Oaks Parish

Scripture Text: Acts 1:1-11Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionN.T. Wright, Acts for Everyone The point of the resurrection itself is that without it there is no gospel, no Deeds and Teachings of King Jesus II. There would only be the sad and glorious memory of a great, but failed, teacher and would-be Messiah. The resurrection of the Jesus who died under the weight of the world’s evil is the foundation of the new world, God’s new world, whose opening scenes Luke is describing.C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain I had never before seen a real Catholic Mass and I had no idea what it was all about. I had heard that it was in Latin and that it was mysterious and incomprehensible to a Protestant, and indeed, to anyone who did not know Latin. That was all I knew about it. And I liked the idea. I liked it for the very same reason that I liked the Gregorian chant I had heard in records: because it was strange and archaic and solemn. It was beautiful. And when I went into that quiet, peaceful church, and saw the tall, old priest with his white hair, and heard him saying Mass at the altar, in a low voice, and the server answering in Latin, and the silence and the kneeling people and the candles and the statues and the crucifix on the altar, and the dim quietness and the slanting light—I was enthralled. It was beautiful. That was all I knew. And I wanted to know more, to be a part of it. I had the sense that something was happening there that was much more real than anything that had ever happened to me before.F.F. Bruce, The Gospel of Luke From the earliest times in Israel, God was acknowledged as king (cf. Ex. 15:18). His kingship is universal (Ps. 103:19), but is manifested most clearly where men and women recognize it in practice by doing his will.Application Questions1. How does the ascension of Jesus help you reimagine worship? 2. Where in your life do you need the ministry that is uniquely available in the ascension of Jesus?3. What is one choice that you can make this week to bring your life into conformity with Christ as king?

Scripture Text: Luke 16:1-17Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionN. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone The key to it all is in the opening verses: it’s about faithfulness. Money is not a possession, it’s a trust: God entrusts property to people and expects it to be used to his glory and the welfare of his children, not for private glory or glamour. Money also, according to this passage, points beyond itself, to the true riches which await us in the life to come. What they are, we can hardly guess; but there are ‘true riches’ which really will belong to us, in a way that money doesn’t, if we learn faithfulness here and now. Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor Christians should be aware of this revolutionary understanding of the purpose of their work in the world. We are not to choose jobs and conduct our work to fulfill ourselves and accrue power, for being called by God to do something is empowering enough. We are to see work as a way of service to God and our neighbor, and so we should both choose and conduct our work in accordance with that purpose. The question regarding our choice of work is no longer "What will make me the most money and give me the most status?" The question must now be "How, with my existing abilities and opportunities, can I be of greatest service to other people, knowing what I do of God's will and of human need?" J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels The truth here propounded by our Lord appears, at first sight, too obvious to admit of being disputed. And yet the very attempt which is here declared to be useless is constantly being made by many in the matter of their souls. Thousands on every side are continually trying to do the thing which Christ pronounces impossible. They are endeavouring to be friends of the world and friends of God at the same time. Their consciences are so far enlightened, that they feel that must have some religion. But their affections are so chained down to earthly things, that they never come up to the mark of being true Christians. And hence they live in a state of constant discomfort. They have too much religion to be happy in the world, and they have too much of the world in their hearts to be happy in their religion. In short, they waste their time in labouring to do that which cannot be done. They are striving to 'serve God and mammon.'Application QuestionsHow does eternity shape your relationship with money?In what way is God calling you to faithfulness?How have you tried to serve two masters? What is your first step of repentance?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Luke 15:1-32Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionAndrew Murray, Humility: The Journey Toward Holiness Just as water always seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds the creature humble and empty, His glory and power flow in to exalt and to bless.The Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes Those who feel the furthest from comfort are actually the most ready for it. Most people don't feel lost enough to truly seek a Savior. A holy despair in ourselves is the foundation of true hope. In God, the fatherless find mercy (Hos. 14:3); if people felt more like orphans, they would experience more of God's fatherly love from heaven. For God, who lives in the highest heavens, also dwells in the lowest soul. Christ's sheep are weak and lacking in one way or another; he therefore meets the needs of each sheep. In Ezekiel 34, he seeks the lost, brings back those who have strayed, binds up the broken, and strengthens the weak. His tenderest care is for the weakest.Timothy Keller, Prodigal God Most readings of this parable have concentrated on the flight and return of the younger brother—the ‘Prodigal Son.’ That misses the real message of the story. This parable of Jesus is actually about two sons. It’s the story of a man who had two sons, and Jesus spends nearly as much time on the elder brother as he does on the younger. The younger son represents the way of self-discovery: ‘I’m going to live how I want to live.’ But the elder brother represents the way of moral conformity: ‘I’m going to do what’s right and good and God will owe me a good life for it.’ Both sons are lost, and both represent different ways to be alienated from God. There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord: one is by breaking all the moral laws and setting your own course, and one is by keeping all the moral laws and being very, very good.Application Questions1. Why is recognizing that you are lost essential to experiencing true gospel transformation?2. How does it reshape your view of God to know He eagerly meets you in the lowest place?3. Each parable ends in joyful celebration. How can this shape your life in Christ this week?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Sermon Text: Luke 14:25-35Quincy Robinson

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 13:10-21Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJ.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeWith Christ nothing is impossible. He can soften hearts which seem as hard as the lowest millstone. He can bend stubborn wills which for eighteen years have been set on self-pleasing, on sin, and on the world. He can enable sinners who have been long poring over earthly things to look upward to heaven and see the kingdom of God. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. He can create, and transform, and renew, and break down, and build, and quicken with irresistible power. He lives who formed the world out of nothing, and He never changes.Jonathan Rauch, Why Christianity Needs to Help Save Democracy (Econtalk Podcast 04.21.25)Christianity is fundamentally a counter-cultural religion. It was born outside of the state. Jesus, of course, was a deeply counter-cultural teacher, counter to everything that Roman society around him taught. Christianity is at its best when it's counter-cultural.N.T. Wright, Luke for EveryoneOne action in one synagogue on one sabbath; what can this achieve? But when Jesus sows the seed of the kingdom, nobody knows what will result. Or the kingdom as a small helping of leaven, hidden apparently in the flour. It seems insignificant and ineffectual; but before long the whole mixture is leavened. One healing of one woman – but every time you break the satanic chains that have tied people up, another victory is won which will go on having repercussions.Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of AmazementWe are almost stunned by the simplicity of these parables. In our culture, unless you are a gardener or a baker, your imagination will probably not resonate with these simple images. But once you have planted a tiny seed and over time witnessed the enormous plant that grows from it, or once you have placed a small pinch of yeast in a large lump of dough and seen it rise and expand over the sides of the bowl—then you will begin to understand how a series of small encounters two thousand years ago between religious leaders and an obscure itinerant rabbi has resulted in a kingdom whose reign extends across the universe.Application Questions1. Where in your life do you feel bound or twisted this morning — and need to hear Jesus’s words, “You are freed”?2. When have you experienced the small beginnings of faith that grew into something greater?3. How can you trust God with one small counter-cultural act this week that, over time, could make a difference?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 12:35-48Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionJohn Calvin, The Institutes God is not to be feared as if He were ready to punish us, but rather to be revered because He has loved us so much.Rebecca DeYoung, Glittering Vices At its core, acedia is aversion to our relationship to God because of the transforming demands of his love. God wants to kick down the whole door to our hearts and flood us with his life; we want to keep the door partway shut so that a few lingering treasures remain untouched, hidden in the shadows.”Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.Application Questions1. As you reflect on the parables of Luke 12, how might your view of God’s character be off?2. What are your daydreams telling you? 3. Reflect on the quote from Frederick Buechner. Describe that “place” in your own life.

Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionThomas à Kempis, The Imitation of ChristChrist rose once from the dead, and now dies no more. Death shall no longer have dominion over Him. Rejoice, for you are called to share in His victory.C.S. Lewis, MiraclesThe New Testament writers speak as if Christ’s achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the ‘first fruits,’ the pioneer of life; He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so.Karl Barth, Dogmatics in OutlineThe Easter message tells us that our enemies, sin, the curse, and death, are beaten. Ultimately, they can no longer start mischief. They still behave as though the game were not decided, the battle not fought. We must still reckon with them, but fundamentally we must cease to fear them anymore.N.T. Wright, Paul for EveryoneChristianity, you see, isn’t a set of ideas. It isn’t a path of spirituality. It isn’t a rule of life. It isn’t a political agenda. It includes, and indeed gives energy to, all those things; but at its very heart it is something different. It is good news about an event which has happened in the world, an event because of which the world can never be the same again. And those who believe it, and live by it, will (thank God!) never be the same again either.Application Questions1. If there were no resurrection, what impact would that have on the Christian faith?2. Why is it significant that the resurrection was a physical reality, not just a spiritual one?3. How does the resurrection give you hope in an area of your life marked by grief, fear, or uncertainty?

Scripture Text: Matthew 26:17-56Bryan Buck

Scripture Text: Matthew 21:1-11Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionThomas Merton, Baptized by DarknessNow He is sent. He has come. He has descended into the far end of night, gathered our Fathers, the Patriarchs and Prophets, to Himself in Limbo. Now we will all be manifest. We will see one another with white garments, with palm branches in our hands. The darkness is like a font from which we shall ascend washed and illumined, to see one another, no longer separate, but one in the Risen Christ. N.T. Wright, Matthew for EveryoneThe people wanted a prophet, but this prophet would tell them that their city was under God’s imminent judgment. They wanted a Messiah, but this one was going to be enthroned on a pagan cross. They wanted to be rescued from evil and oppression, but Jesus was going to rescue them from evil in its full depths, not just the surface evil of Roman occupation and the exploitation by the rich. Precisely because Jesus says ‘yes’ to their desires at the deepest level, he will have to say ‘no’ or ‘wait’ to the desires they are conscious of, and expressed.C.S. Lewis, The Weight of GloryObedience is the road to freedom, humility the road to pleasure, unity the road to personality.Application Questions1. How can the grace of the gospel free you to obey in faith rather than responding in fear or pride? 2. What captures your deepest affection and awe right now—and how might the beauty of Christ in the gospel reshape your posture into one of true worship?3. Where might you have an opportunity this week to help someone see more clearly who Jesus is and what it means to live in Him?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-17Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionKevin D. Young, The Ten Commandments There’s nothing necessarily wrong with noticing what other people have, but most of us don’t stop and notice so that we can give thanks to God for his blessings to others. We notice and then stop being thankful for all that God has given to us.The Westminster Larger CatechismThe duties required in the tenth commandment are, such a full contentment with our own condition, and such a charitable frame of the whole soul toward our neighbor, as that all our inward motions and affections touching him, tend unto, and further all that good which is his.Mary Oliver, The GiftBe still, my soul, and steadfast. Earth and heaven both are still watching though time is draining from the clock and your walk, that was confident and quick, has become slow.So, be slow if you must, but let the heart still play its true part. Love still as once you loved, deeply and without patience. Let God and the world know you are grateful. That the gift has been given.Application Questions1. How does the Christian vision of longing differ from other worldviews?2. If I only had ___________, I would finally be happy. What’s in that blank and what does it truly reveal? 3. What’s one simple habit of gratitude that helps you feel more content with God when you’re feeling restless or wanting more?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenLinks to resources mentioned in this episode:The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness (Tim Keller)Losing My Nonreligion (Wall Street Journal)Questions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-16Pat RoachQuotes for Reflectionfrom the Westminster Larger CatechismQ. 144. What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?A. The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbors; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency; a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging talebearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requireth; keeping of lawful promises; studying and practicing of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.Q. 145. What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?A. The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calleth for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful or equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of the truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, talebearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vainglorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults; hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any; endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt, fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name.

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-15Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionPaul David Tripp, Redeeming MoneyGod created us to be dependent. He created us to follow his commands and to submit to his will. Real life and true freedom are found when we willingly and joyfully surrender to the One who created us, knows what we need, and rules what we could never control. But something else is vital to remember: we were never designed to put ourselves in the center of our world and make our lives all about us. We were never created to live for little more than our personal comfort, pleasure, happiness, and success. In God’s plan for us, we will never find the rest of heart that we all seek until we live according to the purpose and glory of the One who created us. Kevin D. Young, The Ten Commandments Have you ever noticed that Jesus is sometimes less “spiritual” than we might think? That doesn’t sound right, but here’s what I mean: we might think that Jesus would tell us, “Do you want possessions? Shame on you. Do you want security and safety? Shame on you. Why don’t you desire something more important?” He doesn’t do that, though. Instead, he taps into the desires of all human beings. We want to make sure that we have something that will last. We want to make sure that we have enough for the future. Jesus says, “Okay, I get that. Let me tell you how to really be happy: store up treasures in heaven!”John Frame, Doctrine of the Christian LifeThe biblical ideal is certainly not that we all become poor. Rather, it is, first, “godliness with contentment” (1 Tim. 6:6). The wisdom teacher recognizes that there are temptations in both wealth and poverty, so he asks God to give him just enough: “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me” (Prov. 30:8; compare “our daily bread” as the Christian’s request in Matt. 6:11). But if God does give poverty, or riches, we must expect temptation and be ready to deal with it.R. Kent Hughes, Set Apart: Calling a Worldly Church to a Godly LifeEvery time I give, I declare that money does not control me. Perpetual generosity is a perpetual de-deification of money.Application Questions1. Why can our relationship to the material world become enslaving?2. As a central aspect of worship, how can tithing deepen our relationship with God?3. Within each of our vocations, God brings about opportunities to help those in need. How can Oaks Parish partner with you?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Sermon Text: Exodus 20:1-14Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionAnn VoskampYour naked body deserves the honor of being shared only with someone who is covenanted to never stop loving your naked soul.Preston Sprinkle, “What is Marriage”Is marriage the union between two consensual adults—who fall in love and are committed to each other? Or, is marriage the union between two sexually different persons? I would suggest that the Bible says the latter. Marriage is the union between two sexually different persons. It’s not as if marriage is between two people, and oh, by the way, we Christians have always believed that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Even that doesn’t capture the historically Christian view. It’s not as if sex difference (male/female) is an arbitrary add-on to a Christian view of marriage. Rather, sex difference is an essential part of what marriage is. Marriage by definition is the union between two sexually different persons and not simply the union between two humans regardless of sex difference.Kevin D. Young, The Ten CommandmentsThe relationship between Christ and the church is a paradigm for the relationship between a husband and a wife. The mystery is that the union of Christ and the church finds expression in a man and a woman becoming one flesh in Christian marriage. God designed for a Christian husband and wife to come together in such a way that this union of Christ and the church can be symbolized.C.S. Lewis, The Four LovesWe use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he ‘wants a woman.’ Strictly speaking, a woman is just what he does not want. He wants a pleasure for which a woman happens to be the necessary piece of apparatus.Application Questions1. Why does Scripture celebrate sex, and how does this biblical vision compare to how sex was understood and discussed in your upbringing?2. How can emotional self-awareness shape a godly vision for sex and intimacy?3. How can sex, according to God’s vision, be a life-giving and spiritually enriching part of your life this week?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-13Quincy Robinson

Ash Wednesday ServiceScripture Text: Exodus 20:1-12Bryan Buck

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-11Pat Roach

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

*We apologize for the poor sound quality at the beginning of the recording. It resolves in about 20 seconds!Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-7Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionWilliam Shakespeare, Romeo and JulietWhat’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other word would smell as sweet;So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,Retain that dear perfection which he owesWithout that title. Romeo, doff thy name;And for thy name, which is no part of thee,Take all myself.Justin Cronin, The FerrymanThere is power in a name. It is through names that we bring all things into this world, and when they leave, it is names we carry with us, so they are never truly gone.Alec J Moyter, The Message of ExodusWhat were the people really asking for when they wanted to know God’s ‘name’? In the Bible, names often had a serious significance, and in the case of the Lord his ‘name’ was his ‘story’; it summed up who he was and what he wanted to make known about himself.John Frame, Doctrine of the Christian LifeThe one who gives a name to someone else has some measure of control over the one who receives it. The parent names the child, the conqueror names the conquered city, and the Lord names his people. Yahweh names himself, for there is no one higher than him.Kevin D. Young, The Ten Commandments The way to see God’s glory is to hear his name. To know the name YHWH, the merciful and gracious one, is not to merely know something about God; it is to know God himself (Ex. 34:6–8). God shows himself by speaking his name.Application Questions1. What power is found in a name? 2. How does calling upon the name of God open the door for his transformative power? 3. In what ways are you moved toward a more public faith, bearing witness to God’s name?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenResources we mentioned in this episode:Idolatry Chart - based on Tim Keller’s material on the “mega-idols” of power, control, comfort, and approvalQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-6Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionKevin D. Young, The Ten Commandments If the first commandment is against worshiping the wrong God, the second commandment is against worshiping God in the wrong way.John Calvin, Commentary on ExodusGod wishes to be worshiped in a spiritual manner. If we turn away from this, we lapse into idolatry.Timothy Keller, Counterfeit GodsWhat is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian LifeIdolatry has two senses: (1) worshiping a false god, and (2) worshiping any god by means of an idol. The first commandment deals primarily with the first form of idolatry, while the second commandment deals with the second form of it. But of course the two are intimately connected. To worship a false god (first commandment) is to direct our worship to something creaturely, namely an idol (second commandment). And to worship an idol (second commandment) is to rob God of worship that he alone deserves (first commandment). So the two commandments imply one another and serve as two perspectives on our worship. In that way, the second commandment, like the first, covers all aspects of human life. Application Questions1. Idols can be real both individually and corporately. What idols hold power in the American church today? 2. John Calvin writes that “God wishes to be worshipped in a spiritual way.” What value does that have for faith? 3. How does true and false worship shape generational faith? How have you seen this to be true in your own life?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Exodus 20:1-3Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionKevin D. Young, The Ten Commandments The good news of law, C. S. Lewis once remarked, is like the good news of arriving on solid ground after a shortcut gone awry through the mud, muck, and mire. After fumbling about in the squishy, stinky mess, you’re relieved to finally hit something solid, something you can trust, something you can count on.John Frame, Doctrine of the Christian LifeThe document begins with God’s name: Yahweh, the Lord. As God so identified himself to Moses in Exodus 3: 14–15, so he now identifies himself in the direct hearing of all his people. This identification ensures, first, that the covenant is a personal relationship. 15 Ultimately, we are to obey the law, not just because its principles are true, but because of the one who commanded them. I have argued that the personality of God is indispensable to ethics. Worldviews that reduce the personal to the impersonal lose any basis for ethics. Ethics is based on a family relationship. In this world, we learn ethical standards in the family, in a context of love and loyalty. 16 Similarly at the ultimate level, we learn right and wrong from a heavenly Father, an absolute personality. Only such a personal relationship can communicate principles that are absolutely authoritative.Thomas Chalmers, The Expulsive Powers of a New AffectionThere is not one of these transformations in which the heart is left without an object. Its desire for one particular object may be conquered; but as to its desire for having some one object or other, this is unconquerable. Its adhesion to that on which it has fastened the preference of its regards, cannot willingly be overcome by the rending away of a simple separation. It can be done only by the application of something else, to which it may feel the adhesion of a still stronger and more powerful preference. Such is the grasping tendency of the human heart, that it must have a something to lay hold of - and which, if wrested away without the substitution of another something in its place, would leave a void and a vacancy as painful to the mind, as hunger is to the natural system. It may be dispossessed of one object, or of any, but it cannot be desolated of all. Application Questions1. When you consider the Ten Commandments, what comes to mind? 2. How does the context of Exodus inform and reshape your understanding of God’s law? 3. As you consider the first commandment, what will you turn away from and turn toward as we begin the rhythms of Lent?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenMentioned in this episode:Article: How Intellectuals Found GodQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 2:22-38Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionR. Kent Hughes Simeon and Anna represented all who saw that their only hope was in the mercy and grace of God. Along with the poor carpenter and his wife and the outcast shepherds, they were flesh-and-blood examples of those to whom Christ comes. They personified the paradox of being profoundly empty and profoundly full—“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). They longed for the righteousness and consolation that would come only through the Messiah. They came to God’s house hungry, and they received as few others have in the history of the world. J. C. Ryle And now what do we think of Christ? This is the question that ought to occupy our minds. What thoughts does he call forth in our hearts? This is the inquiry which ought to receive our attention. Are we for him, or are we against him? Do we love him, or do we neglect him? Do we stumble at his doctrine, or do we find it life from the dead? Let us never rest till these questions are satisfactorily answered. John Piper The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ . . . the more homesick you get for heaven . . . the more you want “all the fullness of God”…the more you want to be done with sin…the more you want the Bridegroom to come again . . . the more you want the Church revived and purified with the beauty of Jesus . . . the more you want a great awakening to God’s reality in the cities . . . the more you want to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ penetrate the darkness of all the unreached peoples of the world . . . the more you want to see false worldviews yield to the force of Truth . . . the more you want to see pain relieved and tears wiped away and death destroyed . . . the more you long for every wrong to be made right and the justice and grace of God to fill the earth like the waters cover the sea. Application Questions1. What hunger in your heart has Christ satisfied, or what hunger do you want him to satisfy?2. What are your “inner thoughts” about the person of Jesus?3. Would your life look different if it were characterized by waiting for the appearing of Jesus (i.e., his second coming)? How so?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van HoutenQuestions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 11:1-13Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionHudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Choice Sayings: A Compilation from His Writings and Addresses Let us give up our work, our thoughts, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into His hand, and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about, or to make trouble about.Michael Card, Luke: The Gospel of Amazement If you want a window into the personal prayer life of Jesus, the Gospel of Luke is the best place to begin. When you look through the various panes of the pages of his Gospel, you will see Jesus staying up all night to pray on several occasions (for example, Lk 5:16). At every turning point, whether it was choosing the Twelve (Lk 6:12-16) or preparing for the night of the transfiguration (Lk 9:28), Luke tells us that events happened as he was praying. When Jesus angrily tears up, for the second time, in the marketplace in the temple court, Luke tells us that the real reason for Jesus’ emotion is his desire that the Gentiles have a quiet place to pray (Lk 19:46). More than any other Gospel, Luke paints us a picture of Jesus on his knees.N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone The ‘Lord’s Prayer’, as many call it, is therefore not just a loosely connected string of petitions. It is a prayer for people who are following Jesus on the kingdom-journey. Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, to act on behalf of God’s name, which had been dragged in the mud as his people had turned away from him in rebellion. He was on the way to accomplish the ‘Exodus’ in which the long-awaited kingdom of God would become a reality. He had provided bread for the journey, and ‘the breaking of bread’ was to become the sign of his presence in the church, and the bond between his followers. He was already offering forgiveness, and would accomplish it completely in his death – and he was already demanding from his followers that they imitate the graciousness of their God in forgiving their enemies, let alone each other. And, as we have already seen and will shortly see in more detail, he was waging war against the powers of evil, a war that would reach its decisive battle on Calvary. This is a prayer which grows out of the mission of Jesus himself. It has been ideally suited, both as it stands and as a framework for wider praying, for his followers ever since.Application Questions1. How would you describe the place of prayer in your life? 2. How can the notion of persistence be an encouragement for prayer? 3. What’s one thing from Jesus’s teaching in Luke 11:1-13 that can change how you abide with God this week?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten Questions or comments about this podcast episode? Click here to email us!

Scripture Text: Luke 10:25-37Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionDavid Brooks, How to Know a PersonYou may find the whole idea of God ridiculous, but I ask you to believe in the concept of a soul. You may just be chatting with someone about the weather, but I ask you to assume that the person in front of you contains some piece of themselves that has no weight, size, color, or shape yet gives them infinite value and dignity. If you consider that each person has a soul, you will be aware that each person has some transcendent spark inside them. You will be aware that at the deepest level we are all equals. We’re not equal in might, intelligence, or wealth, but we are all equal on the level of our souls. If you see the people you meet as precious souls, you’ll probably wind up treating them well. If you can attend to people in this way, you won’t be merely observing them or scrutinizing them. You’ll be illuminating them with a gaze that is warm, respectful, and admiring. You’ll be offering a gaze that says, “I’m going to trust you, before you trust me.”N.T. Wright, Luke for EveryoneWhat is at stake, then and now, is the question of whether we will use the God-given revelation of love and grace as a way of boosting our own sense of isolated security and purity, or whether we will see it as a call and challenge to extend that love and grace to the whole world. No church, no Christian, can remain content with easy definitions which allow us to watch most of the world lying half-dead in the road.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeThe world would be a happier world if there was more practical Christianity.Application Questions1. Why is the story of the Good Samaritan so radical? 2. What role does personal identity play in our ability to love others? 3. How might your life be enriched this week by loving your neighbor?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten

Scripture Text: Luke 9:1-36Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionHartmut Rosa, Two Versions of the Good Life & Two Forms of Fear When something really touches us, we can never know or predict in advance what we will become as a result of this.J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Luke Thousands in every age of the church spend their lives in this way and never come to the point of drawing near to God. They satisfy themselves with a miserable round of gossip about this preacher’s sermons or that writer’s opinions. They think “this man goes too far” and “that man does not go far enough.” Some doctrines they approve and others they disapprove. Some teachers they call “sound” and others they call “unsound.” They cannot quite make up their own minds as to what is true or what is right. Year rolls on after year and finds them in the same state – talking, criticizing, fault-finding, speculating – but never getting any further. They are hovering like the moth around religion, but never settling down like the bee to feed on its treasures. They never boldly lay hold of Christ. They never set themselves heartily to the great business of serving God. They never take up the cross and become thorough Christians. And at last, after all their talking, they die in their sins, unprepared to meet God.N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone The more open we are to God, and to the different dimensions of God’s glory, the more we seem to be open to the pain of the world. We are right to be wary when we return from some great worship service, when we rise from a time of prayer in which God has seemed close and his love real and powerful. These things are never given for their own sake, but so that, as we are equipped by them, God can use us within his needy world.Application Questions1. Consider a time when you experienced the power and presence of God in your life. How did this occasion impact your outlook on life? 2. How could ‘talking, criticizing, fault-finding, and speculating’ actually be getting in the way of ‘boldly laying hold of Christ’? 3. Why might faith in God be on the rise in our day?

Scripture Text: Colossians 1:15-20Andy TobinQuotes for ReflectionDavid Wells Paul’s Christology, therefore, also encompasses the language of the kingdom of God in the Gospels. To believe on Christ is to enter the kingdom and is to become a part of the age to come. Paul, however, expands this thought far beyond the personal and ecclesiastical. If Christ is the Lord whom every believer serves, the Head to whom the whole churchly body is responsive, he is also the Creator from whom everything derives its existence, the center without which there is no reality. Whether above in the starlit firmament or below within human consciousness, Jesus has “supremacy.” Hebrews 1:1-4 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. John Piper We admire Christ for his transcendence, but even more because the transcendence of his greatness is mixed with submission to God. We marvel at him because his uncompromising justice is tempered with mercy. His majesty is sweetened by meekness. In his equality with God he has a deep reverence for God. Though he is worthy of all good, he was patient to suffer evil. His sovereign dominion over the world was clothed with a spirit of obedience and submission. He baffled the proud scribes with his wisdom, but was simple enough to be loved by children. He could still the storm with a word, but would not strike the Samaritans with lightning or take himself down from the cross. Application Questions1. What Christological truth from Colossians 1 will influence your worship of Jesus this Christmastide? 2. How is God calling you to live in light of the supremacy of Jesus? 3. What relationship in your life needs the reconciling power of God, and what is the first step you need to take?

Read: Matthew 1:18-25Reflect: 1. How does thinking of Jesus as Emmanuel impact your life right now?2. Where have you seen God's hand in your personal life history?3. How do you rely on the Holy Spirit in your vocation?4. Wherever God has dwelled has always been the most holy place. And as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are now the most holy place for our culture. How does this compel you this week - whether in thought, word, or deed?5. What does the incarnation mean to you?Pray: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Special thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).

Scripture Text: Matthew 1:18-25Quincy Robinson

The Oaks Parish PodcastSpecial thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).Read:Philippians 2:1-11Reflect:1. What is most striking to you about God's humility in the incarnation?2. How have you seen the impact of humility in your own life? 3. Why is Jesus’s physical body so important for our redemption?4. How could you profit this week from ‘pretending’ to be Christ?5. In prayer, respond to God about the ways in which the humility of the incarnation invites you to know him better.Pray:Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Scripture Text: Philippians 2:1-11Scripture Text: Philippians 2:1-11Quotes for ReflectionN.T. Wright, Philippians for EveryoneThe eternal son of God, the one who became human in and as Jesus of Nazareth, regarded his equality with God as committing him to the course he took: of becoming human, of becoming Israel’s anointed representative, of dying under the weight of the world’s evil. This is what it meant to be equal with God. As you look at the incarnate son of God dying on the cross the most powerful thought you should think is: this is the true meaning of who God is. He is the God of self-giving love.Athanasius, On the IncarnationThe body of the Word, then, being a real human body, in spite of its having been uniquely formed from a virgin, was of itself mortal and, like other bodies, liable to death. But the indwelling of the Word loosed it from this natural liability, so that corruption could not touch it. Thus it happened that two opposite marvels took place at once: the death of all was consummated in the Lord’s body; yet, because the Word was in it, death and corruption were in the same act utterly abolished. Death there had to be, and death for all, so that the due of all might be paid. Wherefore, the Word, as I said, being Himself incapable of death, assumed a mortal body, that He might offer it as His own in place of all, and suffering for the sake of all through His union with it, “might bring to nought Him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might deliver them who all their lifetime were enslaved by the fear of death.”C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Now, the moment you realise ‘Here I am, dressing up as Christ,’ it is extremely likely that you will see at once some way in which at that very moment the pretence could be made less of a pretence and more of a reality. You will find several things going on in your mind which would not be going on there if you were really a son of God. Well, stop them. Or you may realise that, instead of saying your prayers, you ought to be downstairs writing a letter, or helping your wife to wash-up. Well, go and do it. You see what is happening. The Christ himself, the Son of God who is man (just like you) and God (just like the Father) is actually at your side and is already at that moment beginning to turn your pretence into a reality. Application Questions1. How have you seen the impact of humility in your own life? 2. Why is Jesus’s physical body so important for our redemption?3. How could you profit this week from ‘pretending’ to be Christ?

Read: John 1:1-14Reflect:1. What are you searching for in this season?2. Why is John’s term “the Word” (logos) helpful to anyone searching for spiritual answers?3. Where are you looking for God to show up?4. Where do you need to yield to God?5. John writes that we become the God’s children by his power. How does this reality help you meet a pressing concern right now and respond in a fresh way?Pray:Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Special thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).

Scripture Text: Johan 1:1-21Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionN.T Wright, John for EveryoneWhatever else John is going to tell us, he wants us to see his book as the story of God and the world, not just the story of one character in one place and time. This book is about the creator God acting in a new way within his much-loved creation. It is about the way in which the long story which began in Genesis reached the climax the creator had always intended.Gary Burge, John: The NIV Application CommentaryThe prologue to John is not about a message that offers hope, but about The Message that is the only hope. It is not about an idea, but a person. The Word became flesh tells us that God is intent on communicating with us not about mere concepts; he is intent on communicating about himself. The Word became flesh tells us that The Message is accessible and not hidden away for mystics and scholars but was lived in the world and was touched and heard by many. The Word became flesh tells us that the man Jesus was no mere mortal. He was not an inspired carpenter or a model human. Jesus was God himself—taking on the clothing of humanity, embracing it fully and eternally, walking in it, speaking through it, and delivering the reality of God to the world in a manner never done before. This prologue tells us that something definitive has happened in time, something objective and absolute. A marker has been placed in human history, and all humanity is now being called to mark time and progress by that post.Athanasius, On the IncarnationWhat, then, was God to do? What else could He possibly do, being God, but renew His Image in mankind, so that through it men might once more come to know Him? And how could this be done save by the coming of the very Image Himself, our Saviour Jesus Christ? Men could not have done it, for they are only made after the Image; nor could angels have done it, for they are not the images of God. The Word of God came in His own Person, because it was He alone, the Image of the Father, Who could recreate man made after the Image. In order to effect this re-creation, however, He had first to do away with death and corruption. Therefore He assumed a human body, in order that in it death might once for all be destroyed, and that men might be renewed according to the Image. The Image of the Father only was sufficient for this need.Application Questions1. Why is John’s term “the Word” (logos) be helpful to anyone searching for spiritual answers? 2. Why does the incarnation of Jesus make so much sense? 3. John writes that we become the God’s children by his power. How does this reality help you meet a pressing concern right now and respond in a fresh way?

The Oaks Parish PodcastSpecial thanks to Alex Wenig, Director of Music at Oaks Parish, for her contribution of music to the podcast! From “Offering” © Alexandra Adkins, 2011: Sonata For 2 Violins In D Major, Op. 3, No. 6: III. Largo (Jean-Marie Leclair, 18th century).Read:Isaiah 9:1-7Reflect:1. In what ways do you see a stark contrast between the government of Isaiah's child king and the kingdoms of this world?2. Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. As you reflect on the meaning of these four titles of the child-king, how is Jesus the specific answer to a darkness you are facing right now?3. "His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom." What questions, feelings, or reflections do you have about the promise of a kingdom with no end? Share those with God in prayer.4. How does “the zeal of the Lord” transform the way you face the darkness of this world?5. How does the promise of the Incarnate Son of God impact the way you enter this season of Advent?Pray:Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

Scripture Text: Isaiah 9:1-7Bryan BuckQuotes for ReflectionDietrich Bonhoeffer, God in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and ChristmasLook up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come.John Oswalt, IsaiahHave we allowed the Child-King to take over the government of our lives? Only then can we know the benefits of God with us. We cannot have the light, the honor, the joy, the abundance, the integration that he offers in any other way. Alec J. Moyer, The Prophecy of IsaiahThe eye of faith looks at all this but affirms that, real though it is, it is not the ‘real’ reality. As always, the people of God must decide what reading of their experiences they will live by. Are they to look at the darkness, the hopelessness, the dreams shattered and conclude that God has forgotten them? Or are they to recall his past mercies, to remember his present promises and to make great affirmations of faith? Isaiah insists here that hope is a present reality, part of the constitution of the ‘now’. The darkness is true but it is not the whole truth and certainly not the fundamental truth.Application Questions1. How do we see tangible evidence that the government of Isaiah’s child-king provides a stark contrast to the chaos of worldly kingdoms?2. How does “the zeal of the Lord” transform the way we face the darkness of this world?3. Reflect on the meaning of the four titles of the child-king in verse 6. How is Jesus the specific answer to a darkness you are facing right now?

The Oaks Parish PodcastBryan Buck & Martha Van Houten