See Him: Who Makes You Fruitful
River of Life River of Life

See Him: Who Makes You Fruitful

I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Yet as we consider this relationship, it’s a bad bargain for the shepherd!

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See Him: Who Is Your Advocate
River of Life River of Life

See Him: Who Is Your Advocate

The life and hope of the Church is built upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So what is the Gospel? The Gospel is simply good news. But any type of good news consists of two critical components: the event and the effect.

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See Him: Who Brings Peace
River of Life River of Life

See Him: Who Brings Peace

Peace. What does this word mean to you? Does your mind race to international affairs or domestic issues? Do you think of smoothing over things at the office or handling matters at home? Sometimes a word can be so full of meaning and ideas that we cannot adequately define it.

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See Him: Who Conquered Death
River of Life River of Life

See Him: Who Conquered Death

After more than a month of humble repentance and prayer, God’s people gather to celebrate the consumption of their prayers. Death has been defanged. The grave has been overhauled—no longer the end of life, but the beginning of eternal life.

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Spared: Redeemed & Reunited
River of Life River of Life

Spared: Redeemed & Reunited

A snake on a pole is a hideous sight! It was a reminder of the pain inflicted by the snake’s bite and even more a reminder of the cause of the snake’s bite—sin. Now we, too, look in Lent at something initially hideous.

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Spared: From Death for Life
River of Life River of Life

Spared: From Death for Life

A snake on a pole is a hideous sight! It was a reminder of the pain inflicted by the snake’s bite and even more a reminder of the cause of the snake’s bite—sin. Now we, too, look in Lent at something initially hideous.

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Spared: Because God Is for Us
River of Life River of Life

Spared: Because God Is for Us

In the season of Lent, we see Jesus taking our place in his passion - the Valiant One fighting for us on the battlefield. Today’s struggle is against temptation.

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Enduring Joy: The Joy of Clarity
River of Life River of Life

Enduring Joy: The Joy of Clarity

As Jesus speaks with Old Testament giants, they discussed what was about to happen—his suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension.

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Enduring Joy: The Joy of Refuge
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Enduring Joy: The Joy of Refuge

Do you ever have doubts? Do you grieve? Are you ever envious of those who chose the path of evil and seem to get away with it? Honest Christians admit having moments of each.

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Enduring Joy: The Joy of New Life
River of Life River of Life

Enduring Joy: The Joy of New Life

Jesus did not need to be baptized to cleanse himself of sins. He was baptized to connect himself with sinners and also connect sinners with his righteousness.

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Good News: For the World
River of Life River of Life

Good News: For the World

The star is really an Epiphany symbol. The star is important because it led wise men to see the Savior of nations. On Epiphany, we rejoice in God’s grace to all his people.

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Good News: Means Peace
River of Life River of Life

Good News: Means Peace

More often than not, big New Year’s promises are broken. Big plans become big flops. In our Gospel reading, we meet two individuals who had big hopes—but not in themselves.

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Full of Grace & Truth
River of Life River of Life

Full of Grace & Truth

It is not just the details of Jesus’ birth that are remarkable. Rather, the reason he was born—what he came to do and be—is most marvelous to the hearts and minds of sinners like us.

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