christ’s authority, we also have the privilege to crush Satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20, Rev. 12:11).

But what does it mean for us to crush this Serpent?

We crush the Serpent every time we worship the Lord, confess our sins, take up our crosses, walk by the Spirit, read Scripture, pray for those in need, love our wives, respect our husbands, honor our parents, instruct our children, work with our hands, practice hospitality, evangelize our neighbors, support missionaries, and love our enemies.

All these things Satan hates, and the Lord absolutely delights in them. So may the God of peace soon crush Satan under your feet.

Prayer of Confession:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting (Ps. 139:23–25).

Merciful Father,

We humbly confess before You now our many sins which we have committed against You in thought, word, and deed. We have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep, following the sinful desires of our own hearts. But You have called us back to Yourself, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Great Shepherd.

In particular, we confess the ways in which we have grown cold and lost our first love. We confess our backsliding, our complacency, and our unwillingness to destroy the works of the devil in our hearts and lives. Forgive us of this sin, and grant us Your Spirit, that we would have abundant life in Christ and see His kingdom advance.

Lord, we also recognize that our nation has turned from Christ and embraced the Serpent by the many sins that we practice and celebrate. And so we ask that You would have mercy on us. May Your gospel go forth through the work of Your church, and may Satan be crushed under the feet of Your saints in this land.

We know that if we regard any iniquity in our hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you now. Selah.

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This exhortation was given on March 22, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

Graphic created by Kevin Carden.

Jesus joined them in their journey, although they did not recognize Him.

He asked why they were sad, and they shared regarding a prophet named Jesus of Nazareth, whom they thought was going to redeem Israel. They explained it had been three days since He was crucified, and now His body was missing from the tomb, with some women reporting an angel appeared saying He was alive.

And yet, they did not understand or believe.

In response to this, Jesus replied, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things to enter into His glory?” And He then walked them through all the Scriptures concerning Himself.

But they still did not recognize who it was speaking to them, until they sat down for a meal.

Luke writes, “Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’” (vv. 30–32).

On this Easter Sunday, over two thousand years later, your Lord Jesus is the same. You may not understand what it is that He is doing. You may be confused and not seeing clearly. You may be foolish or slow of heart to believe. And Jesus of Nazareth comes to you now, at this table, and offers You this broken bread. And He is pleased to open your eyes, and by His Spirit fill your hearts again and again, with a joy that is eternal.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ. He is risen, indeed.

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This communion meditation was given on April 5, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

We can see this teaching clearly in Psalm 44. In the midst of distress and misery, the Israelites turn to God in this psalm and say with absolute honesty to Him, “All this has come upon us, though we have not forgotten You and we have not been false to Your covenant.” They’re saying in effect, “Lord, we have kept our part. We have remained true to You, so why have You left us?” And they continue to entreat God, crying out, “Awake! Why are You sleeping, O Lord. Rouse Yourself! Do not reject us forever.”

Now it seems quite audacious to say to the eternal and living God, “Wake up!” You might wonder if that is even allowed. The answer is yes—because this cry is done in faith.

This psalm begins with Israel recalling the mighty deeds the Lord has done for them, then declares that He is their King and the only one they look to for salvation. They are approaching God as His people, as His children, covenantally bound and devoted to Him—loyal even while suffering.

And so this Psalm serves as a pattern, a directive, for how you are to turn to the Lord in your distress.

When you encounter a difficult trial, one of the greatest acts of faithfulness is to call upon the Lord, and you do not need to hide your feelings from Him. It can be right to say, “Lord, where are You? I am drowning. I am lonely. I am so afraid. Why is this happening to me and my family?”

But you must not stop there.

You then need to remind God—and yourself—of His past faithfulness toward You. Literally count your blessings. Be specific. And then in faith—call upon Him for help, ask Him to wake up—just like a child who appears at the bedside in the middle of the night when they are scared or sick. For like every good Father, our Lord delights to comfort and protect His children.

Prayer of Confession:

Most Merciful Father,

Father, we come before You to confess our sins, because we know that You are faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Often, when we undergo trials or afflictions, we do not turn to You for deliverance. Deep down we think that You are powerless or do not care. We are afraid to ask for You to intervene because in our doubt we do not trust that You will, and we do not want to be let down. We mistakenly think that in our suffering it is somehow holier to simply go on our own, and that it would be wrong to acknowledge our pain and cry out to You with honesty and for deliverance.

And so we ask that You would forgive us of our faithlessness, and teach us to trust You in all seasons of life, and to approach You as our compassionate Father, even and especially when You feel distant.

We know that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we confess our individual sins to you now, and Selah.

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This exhortation was given on March 22, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

This is a disposition toward Lord’s Day worship that all of God’s people should desire to grow in. In a very real way, your soul should long to be in fellowship with God and His people, to hear the Word preached, to sing His praises, and to sit at His table in the congregation.

In the Isaac Watts hymn that we will sing shortly, How Sweet and Awful is the Place, we are given a tune to this Christian attitude, and a call to humility.

“While all our hearts and all our songs join to admire the feast,
each of us cry, with thankful tongues, ‘Lord, why was I a guest?
Why was I made to hear Thy voice, and enter while there’s room,
when thousands make a wretched choice, and rather starve than come?’
’Twas the same love that spread the feast that sweetly drew us in;
else we had still refused to taste, and perished in our sin.”

Where you are seated right now is the best place in the world to be. For you are seated among the people of God and in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. And you are a guest of the King at His feast. And yet, your presence here has nothing to do with who you are, where you come from, or what you have accomplished. You did nothing at all to earn your place here. All of this is free and unmerited grace from God.

So with thankful hearts, Come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on March 22, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

“‘Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm… Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, call a sacred assembly…” (Joel 2:12–13, 15).

As with Judah in the ninth century BC, our state and nation are clearly under God’s judgment because we have turned from His ways, embraced wickedness, and are reaping the consequences. But one of the first mercies of the Lord in the midst of judgment is the opening of His people’s eyes to their need to repent and turn to Him again with prayer and fasting.

This past week, the Idaho House of Representatives and Senate passed a resolution “encouraging the people of Idaho to observe a day of fasting and prayer on March 1st to seek peaceful resolutions to the challenges facing the state and nation, to pray for snow and rain for Idaho’s water supplies, and to pray for wise decision making by state and federal leaders.”1

There is a long tradition of both the church and the civil government calling people to observe corporate days of prayer as an appeal to God in times of desperate need. In 17th-century Scotland and England, it was normal for the civil magistrate to call for times of prayer and fasting.2 And this practice continued in the United States, with an estimated 1,400 prayer proclamations issued by state governments prior to 1815. Therefore, in response to this biblical call from our elected representatives, our elders believed it would be right to pray in our service this morning for our state and nation.

We live in interesting times, but in the midst of the chaos of our sin, there is hope. Our Lord has preserved a remnant of His people in our land, and His Spirit has not altogether departed. He still graciously hears the prayers of His people, and He may yet relent that we may not perish (Jon. 3:9).

Prayer of Confession:

Most Merciful Father,

We come before You this morning, on behalf of our state and nation, seeking Your undeserved compassion. For we confess that we, as Your church, have fallen short of Your glory. We have followed the idols of our hearts and have not discipled our nation in righteousness. Many of our neighbors and countrymen have departed from the truth. They do not seek Your face and have embraced all manner of wickedness, even calling evil good.

Lord, have mercy on us.

In particular, we ask for peaceful resolutions to the afflictions besetting our land, including violence, protests, lawlessness, strife, envy, societal discord, and even war abroad.

We also pray for our state and federal leaders. We ask that Your Spirit would soften their hearts and cause them to humble themselves before You. Grant them wisdom to render decisions guided by justice and compassion, and let Your blessing and protection be upon our families and communities.

Father, we also lift up before You our need for snow and rain in our Idaho mountains. Without this blessing, not only are our water supplies diminished for crops, but our risk of destructive wildfires this summer also increases. Therefore, we ask that You would open Your heavenly storehouses and send rain upon our lands.

Lord, as we pray today for our land, show us also this day what our own besetting sins are. Reveal to us the ways in which we are not honoring You in our hearts and in our homes. Purify us, Your people, that we may be a light to our neighbors in troubled times. For as we pray each week, we know that if we in the church cherish secret sin in our hearts, these prayers are in vain and will be ineffectual. And so we now silently confess our individual sins to You. Selah.

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This exhortation was given on March 1, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was often joined with a full meal known as a love-feast. The church would have what we call a “potluck,” and then at the end of the common meal, set aside the bread and wine. This sort of practice is how the Apostle Paul could rebuke the Corinthians for getting their fill before others, even to the point of drunkenness (1 Cor. 11:21).

Now, for various reasons, the practice of “love feasts” largely ceased in the church from the third century onward. However, while this particular custom has ceased, the celebrations continue. This meal is still a glad feast for the people of God. For at this Table we are joined together in love by God and with love for God. And as we commune with our Lord by His Spirit, this love overflows toward one another, as we recognize our unity as the Body of Christ.

So in the words of the Apostle Paul, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the feast…” (1 Cor. 5:7). And come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on March 2, AD 2026 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

In leading their people to obey this command, the Protestant Reformers taught fathers to practice what we call “family worship” daily in their homes. This duty was so important to the Puritans that pastors would visit homes to demonstrate how it could be done, and a father’s persistent neglect of family worship could result in church discipline, for failing to raise his children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).1

So what does family worship consist of? Simple family worship has three components: Scripture, prayer, and song.

First, you should consistently bring the Word to your family’s ears and hearts. If your children are young, consider starting with a narrative book, like the Gospel of Mark, one brief passage at a time. Read, and then engage your family with simple observation and application questions. Additionally, a catechism can also be used alongside the Word to further teach them the truths of Scripture.2

Second, lift up your prayers to God. Praise God for who He is, and then lay before Him the needs of your family and this congregation. Give your children a moment to say their own prayers in their own words for the things that matter most to them.

And third, sing unto the Lord. Whether it’s one song or a few, cheerfully sing psalms and hymns that the whole family knows or can easily learn. While there is no set order that you must follow, the benefit of singing at the end is that songs tend to linger in our memories longer than readings or prayers.

These three elements—Word, prayer, and song—can be as brief as ten minutes, as you remember your children’s frames and carry them out with simple joy.

No father in this church will regret having led his family in this holy habit when his children were young and at home. Therefore, do not let shame or discouragement keep you from trying. Dedicate your household to the Lord again—for His glory and for their eternal good.

Prayer of Confession:

Most Merciful Father,

We confess to you and to one another that we have sinned against You by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

In particular, this morning we confess that we do not offer You the worship You deserve each day. Both within our own hearts as individuals before You, but also in our families. And especially as fathers we confess our failure in this as those who have been charged to lead in our homes, and to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

And so we ask that You would forgive us our sins, and by Your Spirit renew a holy desire to take hold of You through Your Word and prayer. Give a glimpse of Your glory this week as we seek You and encourage our faith. And help us lead our families with joy to Your throne of grace.

May a renewal of family worship in Your church lead to a reformation and revival in our land, fulfilling Your promises spoken through our father David, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.”

We know that if we in the church regard any iniquity in our hearts this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you know. And Selah.

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This exhortation was given on February 22, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

This morning I want us to meditate on Paul’s last three words here – until He comes. With this orienting statement, the Apostle Paul is teaching that this sacrament is not simply about looking back at our Lord’s death. Rather, in more ways than one, this is an eschatological meal. As we partake, we are proclaiming Christ’s sacrificial death, and the church is to do so looking forward to that final Day, when He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Fundamental to the historic Christian faith, from the beginning, has been this longing for Christ’s return and the hope of the future resurrection of the dead. Imitating the Apostle Paul, our great desire in this life ought to be to know Christ crucified – to participate in His death – in order that we too may participate in His glorious resurrection.

And so this Table is a sign to all of Christ’s victory over death until He returns. He died for our sin and then on the third day was raised. He is the first fruits of the resurrection, the pledge of the greater harvest to come, when all those who partake of His flesh and blood will be raised up unto eternal life and be seated with Him at an even greater feast. Therefore, as you eat this bread and drink this wine, may you say in your hearts, “Come, Lord Jesus.” And as surely as He comes to you now by His Spirit, know that He will come again on that great Day.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on February 22, AD 2026 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

But once we are outfitted with God’s armor, what is next? Where do we go from here?

Paul continues, writing that we are then to pray “always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for the saints” (v. 18). And so we see that Christians go to battle in prayer. Paul tells us that our enemies are not flesh and blood, but “against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (v. 12). Therefore, if we are to be effective in our battle, if we are to be faithful to the Lord in our own lives and in our families, we must first engage the enemy in the realm in which he lives and moves. We need heaven’s weapons to fight in the heavenly places. It is only after we engage the battle there that we will see results here on the ground. It is only through prayer, in which we acknowledge our weakness and rely on God’s strength, that we will see our families and church thrive, and our world transformed.

And so as we pray together today in this worship service, don’t for one moment think that this is the precursor to the real battle “out there.” Don’t believe that this is just a nice pious practice or a good way to start your week, but after you leave, then you can really get to work in building the kingdom.

It’s the other way around.

You will only be effective out there in your homes and in your work when you engage first in the battle here—among the gathered assembly of the saints in the corporate worship of God.

Prayer of Confession:

Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before You now, confessing that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed; and that apart from Your saving grace there is no health in us.

In particular, we confess our prayerlessness. You call us to pray at all times, to pray without ceasing, and we do not fulfill this command which is for our good. You call us to fight the good fight of faith, You have equipped us with Your armor, and we remain largely idle—outfitted for war but content with seeking merely our own comfort. Our pride leads us to believe we can make progress on our own strength, and our faithlessness causes us to doubt that You really hear our prayers or care for our needs. And so we ask that You would forgive us of these sins, and that Your Spirit would help us lift up our every need to You first, teaching us to trust You in all things, and to engage in the fight that You have made us for, the battle that Christ has already won.

Father, we also acknowledge that our nation does not pray, and when we do, it is often to a vague deity who has no ears to hear. And so we do humbly ask that You would answer the prayers of Your saints and turn our nation back to You in a remarkable way.

We know that if we in the church regard any iniquity in our hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you know. And Selah.

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This exhortation was given on February 8, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

And here in this Sacrament, we see this cosmic reality represented concretely with simple bread and wine, teaching us that not only is Christ’s body and blood ours, but that they are meant to be spiritual food for us. Just as bread nourishes and sustains the body, so does Christ’s body nourish and revive our souls. Just as wine nourishes and gladdens the body, so does Christ’s blood nourish and gladden our souls.

For as our Lord once taught, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (Jn. 6:53). Christ’s flesh is true food, and His blood is true drink. And whoever partakes of Him abides in Him, and He in you. Therefore, as you eat this bread and drink this wine, taste and see Christ Himself, willing and able to strengthen your souls.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on February 8, AD 2026 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

You will recall that when our Lord gave the Great Commission to His apostles, He grounded His command in His authority as King – “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Mt. 28:18–19a). What this means for us as a church is that when we participate in the work of foreign missions, we are not working out of our own strength, but by Christ’s authority. He has purchased all nations of the earth by His blood, and we are now willing participants in His victory march throughout the earth, gathering in His elect (Rev. 5:9, 2 Tim. 2:10). We can have confidence in the work of the mission because we are under orders, and our King has promised to be present with us in power, even to the end of the age (Mt. 28:20).

This morning, at the end of the service, we will pray for the Madsen family as they return to their mission in Zambia this coming week. We are very thankful to God for the opportunity to partner with them in this work, and I know they have been greatly encouraged by you all. So the exhortation this morning is to continue to remember the Madsens and the students they minister to in your prayers. Lift them up daily in your homes, remembering God’s promises to them and to the nations. Isaac has repeatedly said during this trip that the greatest way you can support them is through prayer, and he is absolutely right. Our God uses means, and chief among them are the prayers of His people for the advancement of His kingdom.

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Prayer of Confession:

Merciful Father,

It is indeed right, our duty, and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks, for You are King over all the earth and a most gracious God to us. For though we readily acknowledge our many faults and weaknesses, the ways in which we have fallen short and sinned against You each day—we also know and remember that Your mercies are new every morning.

This morning we confess that though we believe You have given all nations to Your Son as His inheritance, we often do not live as if that were true. We lack faith in Your promises to fill the earth with Your glory. We do not evangelize with boldness. We do not pray with expectation, laying hold of Your promises. And our zeal falters with unbelief. Forgive us of these sins, O Lord, and renew within us an earnest desire to see Christ worshiped in obedience by every tribe, tongue, people, and nation as He so deserves.

Father, we also confess that our own nation has closed its eyes to Your light. And so we ask that we would not only believe these promises for missionaries in faraway lands, but also for our own neighbors right here in Moscow. May Your Spirit move Your church to pray for reformation and revival in a powerful way, and may You be pleased to answer that prayer in due time. We know that if we in the church regard any iniquity in our hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you know. And Selah.

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This exhortation was given on February 1, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

Often, when we think of the church, we think simply in terms of interchangeable units – just a number of individual Christians, all alike, brought together. And while this is partially true, the Apostle Paul does not hesitate to note that we really are a unity of unlikes.1 The build, function, and role of an eye are very different than the build, function, and role of a foot – and that is actually very good. Bodies need this God-given diversity of members in order to live and thrive.

Each person in this church has been made unique by God, granted different gifts and abilities, and we all come together to function as one body united to and under Christ. Therefore, we must not despise one another because of our differences, but instead learn to rejoice in the ways in which God has distributed His gifts, knowing that it is all for our good (1 Cor. 12).

And we now come to this Table together, remembering our communion with Christ and one another. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16–17).

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on February 1, AD 2026 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

As you know, there are several ways Christians have organized the governance of the church, according to the general principles found in the Word of God (WCF 1.6).1 At King’s Cross Church, we practice what is called the “four-office” view of elders and deacons. In this, we have deacons and then recognize three distinctions among the elders (ministering elders, teaching elders, and parish elders).

The collective duty of our elders consists of shepherding the flock (1 Pet. 5:1–2), equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:11–12), laboring in prayer (Acts 6:4, 13:1–3, Jas. 5:14–15), preaching and teaching the Word of God (1 Tim. 5:17), administering the sacraments (Mt. 28:19–20, 1 Cor. 11:23–26), and performing church discipline and restoration (1 Cor. 5:1–5).

While elders care for the spiritual needs of the congregation, deacons primarily care for material needs. As we read in Acts 6, “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom” were appointed to benevolence ministry, allowing the apostles to focus on the Word and prayer. Our deacons provide financial counsel and assistance to families in need, and they helpfully oversee hospitality and logistics for our Lord’s Day services.

As members of this congregation, you also have duties in relation to the brothers who serve in these offices. You are called to honor and encourage them as they labor among you, obey them in accordance with God’s Word, imitate their godly example, assist them as you are able, and pray that the Lord would sustain them in their ministries (Heb. 13:17, Phil. 2:28–39, 3:17).

The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that he was a laborer for their joy (2 Cor. 1:24). It is not a light thing to be chosen by a congregation for these sacred offices and to take on the responsibility of caring for those God has purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). But our elders and deacons gladly serve you in this way for the glory of God and for your eternal good. Therefore, you are called to support them in their work as they minister Christ to you and your families.

Prayer of Confession:

Merciful Father,

We readily confess to You this morning that we sin each day in various ways against Your holiness, and also against those closest to us. We truly have no hope apart from Christ and the mercy found in Him.

We know that Your Word calls us to obey those who watch over our souls, and to do so in a way that brings joy and not grief to them in their work. And so we confess the ways in which we have not heeded their teaching from the Word, any dishonoring thoughts or attitudes toward those we have called to serve us, and the sins which cause them sorrow.

Lord, we also acknowledge that one reason why our nation has strayed from Your light is that those appointed as leaders began to neglect Your Word, and those in the pews did not hold them accountable to it. And so we ask that You would raise up many more godly men to serve as ministers, elders, and deacons in Your church, men who tremble at Your voice, who deeply love the flock entrusted to them, and who are willing to proclaim the truth. And may they be called to serve by godly congregations who sincerely love You.

We know that if we in the church regard any iniquity in our hearts this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you know. And Selah.

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This exhortation was given on January 11, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

Following the first baptisms, the new Christians were invited to celebrate the Lord’s Supper for the first time. And this is what Paton wrote of that experience, “At the moment when I put the bread and wine into those dark hands, once stained with the blood of cannibalism, but now stretched out to receive and partake the emblems and seals of the Redeemer’s love, I had a foretaste of the joy of glory that well nigh broke my heart to pieces. I shall never taste a deeper bliss, till I gaze on the glorified face of Jesus himself.”

That really must have been a marvelous and unique experience. But in one sense, it is one that we also experience each Lord’s Day. As far as I know, no one in this congregation has been guilty of the sin of cannibalism. But you have grieved the Lord with other sins. Your hands have been stained with the guilt of many transgressions, some of them especially wicked, and all of them worthy of damnation.

And yet as the Apostle Paul wrote, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.” The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and converted cannibals has also quickened your heart, uniting you forever to God. Therefore, with clean hands and pure hearts—Come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on January 11, AD 2026 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

The word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word often translated as “appeared” or “manifested,” and it is a celebration of Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles, beginning with the visit of the Magi or Wise Men from the East, as the first-fruits of the nations recognizing the Savior of the world. Additionally, the baptism of Christ is associated with Epiphany, as a revealing of both the Trinity and, in particular, of Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved Son.

In the Apostle Paul’s letter to his spiritual son and co-laborer, Titus, he also writes concerning the manifestation of Christ in the world, and what our response ought to be. We read in Titus 2 that, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared (επεφανη—epiphany), training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…” (vv. 11–12).

Often, when Christians think of God’s grace, they simply think of God’s unmerited favor and the forgiveness of sins — two absolutely vital aspects of salvific grace. But note here what the grace of God in Jesus Christ also does. Paul says that grace trains you in righteousness. Grace not only forgives your transgressions but also empowers you to renounce sin and live lives pleasing to God. You both stand in God’s grace and walk in it. And you are not only to walk in grace by looking back in faith to Christ’s first appearing, but also with hope for His coming again.

As the Apostle Paul continues, we are “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing (επιφανειαν) of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (vv. 13–14). Although your progress in this life may feel slow and may falter, you can be assured that a Day is coming when you will be completely free from sin and all will be made new.

Scripture says that Jesus was made manifest to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). And so the exhortation on this Epiphany Sunday is by the grace of God to join Him in that very work—crushing Satan under your feet (Rom. 16:20).

Prayer of Confession:

Merciful Father,

We come before You now with humility, acknowledging that we have sinned against You and one another, in thought, word, and deed. We confess that we have not sought to live as we should in light of the grace we have received in Christ Jesus. Instead, we have pursued the path of least resistance, not applying Your Word to our lives, not seeking Your will in all things, not mortifying the works of our flesh, and not pursuing the good works You have prepared us to walk in. Forgive us of this sin, O Lord, and in this new year may Your Spirit renew a zeal within us to gladly walk in the grace we have received.

Father, we also know that our land is filled with lawlessness, our people revel in their sins against You, and yet—we believe that our sins are still not greater than Your grace. And so we ask that through the preaching of Your Word and the witness of Your church, Christ would be made manifest in our nation again, leading to the salvation of our unbelieving family, friends, and neighbors.

We know that if we in the church regard any iniquity in our hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual. And so we silently confess our individual sins to you now. Selah.

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This exhortation was given on January 4, AD 2025, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

Consider for a moment your most trusted friend. Bring to mind that person you would trust your life with or you would want with you in a desperate situation. The one who has always been present and faithful. The one you speak your mind to without judgment or reveal your weakness to without being belittled. Consider that kind of friend. And now hear this: Jesus Christ is an even better friend than they are.

As He once said to His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for His friends” (Jn. 15). No longer were they merely his servants or students, but they were His friends. And so it is for you, provided that you believe. Jesus has proven Himself faithful and true, and He has demonstrated His devotion to You in His death. He laid down His life so that You would live. This is the kind of friend that our Lord Jesus is. He is your great God and Savior, He is the eternal Son of God – and He is also your elder brother and friend.

Now, while some of you may have just had sweet thoughts of a good friend, others likely felt a sting of pain. Of memories of a friendship that broke apart. Of a current loneliness in a new community or missing those you have left behind. If that is you, you need to know and experience the friendship of Christ, the friendship of God. You must lean on Christ in this season, seeking true comfort from Him and trusting in His goodness. As Psalm 25 reads, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.”

So come and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on January 4, AD 2025 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

When it comes to goals or desires regarding your faith, I want to encourage you all that you do not need to look for some hidden or spiritual secret to sanctification. Rather, our Lord has already provided you with everything that you need in what has been called the “ordinary means of grace”—namely—the Word, sacraments, and prayer. We see these in the life of the church in Acts 2:42, where the believers in Jerusalem are said to have “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship (that is the Word), in the breaking of bread (sacraments), and in prayers.”

It is through these very accessible means that the Spirit is pleased to continuously offer all the benefits of redemption and strengthen your faith. Therefore, this year you should resolve to attend to these divine aids more and more. You must not neglect the very means that the Lord has ordained for your growth in Christ.

Instead, take up the Word daily. Read it in the quiet of the morning. If your mornings are anything but quiet and you’re too tired to wake before the kids, read it in the evening or listen to it in the car. Bring it to your family’s attention at the dinner table. And strive to sincerely and reverently receive the preached Word each Lord’s Day.

Having received the Word, pray it back to God. With the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart, give Him praise throughout your day. Seek His wisdom from above in all things. Offer Him thanks for every blessing that you have and bring Him every need, handing them off to Him in faith.

Lastly, attend to the sacraments every week. You are baptized only once, but every baptism you witness is a powerful reminder of your own. And come to the Lord’s Table, but don’t come absent-minded or absent-hearted, but with your whole selves and with open hands.

And so the exhortation this morning is to make diligent use of these ordinary means of grace in this next year, that the Lord would be glorified in your lives.

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This exhortation was given on December 28, AD 2025, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

He took that which was fallen, shattered, and marred by sin in the Garden, and made it holy. The eternal Son took on human flesh, and He lived and died to break the curse of death, forever uniting man and God in perfect reconciliation. And not only did Jesus redeem a people for Himself, but He redeemed all things on earth and in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20).

Long ago, the prophet Zechariah was given a glimpse of this glorious gospel. And in his second oracle, he includes this interesting detail. He writes, “In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ‘HOLY TO THE LORD.’ And the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the bowls before the altar” (Zech. 14:20).

What this means is that all things are now to be consecrated to the Lord. Originally, the words “Holy to the Lord” were found on the priest’s forehead as he served in the temple. But now holiness is no longer confined to such things, but has spilled out into all creation. All of life is to be consecrated to the Lord; in a sense, all things are sacred – down to the bells on horses or the pans in your kitchen.

And so here we now come to receive ordinary bread and ordinary wine – the fruit of both creation and the labor of man. In this sacrament, they do not transform into something more grand or supernatural, but remain what they are – simple bread and wine. And yet our Lord, by His Holy Spirit, is pleased to offer Himself to us through them.

Therefore, as you partake of this bread and wine, let this be a reminder that all things set before you this week, all “ordinary” duties and callings, are holy endeavors to be done as unto the Lord and by His strength alone, which you receive again now. And may “HOLY TO THE LORD” be the banner over all that you do.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

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This communion meditation was given on December 28, AD 2025 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.

For the last decade, I have made it a habit to review my reading each year and mark down my favorites. This has been a beneficial practice for a couple of reasons. First, when asked what my favorite books are, I can quickly browse these lists. Second, it is fun to look back at certain years and remember what my interests were or what I was learning. And so here is my list for 2025. These are not all new books, but were new to me.

1. The Autobiography of John G. Paton: Prayer, Perseverance, and the Transformation of Tanna – (editor), (foreword)

2. Witch Wood – John Buchan

3. Against the Machine –

4. The Missionary Fellowship of William Carey –

5. What It Means to Be Protestant – Gavin Ortlund

6. How to Exasperate Your Wife –

7. Why Do Protestants Convert? – Littlejohn/Castaldo

8. Train Dreams – Denis Johnson

9. These Silent Woods – Kimi Cunningham Grant

10. Ruby Ridge – Jess Walter

Honorable mentions: a re-read of Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad with the students in my Foreign Missions course at New Saint Andrews College, The Heavenly Christmas Tree short story by Dostoevsky for making me cry, and Jan Guillou’s The Crusades Trilogy for a memorable story and characters.

Here all the books I read this past year. Befriend me on the Goodreads.

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One powerful way to teach your children the gospel is for you as parents to model repentance to them. By this, I mean that they need to occasionally see you asking them for forgiveness.

You certainly know you sin against them at times. Maybe you ignored them while they repeatedly tried to get your attention. Perhaps you spoke to them harshly in frustration, or grabbed their arm in a disrespectful way. Or maybe you neglected to follow through on an important promise you had made to them.

There are any number of ways you may sin against them – and you all know that look of dismay or sadness on their faces when you do. It is in those moments that you must step back, examine yourself, and seek forgiveness as necessary.

Doing this teaches your children a few very important lessons. It reminds them of their dignity as individuals and that they matter to you and to the Lord. It tells them that dad and mom are sinners, too, and that everyone in the home must obey God’s Word. And it demonstrates that you are humble enough to acknowledge your sin and make it right.

While some may fear that apologizing will reveal their weakness, the truth is that it is a weakness that must be shown for the gospel to be fully glorified and adorned in your home. The Apostle Paul commands fathers not to provoke their children to anger (Eph. 6:4), and one easy way to exasperate them is to hold them to a standard that you do not live up to yourself. And sadly, there are very few things that obscure the gospel for children as much as parents who are hypocrites.

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This exhortation was given on December 21, AD 2025, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.