Trinity Church Eindhoven Sermons

Sermon – April 27 , 2025 This Sunday, we reflected on Thomas’s encounter with the risen Lord. We explored the reasons behind his doubts and how he moved from uncertainty to a personal faith in the risen Christ. Through this powerful moment, we considered the lessons it offers for our own Christian journey.

Are we seeking Jesus among the dead or among the living?If we truly look for Him among the living, we must believe in the resurrected Christ and embrace the hope His resurrection brings. His victory over death is not merely a historical event—it is a present and living reality. Through His resurrection, we are invited into new life; we become a new creation in Him.Our old selves, marked by sin and despair, have been put to death, and we now live through His power, with hearts renewed by His Spirit. As we walk in this newness of life, we are called to live as people of hope, proclaiming with our lives that Jesus is alive—and because He lives, we also live.

Mary’s anointing of Jesus was a beautiful, voluntary act of love and devotion, done in recognition of who He was and the preciousness of the moment. While others focused on practical concerns, Mary gave her best to Jesus, filling the house—and His heart—with the fragrance of her love. Her example reminds us that true service flows from sincere love, and whatever we do for others in His name, we do for Him.

The Bible is full of stories about God seeking the lost. When Adam and Eve hid in fear after committing sin, God came searching for them. Since then, God has continued to seek out His lost children. “Lost and Found” is an important theme in the Gospel of Luke. Early in the gospel, Mary and Joseph thought they had lost Jesus during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Later, Cleopas and his companion believed they had lost Jesus in His crucifixion. In both cases, they thought Jesus was lost. However, in the middle of his gospel, in chapter 15, Luke presents three parables—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son—to teach us that while human beings are lost, God is willing to make an effort to serach for us. Everyone has lost something at some point in life. People use different methods to recover lost items. Airports have lost and found counters, and websites allow people to report lost belongings. There is great joy when a lost item is found and returned to its rightful owner. We all hope for lost items to be restored, but statistics show that for every item found, two are lost permanently. Why do so many things remain lost? Often, people are unaware they have lost something. Even if they realize it, they may be too indifferent or unwilling to make the effort to recover it. In some cases, finding the lost may simply be beyond their ability. However, that is not the case with our Lord. We are lost, but He does everything possible to seek and save us. Jesus said, “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). May the Lord help us not to resist His searching but to be found and rejoice in His presence in His Kingdom. God bless!

Sermon – March 23 , 2025 When we face difficulties, we question God. Whenever disaster strikes the world, many ask, “Where is God?” The question people seek answers to is: “Where is God when it hurts?” Such a question carries many assumptions, two of which are particularly common: 1.      Is God failing in His duty to protect His people? Despite our disobedience, are we demanding unconditional support from God? This suggests that we believe God should be accountable to us, rather than the other way around. 2.      Is God inflicting suffering on people? If we take this view, we may portray Him as the author of suffering and death. However, that is not the case—sin is the author of suffering and death. God, on the other hand, is the author of life and life in abundance. Some people came to Jesus and asked why some Galileans were killed by Pilate (Luke 13:1-9). Their assumption was that these individuals suffered such cruel deaths because they were the worst sinners. However, Jesus did not want to be judgmental as they were. Instead, He made it once again clear that sin is the cause of suffering and death. Death is inevitable because of sin. Therefore Jesus said, “But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13.5).  Yet, God does not distance Himself from suffering and death. Instead, He came to suffer with us, to die for us on the cross, and on the third day, to rise from the dead. His resurrection gives us victory over sin and death. Therefore, God, the author of life, gives us all a second chance. We fail, yet He comes to offer us another opportunity. Zacchaeus, a tax collector, was given a chance—he repented and started a new life. Peter denied Jesus three times but was given three chances to express his love for Him. The thieves crucified alongside Jesus was given a final chance—and one accepted Jesus. If we are alive today, it means we have been given another chance to repent and embrace the life Jesus offers. Let us be aware of the life that is available in Him. The question is not why disaster strikes the world but what God offers us in the midst of such chaos. May God help us embrace this new life that is found in Jesus! God bless!