Sermon Notes
Find a recap and sermon audio from previous worship services.
What God Has Done: Consecration
From the beginning, God has set aside certain places, things, and people for his purposes. The idea of consecration endows human life with meaning and purpose - we are given a mission and goal. The church is where God's consecrated people collaborate to spread the Gospel in word and act.
What God Has Done: Transformation
It takes very little to be 'against' something. From the beginning, the Church has been against poverty, sickness, and hunger. The challenge is how to be 'for' something - how to live out the Gospel in word and act. Scripture teaches us that Jesus transforms the problems our community faces into opportunities for faithfulness. Because of this, we are called to confront our problems in faith, not hide from them.
What God Has Done: Expectations
This year's stewardship campaign calls us to consider What God Has done through our church. Often we focus only on what we, alone, are capable, of when the spirit of stewardship is inherently collective. Using the story of Lazarus, we find that our expectations of God and his expectations of us are relational. We expect God to help the needy and God expects us to help him serve the needy. Pursuing stewardship faithfully means setting biblical expectations for God, our church, and ourselves.
The Beginning of Christian Formation
Christian formation is a lifelong process that begins in the home. Before there was Sunday school, youth group, or confirmation - the people of God used their experience with God to teach their children. What can today's church learn from this? And how can we avoid making the same mistakes that we find in scripture?
The Family of God
In Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth, he argues that the Exodus event reveals something about what it means to be a member of the church. In the Exodus event, the Hebrew people are transformed into the nation of Israel - God's chosen people. And in Baptism, people of all kinds are transformed into children of God - members of God's family. In the wilderness, Israel ate manna and today we commune with the same heavenly food and drink. Now, as then, we must learn to coexist with our new family members despite the challenge.
Genesis: The Revelation
Is God with us in our worst moments and our best moments? Do we deserve the evil that happens to us - and do we earn the good? The conclusion to Joseph’s story challenges us to consider the constancy of God’s grace and presence. We cannot earn what God freely gives us, and we are called to show this same generosity toward our neighbor.
Genesis: The Betrayal
Too often, our longing for moral simplicity clouds our judgment. Instead of seeing our neighbor as a complex, sympathetic human - we are tempted to label them as 'good' or 'evil.' Scripture resists this approach, instead urging us to lead with empathy in all that we do. Empathy is difficult, but it makes redemption possible - and we are called to be a people defined by redemption.
Genesis: The Reunion
The reunion of Jacob and Esau is the culmination of God’s plan to bless both brothers. It is a glimpse into the sort of blessing that God gives freely. Their effortless reconciliation stands in contrast the the blessings that come only through struggle. In the span of 24 hours, Jacob experiences both kinds of blessings.
Genesis: The Stranger
In the story of Jacob and Essau, Jacob acts deceptively to manipulate his brother and father. Essau acts ungratefully and plots his brother's murder. Despite their actions, God blesses them. Their story illustrates the scandalous grace of the Gospel, reminding us that God can take anything we give him and transform it into blessing.
Genesis: The Test
Devotion to God has taken on many forms throughout the history of the church. Conventional wisdom assures us that God meets us in our testing. So what should we make of Abraham’s test in Genesis 22? In the choice between sacrifice and mercy, scripture confirms that God will choose mercy every time.
Genesis: The Son
Who are the good guys in the Bible? The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar challenge us to reconsider who the heroes of God’s story are. For as much as we might learn from Abraham’s good example, we have just as much to learn from his life as a cautionary tale. God’s relationship with humanity is not limited to one group or another - the heroes vs. the villains. And so the Church must also make room for all kinds as we pursue faithfulness to God.
Genesis: The Call
Abraham is considered the patriarch of 3 major world religions. When God calls him into a new land, away from his home and family, Abraham is blessed to be a blessing. He is chosen by God, from all humanity, so that God might relate to creation in a new way. In the story of Abraham, we meet a God whose righteousness is the basis of covenantal love. We are called to respond with faith.
Genesis: The Covenant
The Story of Noah and the floor is as confusing as it is captivating. In the narrative we meet a God consumed with regret and in pursuit of holiness. By the end, though, we are left wondering whether God cares only for the righteous, and not the guilty. Truth requires us to admit that we are numbered among the guilty. So what are to supposed to learn from this passage in scripture?
Genesis: The Fall
Where does sin come from? Why did God allow evil to enter the world? And most importantly: what does God do when his children are harmed by sin? Genesis explores the nature of God through deceivingly simple stories that reveal as much about humanity as they do God. The story of The Fall serves to remind us that God meets sin with grace and forgiveness.
Genesis: The Beginning
Why did God give us the Bible? Is it a tool to help us live our best life, to settle disagreements about science and politics, or is it something else entirely? The origin story of humanity resists the simplicity of a neat and orderly creation story. Instead of seeking to answer our modern questions, this scripture asks timeless questions of us. Why are we alive, how did we get here, and what do we do now?
Baptism into Christ
What do we believe is happening in Baptism? What is the role of the church? And how should we honor our Baptism in daily life? These questions and their practical implications are taken up in a lesson on scripture’s witness to Baptism in the Old and New Testaments.
Everyone Who Believes
Every church has been given a community to love and care for. Jesus tells us that our community is closely tied to our reason for existing - to bring good news to the poor, freedom to the prisoners, and recovery of sight to the blind. When we learn to recognize the poor, prisoner, and blind within our community, we come to know our 'why'. When we live out our 'why' - our future becomes discernible and achievable.
The Lord’s Disciples
The future of the church has always been made up of members God is calling into ministry today. The unlikely conversions of the Apostle Paul and the Ethiopian Eunuch challenge and upset our expectations regarding the identity of those who will shape the church's future. God teaches us time and again that unity in faith overcomes all kinds of division.
Anyone in Need
The four marks of the church are: teaching, fellowship, the sacraments, and prayer. Every church is called to these practices, but not every church pursues them through faith. Often times we pursue them through anxiety and miss the blessing God has in store. This week we consider how to pursue the fundamentals of the church in the future by beginning from a position of faith.
And Your Children
We begin a new series titled: The Future of the Church. Each week we consider how the Book of Acts depicts the ideal set by the early church. After studying the past, we discuss a future for our church defined by faith vs. anxiety. During the first lesson, we study the role children and families play in the church of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.