This Sunday I had the sobering responsibility of filling the pulpit at our church in the midst of the unfolding coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our church is small enough that we decided to meet, but we cancelled SS and nursery. I preached on the OT priesthood in relation to Christ, taking my title from Hebrews 9:11 “high priest of the good things that have come.” I spent most of the sermon setting the stage for the first ever public worship service of the LORD described in Leviticus 9. Eventually I ended up in Hebrews 9 and we reveled in the superiority of Jesus Christ as our high priest.
I trust this sermon will be bless my readers. If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (50 minutes), please do look over my notes.
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at our church again. My text was Ezekiel 47:1-12 and the theme was living water. I had so much fun exploring the biblical theological theme of life-giving water. My sermon borrowed from the ideas I gleaned from G.K. Beale on how Jesus in both John 4 and John 7, alludes to Ezekiel’s eschatological temple and specifically chapter 47, where the river of life flows from the center of the temple. See an earlier post with relevant excerpts from Beale.
Ezekiel is not often the focus of a sermon, so I took time to introduce the book and situate the hearers to the context of chapter 47, particularly. John 7:37-39 provided the application and somehow I managed to get this all done in about 50 minutes! I am thankful for the opportunity and for how the Lord helped my scattered thoughts make sense. There was a good reception of the message and I pray it continues to bless those who hear it. Grasping the beauty of biblical theology has the potential to be truly transformative (it has been for me).
I’m sharing the sermon here, and you can find all my recent sermons from The Heights Church, St. Paul, here.
If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (52 minutes), please do look over my notes.
Recently I had another opportunity to preach on a Sunday morning. I took the opportunity to preach again on the Temple theme in Scripture, using 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1 as my text. I had preached on the Temple before, but this time I wanted to flesh out what it means that the church is the Temple today.
If you don’t have time to listen to the entire sermon (37 minutes), please do look over my notes. May God bless this sermon to all who hear it, for His glory and by His grace.
An ancient Coptic monastery, a hidden desert hideout, the Oval office, and Jerusalem’s Temple mount — these are a few of the stops in Terry Brennan’s latest whirlwind novel. From Lebanon to Ireland, New York to the Suez, The Brotherhood Conspiracy weaves an intricate web of secrecy, espionage and discovery.
The sequel to Brennan’s earlier debut novel The Sacred Cipher, this book continues the adventures of Tom Bohannon and his motley crew of archaeological detectives. Having already discovered a hidden Jewish temple built on the Temple mount but below the Dome of the Rock, an even more outlandish prize lures the frazzled team back to the dangerous quest of discovery.
Once again the author pursues a relentless pace using a staccato rhythm, moving the story one bite-size portion to the next. That approach may be wearisome to some readers, and is frustrating in the earlier portion of the book for those readers who didn’t just put down his earlier book before beginning its sequel. The plot keeps one guessing as the potential of an end-times return of Christ cannot be dismissed, even as the role of a **spoiler alert** newly rediscovered Tabernacle **end spoiler**, doesn’t seem to fit any popular end-times Christian fancies.
Brennan appeals to the amateur archaeologist with his mention of cartouches (Egyptian hieroglyphic ovals), discussions of Demotic and Coptic languages, and his historical treatment of the Crusaders and Jewish history. Occasionally, I found some errors in his historical facts which stood out glaringly against the overall historical emphasis in the tale. 1 Maccabees is mentioned as a book that the Council of Trent removed from the Bible (in fact it was the Protestants who removed it and Trent affirmed its canonicity), and the prophet Jonah is mentioned as having preached 40 years (instead of days) to Nineveh. The story itself stretches credulity, but the first book’s miraculous find of a centuries-old Jewish temple sets the stage for anything being possible. Brennan’s masterful character development and ability to draw out a wide range of emotions from virtually all of his characters keeps the story tethered enough to reality, that the reader goes along with the incredible — and happily at that. One other quibble with the book is its lack of illustrations or maps. At several points in the tale, a visual depiction of what the author labored to describe would have helped immensely.
Fans of archaeological fiction, in the vein of Paul Maier (A Skeleton in God’s Closet) and Don Hoesel (Elisha’s Bones), will enjoy this latest offering from Terry Brennan. Those looking for a fast-paced read with characters striving to follow God’s leading in their lives even as they battle against Islamic assassins and try to evade Israeli intelligence — on a mission for the President of the United States, no less — will also enjoy this intriguing work. I recommend the book and look forward to the third (and final?) book in this series.
Disclaimer: This book was provided by Kregel Publications. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
About Book Briefs: Book Briefs are book notes, or short-form book reviews. They are my informed evaluation of a book, but stop short of being a full-length book review.
Review: One of the biggest stories in the Bible is that of the Exodus. Everything about the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea just seems larger than life. I always envision Charlton Heston, who plays Moses in the 1956 classic movie The Ten Commandments, with his rod stretched over the Red Sea and the multitude surrounding him. Something about this particular story seems to invite imaginative retellings, and many a Sunday School teacher has played on the active imaginations of children as they describe the amazing adventures of Moses and the Israelites. Illustrators and movie makers have a field day with this tale, and rightly so.
In all of the stories, retellings and adaptations I have seen (on screen and otherwise), I had never come across the particular angle explored by Carole Towriss in her new novel In the Shadow of Sinai. She follows the tale of Bezalel, the skilled craftsman appointed by Moses to work with the gold and precious stones. He is the artist who made Moses’ vision of the ark of the covenant come to life. And while no picture exists of the actual ark, countless recreations and depictions abound, testifying to the lasting beauty and allure surrounding this particular sacred artifact.
Towriss imagines Bezalel learning his skill in service to the Pharaoh, and follows his personal struggles that come with being plucked from the Egyptian mud-brick fields to the relative luxury of the palace. Towriss throws in a love story, of course, but what was most intriguing to me was her realistic portrayal of life in ancient Egypt.
Crafting the story around Bezalel allows Towriss to tell the tale of the ten plagues through an onlooker’s eyes. Bezalel doesn’t see everything take place, and doesn’t know what Moses is planning. And the plagues’ devastation doesn’t always make him happy. Just what is Yahweh up to, anyway?
Towriss takes us from the Egyptian palace to the deserts of Sinai, following the journey of the Israelites across the Red Sea, to the golden calf and the making of the Tabernacle. She introduces us to other biblical characters along the way, but packs enough tension and life into the plot to keep the attention of her readers.
For a first novel, the book is quite good. Even though Bible readers familiar with Moses’ written account will know the basic contours of the story, the specific details of Bezalel’s life and those around him unfold in unexpected ways. In the Shadow of Sinai is a satisfying romp through vaguely familiar territory and by the end, you’ll be longing for more. And like me, you’ll be pleased to learn that Towriss has two additional novels in this series planned.
Author Info: Carole Towriss grew up in beautiful San Diego, California. Now she and her husband live just north of Washington, DC. In between making tacos and telling her four children to pick up their shoes for the third time, she reads, watches chick flicks, writes and waits for summertime to return to the beach. You can find her at CaroleTowriss.com.
This Sunday I had the sobering responsibility of filling the pulpit at our church in the midst of the unfolding coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our church is small enough that we decided to meet, but we cancelled SS and nursery. I preached on the OT priesthood in relation to Christ, taking my title from Hebrews 9:11 “high priest of the good things that have come.” I spent most of the sermon setting the stage for the first ever public worship service of the LORD described in Leviticus 9. Eventually I ended up in Hebrews 9 and we reveled in the superiority of Jesus Christ as our high priest.
This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at our church again. My text was Ezekiel 47:1-12 and the theme was living water. I had so much fun exploring the biblical theological theme of life-giving water. My sermon borrowed from the ideas I gleaned from G.K. Beale on how Jesus in both John 4 and John 7, alludes to Ezekiel’s eschatological temple and specifically chapter 47, where the river of life flows from the center of the temple. See an 
