Matt O'Reilly, PhD

I’ve just finished a series of messages focused on the miracles of Jesus that appear in the Gospel of John. The miracles can be tough to preach on. So the series was a big opportunity to grow as preacher. It presented challenges, but it was also a lot of fun. John calls the miracles “signs.” And my approach throughout the series revolved around the way the miracles should be understood as signs of new creation. We spend a lot time considering how John wants his readers to see

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5402610/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fbody-of-christ-bread-of-life-john-11-5-10-18-648-58-1272014-rev-matt-oreilly%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1 When we want to read about the birth of Jesus, we usually turn to Matthew and Luke. After all, that’s where we find angels and shepherds, magi and the manger, Mary and Joseph, and, not least, baby Jesus himself. We don’t usually turn to the Gospel of John. John doesn’

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5393909/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fhis-presence-our-salvation-matthew-118-25-11302014-rev-matt-oreilly%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1 Advent is about Christ’s coming. And his coming is about the promise of his presence with us. But Christ is not present with us in exactly the same way as he was to his first followers. None of us have ever had an experience like that of the disciples, who were granted to look

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5358533/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fgenerous-god-generous-people-2-corinthians-81-9-110214-rev-matt-oreilly%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1 There are many words to describe God. One of those words is “generous”. And what an excellent word to describe the big-hearted and overflowing extravagance of God’s grace. We can be exceedingly grateful that God relates to us with a generous grace. But if God treats us wit

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5338718/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Ffully-focused-on-the-finish-phil-312-43-101914-rev-matt-oreilly%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1 When I read the letters of Paul, I often wonder whether he was a fan of athletic games – foot racing, at least. On several occasions Paul draws on the language of the races to illumine the nature of the Christian life. For instance, “Do you not know that in a race the runners all

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5320402/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fchristlike-in-real-life-phil-219-30-10514-rev-matt-oreilly%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1 How would you like to be part of a group of people who were always concerned with your best interests? A group of people who were consistently and genuinely looking out for your well-being? They would be loyal to you. They would encourage you. They would build you up. That would be gre

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5312367/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Fsaved-all-the-way-phil-21-18-92814-rev-matt-oreilly%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1 One reason I love Philippians is the constant attention Paul gives to applying the gospel to all of life. He really wants to see the light of the grace of God shine into every crack and crevice of the human heart. He wants to see us work out the grace that God has worked in us. One way he doe

http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5303679/url/http%253A%252F%252Fstmarkumc.podbean.com%252Fe%252Flife-worth-living%252F/initByJs/1/auto/1?skin=3 The apostle Paul said a lot of remarkable (and often surprising!) things. One thing that I find particularly remarkable is the fact that even in the midst of great suffering he was still able to find joy. This shows up with clarity early in his letter to the Philippians. Paul reports not only that he is in prison for C

It’s a question that many regular churchgoers may never ask. Church, for a lot of us, is the default position. It’s just what you do. Why ask why. However, more and more people are finding the Church unnecessary. And a growing number are looking to places other than the Church to find spiritual fulfillment. Recent years have seen the rise of the “spiritual but not religious,” who find great importance in spirituality but don’t see traditional expressions of the Church as good

Every organization that wants to be around and be effective for the long haul must, at some point, ask the question: What is the most important thing? They must decide what matters most, and then they must resolve to keep that most important thing always before their eyes, always in front of them. They must pursue it relentlessly. They must keep first things first. The Church of Jesus Christ is no different. Like any other organization, we must decide our priorities and keep

When I began preparing my sermon for last Sunday on the topic of Christmas and the promise of peace, I didn’t know I would deliver it only days after what was undoubtedly one of the most wicked and satanic acts of evil to occur in my lifetime. Like many pastors, I felt the weighty responsibility to step into the pulpit and lead the people of God in reflecting biblically on the tragedy that took place on December 14 in Newtown, Connecticut. Little sense can be made of such eve

I’ve been preaching through the Gospel of Mark for nearly seven months now, and I am repeatedly considering questions regarding the appropriate way to read and interpret the narrative.  I’ve been considering this question with particular interest in interpreting the signs (or miracles) of Jesus.  The miracle texts are often simply taken as affirmations of Jesus’ divine nature, and while that may be involved, I’m not so sure that’s what Mark is really getting at with the mirac

1 Peter 3:18-22 is one of the most obscure and difficult texts in all of scripture.  When did Christ preach to the spirits in prison?  What was the content of his preaching?  Where did he go to do this preaching?  There seems no end to the possible interpretive spins suggested by commentators with regard to this text, and the debate will certainly not be settled in a single blog post. The difficulty should not distract us from what is clear about the passage, though.  Three f

Psalm 51 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:2 King David had been called a man after God’s own heart. He had known God’s protection, God’s kindness, and God’s abundance. He was popular. He was powerful. He was prosperous. But he was not above the possibility of transgression. One day he awoke in the afternoon. As he walked out on the roof of his house, he saw a woman named Bathsheba bathing in accordance with ritual purification regulations. David desired her, and instead of running from