Trump's AI image blasphemy: A biblical response

 

The AI-generated image shared by President Trump

On April 12th, 2026, the President of the United States,  Donald Trump, posted a blasphemous image of himself. 

This image portrayed Donald Trump as a divine healer using the well-known artistic iconography (white/red robe, divine power in his hands akin to stigmata) associated with Jesus Christ, and the reception of worship/prayer from the people looking up at him adoringly

A typical artistic portrayal of Jesus

 

In addition to the dangerous and unbiblical promotion of Christian nationalism and glorification of militarism that the image also contains, this action by President Trump violates a fundamental and unshakeable belief of every true follower of Jesus Christ:

There is only one God.

This belief leads inevitably to its corollary: God alone is worthy of worship

If anyone claims, then, divine status, or accepts worship, it is blasphemy.  It is also a grave heresy that marks one who makes such a claim as a false teacher. Whatever the motivation and intent was behind this creation and sharing of this image, the result was blasphemy and heresy.  In addition, any who would lead others away from devotion to our true Lord and Savior are, by definition, an anti-Christ.

Scripture, as well as history, offers dire warnings in this area, ones that should never be ignored.

The following is but a brief summary of what the Word of God teaches about the danger inherent in false worship and false teaching, and the judgment of God it invokes.

The Biblical warning against blasphemy and false worship:

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Exodus 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Jonah 2:8 

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

Habakkuk 2:18

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?

Or an image that teaches lies?

For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

John 10:32-33 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Romans 1:25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

The warnings in the Biblical narrative against blasphemy and false worship:

Daniel 3: King Nebuchadnezzar glorifies himself with a golden image, requiring all to bow down and worship.  God protects Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace when they refuse.

1 Kings 18: Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

Elijah’s epic contest to see which God is real and which god is not.  God sends fire from heaven to affirm his power, Baal can do nothing for his false prophets.

Acts 12:19b-23 Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Revelation 19:19-21 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Historical examples beyond sacred scripture:

In 167 BC, Seleucid King Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the Jewish Temple in 

Jerusalem by sacrificing a pig on the altar to Zeus. This act of sacrilege, considered a major abomination, was part of his efforts to eradicate Jewish religious practices. It prompted the Maccabean revolt.

In the Early Church, both Jews and followers of Jesus (both Jewish and Gentile) were persecuted, and many martyred, for refusing to worship an image of various Roman Emperors who were considered divine.

The problem of human pride:

Proverbs 16:5

The Lord detests all the proud of heart.

Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

James 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

1 John 2:16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Conclusion: A fellow Christian, and a friend, described Donald Trump’s ai-generated image as, “One of the grossest images I’ve ever seen.”  On this I concur.  

When the most powerful man in the world elevates himself with divine imagery, the only biblical response is to condemn this action with no reservation.  It is blasphemy, it is heresy, and it is the spirit of antichrist.

We have one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, there is no other.

When the most powerful man in the world elevates himself with divine imagery, the only biblical response is to 

End of Days (FFOZ) attacks Reformed and secular Jews as "enemies of the LORD"

 In recent months I haven't shared each new FFOZ related YouTube video to this blog with its own post because the traffic on YouTube is much greater.  I'll make an exception for this response video because the topic is too important.

It is hard to describe how shameful and disturbing this lesson's rhetoric toward Reformed and secular Jews truly is.  Both are described in apocalyptic terms as the "last generation" which is described as: "perverse and crooked," who "revile and blaspheme God," "enemies of the LORD," "bottom-of-the-barrel," "foolhardy, morally inverted, and societally corrupt."

These things coming from Lancaster, Boaz Michael, and FFOZ are disgusting and immoral, there is no defense.

There are other heretical ideas in the lesson, those are touched on briefly after the primary focus on this lesson's antisemitism, but the focus ought to be on what FFOZ is willing to say about the majority of the world's Jewish population.  This is not acceptable, at all, period.

Sermon Video: The Supporting Cast at Advent: Simeon - Luke 2:25-35

 

After the shepherds and the angels had paid their visit on the day of Jesus' birth, Luke offers a look at two individuals led by the Holy Spirit who play an unexpected visit to Jesus when Mary and Joseph bring him for the first time to the Temple in Jerusalem. The first of these two is a "righteous and devout" man named Simeon. To him was given an incredible gift by the Holy Spirit: certainty that the Messiah would arrive in his lifetime. In the end, Simeon was in the right place at the right time to meet the baby Jesus because he had been a willing servant of the Lord, a reminder to us of how much God can use those who humbly seek him.

Beginning of Wisdom (Torah Club) lesson #46: Venerating false Messiahs as men who pleased God

 

Would you expect a Christian ministry to include a story in one of their publications about the purity and righteousness of Joseph Smith?  How about one that speaks of the actions of Charles Russell (founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses) as an illustration of what the Apostle John was trying to teach about the love of God?  If that sort of veneration of false teachers was found in any publication of any reputable Christian ministry or denomination, the uproar would be loud, widespread, and entirely justified.  I could have chosen Buddha or Confucius to make this point, Gandhi or the Dalai Lama, or any number of people that are admired by many, even millions of people, but who did not have a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  We can admire someone, we can be fascinated by their life story or what they accomplished, but only God sets the standard for who is righteous in his sight, and that status is only possible through his Son.  To venerate anyone as a righteous person who pleased God WIHTOUT Jesus is an anathema to the Gospel, it is blasphemy.  

That's exactly what First Fruits of Zion has done in Lesson 46 of the Beginning of Wisdom, they just did so by using 18th century European mystics that are not as familiar as my examples are to an American.  To be clear, this objection is not an indictment of the life of either of the two Jewish leaders that FFOZ chose to venerate, nor is it an indictment of Judaism, or even Hasidic Judaism, the branch of Judaism the two of them were instrumental in founding / shaping, in particular.  They may have been good men, they may have been wise in their area of study, they may have been loving and kind, even exceptionally so.  They may be worthy of veneration within the religious movement they helped give direction to.  What they are not, what they cannot be, no matter what, is an example of someone whose righteousness pleased God.

To a universalist, that's an absurd statement.  If we set aside the bedrock truth of God's Word that, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" because, "There is no one righteous, not even one." (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10 & 3:23), and we set aside the bedrock truth spoken by Jesus, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life," (John 14:6), we would find ourselves in a world where people who are decent, good, even righteous in human eyes who should be lauded and praised for rising above the evil in this world.  BUT, we don't live in that world.  The reality is that there are none who are righteous in God's sight, all have sinned, and "the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23).  Without Jesus Christ, without faith in him to save us from our sins, we are entirely and irrevocably lost, period.  Whether this Truth is palatable or not, it is the Gospel given to us by God.  There is no other path, no Plan B or consolation prize, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is not other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).

Unless you are a universalist of some kind, someone who doesn't believe that Jesus is necessary for salvation, at least for some people...

Lesson 46, page 15
"A similar story is told about the Baal Shem Tov.  It happened once that the Ball Shem Tov realized a heavenly decree had been issued against the Jewish community.  He determined to persuade God to reverse the decree.  Like Moses praying to enter the promised land, he threw himself into prayer and fasting, wrestling with God, so to speak.  He refused to relent until hie managed to reverse the decree and save the Jewish community.  However, the victory came at a great personal price.  A heavenly voice informed him that he had forfeited his own place in the World to Come.  Rather than grow despondent over the prospect, the Baal Shem Tov rejoiced.  He said, 'At last, I will know that my service of God is born purely out of a heart of love for Him and devotion to Him and not out of any hope for reward or fear of punishment.'"

Before we look at what FFOZ said about him, the Reader's Digest version of who Baal Shem Tov was: Baal Shem Tov, or "Master of the Good Name," is how Israel ben Eliezer (1700-1760) is known.  Israel was a Polish Jewish mystic who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism (a segment of ultra-Orthodox Judaism originating in Eastern Europe, most followers of it today live in the USA or Israel).  Today his life is surrounded by legends of miracles, so much so that the apostate Bart Ehrman has used him as an example to discredit the eyewitness account in the Gospels of the miracles of Jesus Christ by saying that eyewitnesses believed Baal Shem Tov to be a miracle worker too.  

From the Jewish Encyclopedia article on his life: {Besht is an abbreviation of Baal Shem Tov}

"The foundation-stone of Ḥasidism as laid by Besht is a strongly marked pantheistic conception of God. He declared the whole universe, mind and matter, to be a manifestation of the Divine Being; that this manifestation is not an emanation from God, as is the conception of the Cabala, for nothing can be separated from God: all things are rather forms in which He reveals Himself. When man speaks, said Besht, he should remember that his speech is an element of life, and that life itself is a manifestation of God. Even evil exists in God. This seeming contradiction is explained on the ground that evil is not bad in itself, but only in its relation to man."

With that brief consideration of the life of Baal Shem Tov (Israel ben Eliezer) in mind, how does FFOZ choose to connect this mystic to its lesson?  By praising a bold assertion of heresy.  In the story related to the Torah Club members by Lancaster and FFOZ, God rewards Baal Shem Tov by answering his prayer, but at the cost of condemning his soul.  This supposed "bargain" with God not only elevates Baal Shem Tov to a messianic level (he supposedly saved his entire people from destruction by sacrificing himself), it also portrays God in a blasphemous way as a God who would trade the soul of one he loves simply to change his own mind.  God has never condemned a soul unjustly as he is portrayed as doing in the story FFOZ cites.  Such a God is unworthy of worship and praise, that's who God would be if he let Abraham go through with sacrificing Isaac, such a God is NOT the God of the Bible.  

To recap the dangerous errors of using this example of Baal Shem Tov in the lesson: (1) It venerates a false Messiah-figure, (2) it treats the actions of a non-believer as righteous before God without reference to faith in Christ, (3) and by extension it puts an implicit stamp of approval on Baal Shem Tov's heretical pantheism.

Lesson 46, page 15
"Once, it happened that the disciples of Schneur Zalman (1745-1812), the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, overheard their rabbi in ecstatic prayer, crying out, 'I don't want your Paradise, I don't want your World to Come, I want only You.'  These stories illustrate the Apostle John's words, 'There is not fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  We love, because He first loved us.'"(1 John 4:18-19)."

Before we look at what FFOZ said about him, the Reader's Digest version of who Schneur Zalman was: Schneur was a Russian Jewish rabbi commonly known as the Alter Rebbe who was the founder and first Rebbe (spiritual leader) of Chabad (a dynasty with chosen successors), which is a branch of Hasidic Ultra-Orthodox Judaism.  The 7th Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (d. 1994) taught that Baal Shem Tov was a divine manifestation (known as Sephirot) of infinite faith, and that Schneur Zalman was a divine manifestation of infinite wisdom.  By many of his followers in the movement, Schneerson is believed to have been the Messiah; that's the movement that Zalman founded, and the one that FFOZ is linking its teaching to.  

In case you are wondering, linking to the Lubavitch Movement and its messianic claims is the kind of thing that would shock both liberal and conservative rabbis within Messianic Judaism.  FFOZ isn't building bridges here, they're lighting them on fire.

With that brief introduction into Schneur Zalman in mind, how does FFOZ choose to connect this mystical rabbi to the lesson?  By making him an example of what the Apostle John was teaching about perfect love.  This use is beyond the ordinary false teaching of FFOZ into the realm of outright blasphemy as it is telling Torah Club followers that the Apostle John, the very disciple whom Jesus loved, was talking about someone like Schneur Zalman in 1 John.  What's the problem with this connection?  The answer is simple, and it doesn't have anything to do with Zalman's life except one fact about it.  John's entire contextual (the part FFOZ likes to ignore) thesis in 1 John is that any true and genuine believer must have 3 things to prove they have the genuine faith that pleases God: (1) walking in the light / obeying God's commands, (2) love for our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, and (3) affirmation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  Take away one of them and the whole thing falls apart.  

1 John repeats these 3 factors over and over, fifty-two times to be exact {I know because I wrote a book on the subject: Christianity's Big Tent: The Ecumenism of 1 John}, with thirty-one positive statements on how to demonstrate you are part of God's family, and twenty-one negative statements that show who is not.  Of these, seventeen are about what we believe, eleven times John says we must affirm Jesus (as the Christ, the Son of God, who came in the flesh) and six times we are told we cannot deny Jesus and be in God's family.  In case you're curious now, there are fourteen statements in John about our need to love each other, which leaves twelve about our need to follow God's commands.  That is what John is actually teaching, in context.

HOW could Zalman know the "perfect love" that "casts out fear" if he didn't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?  If he had confidence before God, it was a false confidence because it was based upon his own work not that of Jesus Christ.  If he did not feel fear when contemplating standing before Almighty God in judgment, he should have, because all who will stand before God without the being clothed in the righteousness of Christ will be condemned.  Being good, kind, loving, smart, zealous, none of it matters.  Our faith is in Christ, and Christ alone.  Faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone.  As a reminder, FFOZ utterly rejects the Five Solae of the Reformation: Rethinking the Five Solae

The stories of Baal Shem Tov and Schneur Zalman are NOT stories that illustrate what the Apostle John was teaching in 1 John.  To claim this, as FFOZ has done, is to deny the necessity of the saving Blood of Jesus Christ because John's entire point is that our connection to the love of God must be through Jesus.  We already know from Aaron Eby's, "What Replaces Replacement Theology?" that FFOZ is willing to hint that the Jewish people don't need Jesus to be saved.  This lesson is a much bolder assertion, it proclaims that men who have been elevated to the status of prophets, or even that of a Messiah, by their followers, who have thus led many astray away from God's salvation, should be venerated as wise and righteous despite having no connection to Jesus Christ.

The average American sitting in a Torah Club hearing this lesson won't know who either of the Jewish mystics are that FFOZ chooses to proclaim as heroes of the faith.  Most will assume that both were Messianic Jews, that they shared with them a belief in Jesus.  Ignorance is not bliss.  What FFOZ is doing in this lesson is heretical (an implicit statement that Jews don't need Jesus since these men who rejected him are elevated to saint-like status), blasphemous (ascribing "perfect love" to someone who doesn't know Jesus, thus equating human effort with divine grace), and grossly cynical as it depends upon their followers being unwilling to examine what they're being taught.

For the sake of those who are being led astray by FFOZ, I wish I was only able to find small errors or follies, but the opposite is true.  The dangers of FFOZ are very, very real.

Sermon Video: Joseph adopts the Messiah, Matthew 1:18-25

 

Joseph of Nazareth was a fairly ordinary man up until the moment he found out that he fiancé Mary was pregnant.  Instead of letting pride or anger rule him, Joseph chose to embrace mercy, he was willing to divorce her quietly.

Having demonstrated this strength of character, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream to tell him that God had chosen him for a monumental task: Adopt the Messiah.

Joseph may have been an ordinary carpenter, living in the unimportant village of Nazareth, but when he obeyed God's command by marrying Mary, Joseph became an example of faith and obedience that we would all do well to imitate.

Sermon Video: The Threefold Office of the Messiah: King - Jeremiah 23:5-6

In addition to the unexpected roles of prophet and priest, the long-awaited Messiah would also be what the people hoped for: An heir to David's throne.  At the time this prophecy was given, however, the people of Israel were facing the greatest crisis of their nation's history with the impending doom of God's judgment in the form of Babylon's invading armies close to hand.  Yet even while the prophet Jeremiah was sent to warn them of this coming destruction, God also shared with Jeremiah this promise of hope in the coming of the Messiah.

But, what about the promised kingdom, how can Jesus be the Messiah without ruling on David's throne?  Indeed, Jesus was not concerned during his sojourn among us about establishing a physical kingdom in defiance of Rome, rather he wholly invested his time (and ultimately his very life) in establishing a spiritual kingdom.  However, when Jesus returns it will be to rule, to establish the righteous and just kingdom that Jeremiah promised, those promises stand and will be fulfilled.

Hebrews 7:11-12 puts an end to the lie that God cannot change the Law of Moses, for Jesus is the final High Priest

 

Hebrews 7:11-12  New International Version

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.

At the heart of the Hebrew Roots Movement, and First Fruits of Zion in particular, is a particularly pernicious and dangerous lie: The Torah (Law of Moses) was intended to be for all-time, and even God (in particular Jesus) can't change/update/modify it.

One example from my research this past year into FFOZ's teachings will illustrate that they teach this: "The commands of the Master cannot be different from the commands of the Torah any more than the Word of the Master is different from the Word of the Father." - Jesus, My Rabbi, Lesson 36, Volume 2, page 11.

According to FFOZ, Jesus cannot have taught anything different that what was already revealed in the Torah.  That's their position, and they build their entire false version of the Gospel on this premise.

But what did the author of Hebrews say?  This is holy scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and authoritative for all who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ.  The author of Hebrews points out, purposefully and in great detail, that the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods, mandated by Torah because they were necessary for that time, place, and people, were superseded permanently by Jesus who came as a priest after the fashion of Melchizedek.  Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah and the line of King David, ensuring his right to sit upon the throne of David.  But Jesus was NOT capable of fulfilling the role of priest according to the Law of Moses, that is unless Jesus had the authority to change/update/modify the Law.  Which he did.  Of course he did.  Jesus is the Word of God, the eternal Logos.  As a member of the Trinity, fully God along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus was equally the author of the Mosaic Law, its originator.  God, that is Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, is the ONLY one with the authority to abrogate the Law of Moses, but to deny this prerogative to God is to place the Law over God, a form of idolatry.

In the end, traditional and orthodox Christianity can demonstrate (as we have done this past year in exhaustive fashion) how and why the teachings of the First Fruits of Zion are heretical and dangerous, but you don't need to understand the full length and breadth of these defenses of the Gospel (although in my humble opinion it is good for Christians to understand the defenses of their faith, i.e. apologetics, so I encourage you to put in the effort) to see that the HRM in general, and the FFOZ in particular, have rejected the clear teaching and plain meaning of God's Word.

Jesus is our High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek.

Sermon Video: The threefold office of the Messiah (part 1 of 3) - Prophet, Deuteronomy 18:14-22

For this Advent season, we will take a look at the three roles of leadership in Israel that the long-awaited Messiah would fulfill and perfect: prophet, priest, and king.  

With respect to being the greatest prophet, we turn to Deuteronomy 18:14-22 to hear the words of Moses, himself a prophet of great renown, promise that God would one day send another like him to lead his people.

Ultimately, Jesus became the greatest of the prophets by predicting, accurately, his own suffering, death, and resurrection.

Sermon Video: The tragedy that broke Paul's heart - Romans 9:1-9

Having extolled the wonders of God's love for those who have been called to faith in Jesus in chapter 8, the Apostle Paul begins a 3 chapter exploration of those close to his heart who have not believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: His own people.

What kept the first century Israelites from accepting Jesus as the Messiah?

It wasn't a lack of preparation, Paul runs through that extensive list.  And it wasn't a failure on God's part to fulfill his Word, as Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of prophecy after prophecy.  So what happened?

In this introductory message we see that far from being a unique generation, the one that rejected Jesus is symptomatic of not only the Israelites as a whole throughout their history, but importantly, of humanity as a whole too.  The reaction to Jesus would have been similar in any nation in any generation.

What do we do?  Love those who have not yet believed, witness to them, and keep praying for them.

Sermon Video: The Children Praise Jesus as King - Matthew 21:14-16

And now, the rest of the story.  We know about the Triumphal Entry, and the clearing of the Temple that take place soon after, but don't forget about the healing of the blind and the lame accompanied by the joyous shouts of children that followed.

On the day of his triumph, Jesus took the time to heal those who came to him in faith.  While the common people celebrated him as a savior, the religious leaders of the day scorned him as a threat.  While adults looked at miracles and scoffed, children showered Jesus in praises.

Sermon Video: The Justice of God's Chosen One - Isaiah 42:1-4

In addition to his expected role as Messiah of king, Jesus added that of prophet and priest, but even more remarkably, that of servant as well. As God's chosen savior, a marvel in that because of Jesus' divinity it was in reality God choosing himself, Jesus served here on earth with remarkable self-control and compassion as he worked to establish God's justice on earth, a process that his death and resurrection secured the final victory for, and one that he will conclude when he returns in power and might.

For now, the calling of God's people is to imitate his self-control and compassion as we continue his mission of furthering God's justice on earth.

Sermon Video: Bring the Good News - Isaiah 40:9-11

Having brought good news to the exiles of Judah in Babylon, the prophet Isaiah now calls upon them to share that news, shouting it from the mountaintop.  Likewise, when the Advent of Jesus brought forth a greater fulfillment of Isaiah's words, the Good News was shared by the shepherds, later by John the Baptist, and eventually by Jesus' disciples following his command to take the message of forgiveness and hope to the ends of the earth.

What is our calling?  Take the Good News to everyone who needs to heart it.

Sermon Video: The Messiah and his Kingdom - Isaiah 11:1-10

A stump has all sorts of depressing metaphorical implications about life cut short and hope dashed, but the prophet Isaiah chose the stump because life can return to it once more.  The long-awaited Messiah is Isaiah's topic, speaking of his righteousness, justice, and faithfulness alongside his power and might.  While Jesus embodied these qualities during his time among us on earth, the kingdom he will establish when he returns will transform that localized impact into a global phenomenon.

Sermon Video: Advent Witnesses Part 6 - Magi: Unexpected Guests, Matthew 2:1-12

 

The final witnesses to the Advent arrive somewhat late, but given how far they had to come, that's understandable.  Matthew tells of that the arrival of Jesus included an astronomical sign, one read by the gentile Magi who come to offer the new king homage.  Their acceptance of this new king is contrasted strongly with the plotting of the old one, Herod, an offers a reminder that closed hearts do not accept the facts as they are.

Sermon Video: Advent Witnesses part 4 - Prophets and Angels: Curious Messengers, 1 Peter 1:10-12

When considering the 1st Christmas, let us not forget those who had longed to see that days for hundreds, even thousands of years. The prophets of ancient Israel as well as the angelic messengers of God both were curious as to how and when God would fulfill his Messianic promises. In addition, their desire to know more was further enhanced when God revealed that his Chosen One would both suffer AND be victorious, how these two seemingly opposite outcomes could come together was a vexing puzzle.

From our point of view, not only the Advent of Jesus, but his ministry, death, and resurrection, make perfect sense. We are blessed to know the whole story, to see why God's grace is truly so amazing.

Sermon Video: The Messiah: David's son and Lord, Mark 12:35-37

While in the Temple courts, Jesus takes the opportunity to set forth a riddle concerning the Messiah, one that his own Virgin Birth is the answer to. In Psalm 110, David calls his son "Lord". Jesus asks how a son can be the superior of a father (or ancestor), a mystery culturally in the Ancient World. We know the answer. Jesus is David's son genealogically, but also his superior because he is the Son of God in addition to being the Son of Man. While David was a hero (flawed yes, but still a hero), Jesus is far more: a sinless savior.

Sermon Video: The Parable of the Tenants: Don't Ignore God - Mark 12:1-12

In this allegorical parable, Jesus recounts the history of the Abrahamic Covenant and the Israelite people leading up to his own arrival as the Son sent to 'collect the rent' who will end up being murdered by the corrupt tenants. The meaning is straightforward and was not lost on the original audience: God's isn't messing around, repeated disobedience will be punished, and rejected blessings will be bestowed elsewhere. A fit message for any Age, and as applicable to the Church as it was to Israel.

Sermon Video: "Hosanna!" - Mark 11:1-11

 As Jesus' journey to the Cross reaches Jerusalem, on the Sunday before Passover begins, Jesus chooses to ride the last two miles into the city, on a donkey. Why? His humble entrance fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah (9:9), contrasting with the vainglory of kings among men. Additionally, Jesus control over the details of his entrance (knowing where the colt will be, what his disciples need to say) demonstrate that his upcoming Passion is a choice, he is a willing participant, not a victim.

The people shout "Hosanna!", a Hebrew imperative meaning "Save us!" that can be turned around in a moment of joy to mean, "Savior!" Truly, Jesus has come to Jerusalem to become the Savior, not just of the children of Abraham, but of humanity: past, present, and future. The Savior of the World. Hosanna, indeed.

Sermon Video: Mark 8:22-33 - Can you see Jesus clearly?

 After healing a blind man, enabling him to see clearly, Jesus asks his disciples who others believe him to be? That easy question answered, he asked the tought one, "Who do you say I am?" Peter answers correctly, "You are the Messiah." Peter's answer demonstrates that the Light of Jesus can be seen even though humanity is living in darkness. With God's help, Jesus can be seen clearly. Unfortunately, the text continues and reminds us of the difficulty of the task by showing that Peter's next answer was dismal. After Jesus tells his disciples that he must soon suffer and die (before being raised to life), Peter rebukes him and tells Jesus that he doesn't see his own future clearly. Jesus strongly rebukes Peter, showing that an impartial view of Jesus isn't good enough. We can't just have Jesus at Christmas, we need Good Friday and Easter too. Jesus didn't just come to heal and to teach, although both of those were very important, but to save humanity from sin and death. In order to fulfill this role given to him by the Father, Jesus had to die on the Cross as the Lamb of God. When we see this fulness of Jesus and his mission, we see him clearly.

Sermon Video: The Word Became Flesh - John 1:14

 Amidst the wonder of Christmas, the angels and shepherds, the wise men and the star, is a deeper amazing truth. That moment in Bethlehem when Jesus first took breath was the coming of the Word of God, Immanuel, God in the flesh, living here with us. Why? Not to start a political revolution, or lay forth an ethical or philosophical path, but to bridge a gap. A gap between a holy and righteous God and a sinful people living darkness. This task only God could complete, so he came here to make our salvation possible. Jesus did not receive grace, as do we all, but was its source, he did not seek Truth, he was the Truth. This story begins before the world was created with the plan of God, takes a massive step forward at Bethlehem, but was always headed to Calvary and the Empty Tomb of Easter. So let us give glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rest. Merry Christmas.