We began our journey with the Psalms of Ascent, "Ascend," this weekend at Eastbrook, spending time with Psalm 120. In this message, I explore themes of the spiritual life with God as a pilgrimage or journey, honesty and hopeful prayer, the need for community, and living in peace instead of hatred or hopelessness. Here is …
Ascend: a series on the Psalms of Ascent
This coming weekend at Eastbrook Church we enter into a journey through the Psalms of Ascent entitled "Ascend." Our life with God is a journey. It is a journey with God, but also a journey with His people on the way to the eternal kingdom. The New Testament describes God’s people as “foreigners and strangers …
From Captivity to Freedom
Two friends from Eastbrook Church recently published a wonderful article, "From Captivity to Freedom," in The Living Church on the Yazidi community in Lincoln, Nebraska. I guarantee that you will be moved by the powerful words and photos by Asher Imtiaz and the poem by Mari Reitsma Chevako. This is a great follow-up to some of my …
The Ninety-Five Theses of Martin Luther
As a follow-up to my message from this past weekend commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, "Faith and Grace," I wanted to post Martin Luther's actual Ninety-Five Theses here. Too often we do not read original sources of theological or historical works, relying instead on interpreter's reflections on those source works. So, why not take …
Basic Reformation Timeline
As part of my own preparation for this past weekend's message, "Faith and Grace," I drew up a basic timeline of the Reformation. I'm simply sharing it here as a number of folks asked me about some of the historical details after services on Saturday and Sunday. You can find a much more detailed timeline …
Matthew Erickson 