Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin

In “The Merchant of Venice," William Shakespeare wrote, "The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.” Mercy is the quintessential character trait of a Christian because it is born out of our own reception of mercy from God. Having received mercy, Jesus says we are blessed because we are merciful and we will in turn continue to receive mercy as we give it—a perpetual motion machine of mercy. It is a deeply Christian ability to forgive great atrocity and extend love to one's enemies. When it happens the world takes notice. How can we lean more and more into this blessing that belongs to us by faith in Jesus Christ? Join us this week, as we continue our study of the Beatitudes.

One of the great advantages of coming to the end of yourself is that there is nowhere else to go but to God, to find from him the satisfaction that is otherwise unavailable in life. Sadly, most of us have to relearn this lesson again and again. We enjoy sweet times of communion with the Lord only to be distracted by the siren song of our age. Hours, days, months, or even years later, we wake up like the prodigal son in the pig stye and wonder if our Heavenly Father would welcome us back home. This week, we turn to one of the most hopeful promises of Jesus: we will be satisfied! The deepest desires of our hearts, the longings of life, the hopes and dreams that we dare not even say out loud—in and through Christ we will be satisfied.

Jesus' Beatitudes are generally comforting. We may not like admit we are poor in spirit, but when we do we can be comforted by the promise that ours is the kingdom. Everyone must mourn, so it is a great encouragement to know that we shall be comforted in the end. But I am probably safe in assuming that no one wants to be thought of as “meek” and the promise that the meek will inherit the earth just seems to be completely contrary to common sense. Especially in our current cultural climate, the prospect of anyone being meek is laughable, maybe even dangerous. This week, we turn to perhaps the most offensive of Jesus' blessings to find ourselves where none of us probably want to be. But on the other side is a blessing as big as the world itself.

The beatitudes are Jesus' paradoxical blessings for those awaiting the Kingdom of God, contrasted to the lesser ‘blessings' the kingdom of this world offers. In them, we see the way to blessing is not through, but within, poverty of spirit, mourning, persecution, meekness, etc. As we look this week at mourning, we see the way to experience our poverty of spirit. Within the mourning of our sin, the suffering of others, and the curse of death, we see how the comfort of the full reality of God's Kingdom pieces into the present realities of our shame, sorrows, and sufferings. In the second beatitude, we'll look at the what, how, and hope of mourning and see the gospel promise of comfort for those awaiting the future hope of the world begun now in Jesus Christ.

This week, we begin a new series in the Beatitudes, which we're calling “The King's Speech.” The Beatitudes are pronouncements of blessing on Jesus' disciples; but the reason we are blessed might seem counter-intuitive in a culture that celebrates strength, expertise, and accomplishment. For instance, when Jesus blesses those who are poor in spirit, he identifies their great need as a reason for their great happiness. That's not the way we normally think about our need! Join us this week for the beginning of a new and important sermon series that grounds in the new creation realities Jesus inaugurated by his resurrection from the dead.

On Sunday, Christians around the world will celebrate Easter, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Over the years, the Resurrection has been a treasured belief, the subject of many songs and sermons, and the hope for Christians who mourn the death of friends and family. But it wasn't always this way: at the very beginning, on the very first Easter, the Resurrection was too good to be true. The disciples themselves didn't believe the initial reports. Why? Especially since Jesus told them many times that he would rise again? Why didn't they believe and what are the challenges to our own beliefs in this good news? This Sunday, we'll find our footing once again in the event that changed history—an event that changes you and me, too.

When Jesus rides into Jerusalem, the crowd of disciples and pilgrims respond to him as the king, the son of David returning to claim his father's throne. Jesus refuses to quiet the crowd, telling the Pharisees that the rocks would cry out if no one else would acknowledge him. King Jesus and the kingdom he brings still summon you and me today. Join us on Palm Sunday to find out how.

It's hard to see our deficiencies and short-comings. Sometimes we never see them until we open our mouths and encounter others. Yet how we treat one another when our sins are exposed can make the difference between redemption and alienation. Despite James and John's request, Jesus hears them, instructs them, and providentially provides an example through Bartimeaus' healing of what true spiritual sight looks like which also pleases him. Join us this Sunday as we look inward at ourselves upward to Christ and forward to his will and future world of spiritual sight.

This Sunday, we turn to the well-known story in Mark 10 of the rich young man (he is called a “ruler” in Luke) who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. There is much about this young man that is admirable: he is moral (having kept the commandments since his youth), he is wealthy (people often believed—then and now—that wealth was a sign of God's favor), and he is interested in spiritual things. But by the end of his encounter with Jesus, the man is disheartened and sorrowful. He walks away from Jesus instead of following him as a disciple. Why? What kept this impressive spiritual seeker from becoming a follower of Christ? Join us this Sunday to find out about the explosive nature of Christianity and the unrelenting demands God makes of his people.

In Mark 10, Mark's gospel turns toward Jesus' teaching on the relational life of a disciple. This week, we will look at our most important human relationship: the union of man and woman in the covenant of marriage. We will also look at Jesus's teachings on what happens when this relationship needs an overhaul. Jesus' interaction with the religious leaders of the day and their poor interpretation of Israel's laws on Divorce gives modern readers insight into how God designed marriage from the beginning and that even in a sinful world, grace alone restores and repairs. As we turn to this difficult teaching and painful circumstances for nearly 50% of the population today, we will see how grace binds up what sin breaks apart and points us toward our ultimate union and marriage.

Who are the great men and women in history? What makes them great? Victory in war? Leadership in government? Fame? Service to humanity? At the end of Mark 9, Jesus identifies three different traits of Christian greatness. But be forewarned! There is also a shadow side to these traits exemplified in the person of Judas Iscariot, the one who will betray Jesus. In what direction is your heart pointed? We'll explore all this and more together on Sunday.

Listen as Pastor Jon Herr continues our series through the Gospel of Mark. This week's sermon will highlight the story of Jesus casting a demon from a young, mute boy. Pastor Herr will walk us through the text and help us to discern the schemes of the Devil by way of prayer and scripture.

The Transfiguration is one of the accounts of the life of Christ that is found in each of the Gospels. The universal church has dedicated a Sunday each year to acknowledge it. And yet, its importance is probably missed by most of us who are dazzled by the unveiling of Jesus so that we see his divine glory. Is it just a cool trick? Are we simply supposed to be impressed? What's the point of it all? This Sunday, we'll travel with Jesus, Peter, James, and John up the Mount of Transfiguration to be confronted by the glory in our midst, a glory that enables us to persevere through suffering and hardship until we become partakers in it ourselves.

The Apostle Peter is a favorite Bible character for many of us, especially those of us likely to put our foot in our mouth or otherwise have a spectacular failure. This week, we read about Peter's rise, his fall, and the lesson we all should take from the way Jesus engages him. None of us are totally triumphant in this world; we're all stumbling toward Jesus. And that should endear Peter to us all the more.

Message from Rev. Paul Hahn on February 16, 2025

How many times does something have to be explained to you before you understand? How many times do you need to see something with your own eyes before you believe it to be true? In Mark 8, we have another miraculous feeding, and Jesus uses the occasion to teach the disciples about the danger of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. The disciples don't understand; they think Jesus is complaining about the lack of bread! But it's not about the bread. Join us this Sunday to find out what it is and why the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod is still a danger to us today.

In Mark 7, Jesus and his disciples are confronted with an investigative team of Pharisees and scribes who have come up from Jerusalem. They ask Jesus why he and his disciples don't keep the tradition of the elders. In reply, Jesus condemns them for following commandments of men even at the expense of keeping the law of God. This week, we “punch right” and put our own practices and cherished traditions under review: have we substituted our own good ideas for Scripture? Are we satisfied with keeping man-made laws that make us look good, even if it allows us to disobey explicit commands of God? Although it's more comfortable to point out the sins of others; Jesus forces us to confront the dangerous deception of our own religious sins.

Three surprising things happen in succession over the course of 24 hours at the end of Mark 6. First, Jesus takes his disciples into the wilderness and performs a great miracle feeding 5,000. Then, he walks on water. Finally, he heals the sick in a region known for its prosperity and abundance. What ties these three stories together? This week, we look at the surprising places God shows up in our lives and the ways he uses both lack and abundance to help us see the need for his grace.

In the wake of tragedy, it is easy to ask: How did this happen? The cause of John's death is clearly Herod, and Mark attributes 3 shortcomings to his character: He has misinterpreted the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has neglected his own repentance, and failed to steward the relationships and resources around him according to God's will. In light of his sinful folly, John the Baptist is dead and his household have added “murder” to their list of sins before God. Yet even in the horror of his own sin, God's glory emerges through Herod's action in John's simple refrain: “Jesus must increase, I must decrease (John 3:30).” With John's death, his life purpose is now complete and the ministry of Jesus can take its place in human history according to the will of God.

We return this week to the Gospel of Mark. Our series title in Mark is “seeing Jesus.” And this week's text helps us see Jesus through the eyes of people who probably thought they knew him better than almost anyone: his friends and family from his hometown of Nazareth. But, the Jesus they think they see, the Jesus they think they know, isn't a Jesus they respect or worship. Instead they call him a derogatory name, they make fun of him, and even try to kill him. What is it about Jesus that evokes this response from those who should have been among the first to worship him?

The visit of the Magi to Jesus is one of the indelible marks of the Christmas season. Bearing their gifts, these “three kings from Orient are.” But who exactly were they and why did they travel for about a month from Babylon to Jerusalem? What did they come looking for and why is their appearance on the scene important for you and me? This Sunday, we celebrate the Epiphany of Jesus: his revelation to the gentiles and the spread of the good news down through history, enlarging God's family to include even you and me.

Pastor Danny closes out our Christmas series with his sermon "Firstborn from the Dead."

Eschatology is a theological term that refers to beliefs about the last days, final judgment, and the new creation. What does any of that have to do with Christmas? This Sunday, we'll turn again to John the Baptist—no longer preaching repentance in the wilderness, but now sitting in prison and wondering if Jesus is the one he was expecting. John's eschatology led to confusion about the work of Jesus. Our eschatology may also lead us to be confused about God's work on earth. So, what does Jesus tell John (and us) that will help us glorify God as we wait for the consummation of all things?

The second Sunday of Advent traditionally brings the ministry of John the Baptist into focus. The strange figure of John—dressed in camel's hair, eating locusts and honey, preaching repentance in the wilderness—seems out of place in our preparation for Christmas, but he is an “Advent” character: someone who helps the people prepare themselves for the Messiah's coming. This greatest of the prophets (as Jesus calls him) still points the way for us today. Do you see what John sees? Join us this Sunday as we continue our special Advent series through the Gospel of Luke.

Message from Rev. Eric Landry on December 1, 2024

Having defeated the giant Goliath, David is now a celebrity in Israel and even though only David, Samuel, and his brothers know that he has been anointed the new king, already people are reacting to him as if he is royalty. This Sunday, we'll consider three different reactions to David's emerging royal identity and consider how each reaction reflects the way we engage King Jesus in our own lives.

"David and ___." Just say the phrase and almost anyone can finish it. Even folks who have never read the story itself think they know the basic meaning: the little guy vs. the giant, the underdog gets the victory, unexpected weapons can take down a much bigger enemy. Is that the real meaning of this famous story? Do we read 1 Samuel 17 so we can figure out how to defeat the Goliaths in our life with “five smooth stones”? Join us this Sunday as we take a fresh look at a well-known story and see our Savior where too often we're told to look for ourselves.

As we return to our study in 1 Samuel after a two week break, you might be surprised by what we find. The last time we saw David at the beginning of chapter 16, he had been sought out and anointed as the new king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him (some translations say, “gripped him”) from that day forward. We expect great things from this new king! But as we keep reading chapter 16, we find out that he is still with his father's sheep! And Saul is still on the throne! And when David is finally brought into the royal court, he doesn't come as its king but as the king's servant! David is on hold. Why does God call and empower people only to make them wait? Maybe you are waiting on God this week, wondering if and when his promises will come to pass. Join us, as we pick up the story of David and prepare ourselves for the kind of fruitful waiting that being faithful to God requires.

Message from Rev. Dr. Robert Godfrey on November 3, 2024

Message from Rev. Bryce Waller on October 27, 2024

The anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16 is soaked in literary irony; Israel's King was supposed to “hear” the word of the LORD and obey. Not only does Israel not hear the warning of their prophet, Samuel, against their desire for a king, making them like the other nations, but their first king suffers from selective hearing. In chapter 15, the use of “hearing” and Saul's failure to heed the LORD's word and the warning of His prophet contrasts with a truer king soon to be anointed in David. Samuel is also the “seer” of Israel but fails to “see” Saul rightly, choosing him as king for his appearance. All this sets up for a beautiful catastrophe cast in the opening line of chapter 16. Here, God inaugurates His own divine plan for Israel; “How long will you grieve over Saul? Fill your horn with oil, and go.” In other words, it is now the LORD's turn to choose a king for His people. Samuel repeats his foolish choice in Eliab, who mirrors the appearance and charisma of Saul, but the LORD saves Israel from its savior (Dale Ralph Davis) and shows the reader what true sight is: “The LORD looks on the heart.” Beauty arises not externally but internally, and the Lord's “sight” discerns true beauty and true kingliness. His vision passes over all of Jesse's sons except one. David, the beloved son, the runt, the ugly duckling, the one not even invited to the sacrificial service or called by his father to be considered for kingship left to his domestic chores, is ironically the one “seen” by God as Israel's king. Here is a continuation of the great surprise of God's sight and the great reversal of our cultural expectations. Robert Alter compares David to the story of Cinderella. But the key is the source of David's inner beauty. He is a shepherd of the sheep. A man of sacrifice. A man capable of tender and gentle love. A man of great courage. A man attuned to the voice of the True Shepherd. God has seen His king in David, and in this ancient fairytale, our deepest longing rises to the surface, “Does anyone see me?”

Even before the terrorist attacks on 9/11, Americans had become used to the “holy war” Islamic radicals were waging against the West. It comes as a surprise to some then when they read passages like 1 Samuel 15 where God commands his people to wage a holy war against Gentile nations, like the Amalekites. But our discomfort with the term or even the prospect that God commands it should be shaped by the purpose and place of holy war in the work of God to redeem the world. This week, we turn to the next sad chapter of Saul's life when, because of his partial faithfulness, God rejects him fully and finally as king. That sad episode is set within a context of God's hatred of sin and absolute determination to make a a holy people for himself. Get ready for some heavy lifting this Sunday at Redeemer.

We could make an argument that gratitude is the fundamental quality of the Christian life. In gratitude, we live in response to God. In gratitude, we love God. In gratitude, we give our ourselves to God as he has given himself for us. When it comes to our giving habits in the church, we can miss the role of gratitude in our giving, and thus wrongly communicate our affection to God. On Sunday morning, we will explore two keys regarding giving from Paul's charge to the church in Ephesus through Timothy. Firstly, we are called to contentment, and secondly, we are to imitate God in our habits of giving, who has given us everything to enjoy. While we can face challenges in each, in practicing them, we take hold of that which is life, and avoid the trappings of a love for wealth, which can lead to ruin.

Does your religious practice look more like Saul's or more like Jonathan's? Do you think by making good choices and adding extra rules, you can somehow ensure God's favor? Or, are you freely confident in God's power, control, and love? This week, we turn to another sad chapter in the story of Saul. But the counterpoint to Saul's superstitious religion is Jonathan's biblical faithfulness: an example for us, for our families, and for our church.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and the brother of the famous hymn writer Charles Wesley, once said, “there is no little sin, because there is no little God to sin against.” This week, we turn to 1 Samuel 13 and a puzzling incident in the life of King Saul. It seems, at first glance, that Saul's sin is little and that Samuel makes too much of it. But Samuel says Saul's sin has provoked the Lord to look for a new king. How should we understand God's expectations and God's judgment, especially when we honestly consider our own faithlessness in big and little ways? The answer stretches from Genesis to Revelation, from King Adam to King Jesus. Join us this Sunday to discover why!

For nearly all of Samuel's life, he has fulfilled two roles for the nation of Israel: he has been God's prophet to the people and he has been a judge, the political and military leader that gave order to Israel's civil society. But now that Saul has been anointed and proclaimed and made king, it is time for Samuel's responsibilities to change. The time of the judges (stretching back Othniel in Judges 3:7) has come to an end. Now it is the time for the kings to reign. At this momentous turning point in Israel's history, Samuel preaches to them and his sermon is frightening and accusatory. It appears that Samuel is finally getting to say all the things he wants to say to a nation he believes has treated him unfairly. But the surprise isn't in the tone of the sermon. The surprise is found in the good news Samuel preaches to those who can't seem to do anything but evil. Join us this Sunday as we hear the gospel from Samuel.

Last week, we returned to 1 Samuel and saw God's hidden hand of providence bringing Saul to Samuel who told him that he would be the new king that Israel had demanded of God. This week, we go looking for the king. Where is he? Why hasn't this momentous occasion in the life of Israel made any difference? Where is the hero the people longed for, the prince who would save God's people? Every earthly kingdom—even the one God himself ordained in Israel—is a pale reflection of the eternal King and Kingdom to which you and I belong in Christ. This week, we see how Saul (in his failure and his success) whets our appetite for a King who will finally and forever be victorious over all our enemies.

As we return to the book of First Samuel, we are introduced to one of the most intriguing characters of Scripture: King Saul. But when we meet Saul, he is not yet king. Instead, he is on a journey to find his father's lost donkeys. Along the way, he meets the prophet Samuel whom God had told the day before that he would meet the man God had chosen to be Israel's king. The story of Saul is more than just history, it is an example of God's hidden hand in all of our lives: moving, directing, and even overruling events to achieve his purposes for us and for the world.

As we conclude our summer series through the books of 1st and 2nd Peter, we reach Peter's final plea. In the last verses of his second letter, Peter asks what kind of people should we be, knowing that the Lord is coming again to remake the heavens and the earth in righteousness? The motivation for Christian living isn't found in pragmatism (“try Jesus and your marriage will be better!); it is found in the cosmic lordship of Jesus Christ. Join us this Sunday as we conclude this sermon series with Peter pointing us to our only hope as exilic people: the Jesus who directs and guides history itself to its final, glorious, and eternal end.

Our minds are a collection of thoughts, feelings, and impulses that correspond in varying ways to the truth of the gospel. Peter identifies his purpose in this passage as "stirring up the sincere mind" of the believers he is addressing (3:1). This Sunday we will explore four ideas from our passage that stir our sincere minds in Christ. Those ideas include: remembering we are beloved people; responding to the prophets and commands of Christ; understanding the place of scoffers in the world and our relationship to them; and finally heeding the character of God as it relates to his relationship to time.

Peter's main point in this second letter is to warn the church about false teachers. The remaining verses of chapter two contain one of the most frightening descriptions we may ever read of a person. As Peter paints the picture of the false teacher, however, we also come to see our own complicity in their destructive ministry. What hope is there if we are naturally drawn to our own damnation? Join us this week as we see not just a portrait of our sin but also, ironically, of the Savior who will rescue us.

Once, while traveling at a high speed down one of California's freeways, my check engine light came on. I'm not what you would call a “car guy” but I knew that such lights were not good news. Within minutes, I had a massive oil leak and my engine seized. I was stranded on the side of the road. What kind of warnings does God give to a church in trouble? In our passage this Sunday, Peter turns his focus to the false teachers who are sure to arise in the church: how will we notice them, what they teach, how should we resist. Even if we're not “theology experts” we are called to be aware of the dangers to the church. Join us this Sunday as we begin our work.

During the 20th century, objections to Christianity largely centered on the historical reliability of the New Testament and claims of unscientific evidence supportive of the acts of Jesus. Today's objections are much more powerful, however. 21st century people are less bothered by the supernatural occurrences in the Bible and are more concerned with how the stories of ancient Israel are relevant to their lives today. Modern audiences struggle to see the significance of the Bible and its need. We can see from modern archeology how the Bible is the most historically reliable ancient document on earth, yet that often does not convince people of its truth. So, what does? How does head knowledge become heart knowledge? How does a crucified messiah get into our lives today? This week, we will look not only at the “how” of trusting the Bible but also the “why”, and “what happens”, when we do. In this section of Peter's letter, we find the key to seeing the Bible for all it's worth, historically and experientially, is to see the One it is all about.