In our society we have all sorts of memorials (presidential libraries, gravestones at cemeteries, statues, monuments, etc).  And of course our lives, and the things we do, can leave a lasting memorial or legacy.  And that’s why I bring this up today.  You see, as we look at this passage, we find Jesus in verse 9 talking about how this woman’s actions would be memorialized.  This woman’s actions would leave a legacy.  And as we think about this woman’s legacy, I believe this passage calls us to consider our own lives.  Will we leave a legacy to be remembered?  If so, what will that look like?  Jesus shows us in this passage how to live so as to leave a legacy.

Passage: Mark 14:1-11
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/04/2009 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

As a Memorial [ 36:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When you look at a mountain range from a distance, you probably see a number of peaks and they probably appear to all be very close together.  They might even look right next to each other.  And yet, as you get closer and closer to the mountain peaks, you usually find that they are actually very far apart, maybe many miles away.  You see, perspective is everything, and sometimes looking at two different things from far away, they can look much closer than they actually are.

I bring up this simple analogy because in our passage for today we have a lot of prophecy about the end times.  And this prophecy is in one sense about the destruction of the temple.  But in another sense it’s about all the tribulation leading up to the end when Christ returns.  And yet the prophecies in this chapter, to a certain degree, seem to bring these events together, all in close proximity to each other.  And yet we know from history that the temple was destroyed all the way back in 70 AD.  That’s almost 2000 years ago, and the end has not yet come.  You see, a very simplistic reading of this prophecy could lend you to think that the end should have already came back in 70 AD.  But, that would be too simplistic of an interpretation.

Passage: Mark 13
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/28/2008 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

Watch! [ 40:48 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

People like to judge ourselves and others all the time.  Usually it comes from a self-centered desire to exalt ourselves over man.  We want others to praise us.  And yet it is God alone who deserves all praise, and it is Jesus alone who is the judge of all.

As we look at this passage we’ll see Jesus address these common human tendencies as we compare the scribes with this poor widow who gave everything she had.

Passage: Mark 12:38-44
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/14/2008 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

All That She Had [ 34:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

It’s the Christmas season already.  For many in Marin this is a time of goodwill.  It’s a time to spread love and to give gifts.  Of course, this holiday used to have a more Christian emphasis in our culture, but that’s quickly becoming less and less the case anymore.  And yet, even among people who don’t go to church regularly, Christmas might be one of the times that they do.  It’s hard even for the secular public to get away from the fact that Christmas is a day for many to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.

And yet, even though many people might know that is what Christmas is historically about, that doesn’t mean people really know who Jesus is.  Sure, they might know something of Jesus Christ.  They might know something about his teachings.  They can probably even quote you a few sayings of Jesus.  But that doesn’t mean they really know who Jesus is.  They might know the human Jesus in some general historical way, but that doesn’t mean they know who he really is as the Christ.

Passage: Mark 12:35-37
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/07/2008 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

How is He then His Son? [ 36:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download