Devotion/Homily

Feet to Follow Jesus

Jesus, who willingly directed his feet to walk that difficult path of obedience marked out for him by his heavenly Father, endured heavy opposition from enemies as a result. Be clear, therefore: When Jesus bids a person to follow him, he doesn’t present the call as something of an attractive bargain.

March 13, 2012
Ears to Hear, Hearts to Obey

To love to hear the Lord spoken of, and to seek to follow him: Is there a finer summary description of a Christian’s aim?

March 9, 2012

The Radiant Preciousness of Jesus Series

During this Lenten season, I intend to focus these meditations on the radiant preciousness of our Lord Jesus Christ and his love-driven willingness to endure cruel suffering and death in order to bring us new life.

February 21, 2012
Coop's Column - Creation's Choir Sings Hymns of Praise

It takes an act of slowing life down enough to cultivate wonder, which is one of the reasons God bids his children to practice Sabbath—to take a day off in order to savor life for the sheer and undeserved gift that it is, and then in turn to worship God and to give God thanks for it. This column includes an audio recording by Dale Cooper.

February 15, 2012
Coop's Column- All Your Wondrous Works Proclaim

With so much around us to invite our curiosity and to evoke our wonder, a bored attitude toward life is sinful. A day’s adventure in the world ought to end, after all, with an exclamation point of thanksgiving to God.

January 5, 2012

Coop's Column - Spirit at Work: Guarantor

The Spirit is the strange, personal presence of the living God himself, leading, guiding, warning, rebuking, grieving over our failings and celebrating our small steps toward the true inheritance.

December 12, 2011
Coop's Column- Spirit at Work: Sender

This Good News - as every lesser piece of good news - is meant to be shared. And shared everywhere, always, by all who believe it.

November 30, 2011

Coop's Column - Spirit at Work: Assurer

Doubting is cool nowadays—it’s “in.” Some Christians, a few pastors among them, seem to take no small delight in announcing that they’re no longer sure about the centralities of the faith.

October 19, 2011
Coop's Column - Spirit at Work: The Transformer's Instruments

God’s Word teaches that the Spirit employs four principal means for shaping Christians: Scripture, the sacraments, a person’s life experiences, and time.

October 5, 2011
Coop's Column - Spirit at Work: Transformer

“The Holy Spirit is writing us into the revelation, the story of salvation. We find ourselves in the story as followers of Jesus. … Our task is to obey—believingly, trustingly obey.”

September 20, 2011