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Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs! - Mark 8:11-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 25, 2010 AM UFO Hunters, Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth, and River Monsters are just a few of the new reality shows to hit TV. All of them deal with the paranormal, unreal, or supernatural. Why folks are so interested in these things is beyond me, but the truth is we always have been. People flock to see the weird, wacky, and the unusual. They did it in the past with sideshows, traveling circuses, mystics and palm readers. We have an unquenchable bent towards the unexplainable. However, here in Mark’s gospel, we find the religious leaders of Jesus’ day wanting to see “a sign” from Jesus. Like a trained pet, they come demanding from him a sign so that they might see for themselves who Jesus was. But was this their true reason for demanding a sign from Jesus? I do not believe so. Let’s find out this morning as we take a closer look at signs, signs, everywhere signs – shall we? READ: Mark 8:11-21 In ou...

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs! - Mark 8:11-21 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 25, 2010 AM UFO Hunters, Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth, and River Monsters are just a few of the new reality shows to hit TV. All of them deal with the paranormal, unreal, or supernatural. Why folks are so interested in these things is beyond me, but the truth is we always have been. People flock to see the weird, wacky, and the unusual. They did it in the past with sideshows, traveling circuses, mystics and palm readers. We have an unquenchable bent towards the unexplainable. However, here in Mark’s gospel, we find the religious leaders of Jesus’ day wanting to see “a sign” from Jesus. Like a trained pet, they come demanding from him a sign so that they might see for themselves who Jesus was. But was this their true reason for demanding a sign from Jesus? I do not believe so. Let’s find out this morning as we take a closer look at signs, signs, everywhere signs – shall we? READ: Mark 8:11-21 In ou...

Another Hungry Crowd - Mark 8:1-10 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 18, 2010 AM The crowd is not often long satisfied. It demands attention and food for its hunger. And when a crowd does not get fed regularly, it can quickly become very unruly. This is nothing new. We have seen what a mob mentality can do, whether it is an unruly mob at a soccer game, a hyped up political rally, or even an emotionally charged religious venue. A crowd can create huge demands that have to be met immediately by those it focuses its attention on. Here in Mark’s gospel we find another hungry crowd. Like the words of the old rock tune by The Rolling Stones, the hungry crowd of the world “can’t get no satisfaction.” The crowd found in Mark is representative of the sin-lost crowd of the world. It has a mob mentality that continually searches for satisfaction, but finds little. Sadly, we as believers hold in our hearts what the hungry world longs for, the good news of Jesus Christ. I say, “Sadly,” becaus...

Are We Deaf and Dumb? - Mark 7:31-37 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 11, 2010 AM When I was younger, I used to think that my folks suffered from a kind of a parental tone-deafness that all adults suffer from when they have children. Not only did they not hear me but also they did not understand me. Many of Christians tacitly believe this about God as well, that he does not hear or understand. In fact, we think it is so true that it has become ingrained in our spiritual psych and in how we relate to the gospel. Let me explain: The Israelites suffered from this malady during Isaiah’s time. They felt God was not listening to their constant cries and did not understand their particular predicament. Isaiah would remind them, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” (Isaiah 40:28) God was not the one who was deaf and dumb, they were! Deafness an...