Sermon Archives

Any Christian survivor of hard times learns from hard experiences that with affliction, God gives us what we need to get through difficult times: strength of will, the fellowship of good friends, confidence in our convictions, hope for the future. All of this is built on awareness and acceptance in faith of the new normal. […]

God invests in you so that you will become a part of God’s family welcomed and included by the Spirit instead of by the flesh. Paul says that “all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (v. 14). As children of God, we need never feel hollowed out or empty, […]

At Babel, the scattering of languages was an act of judgment in response to disobedience, bringing confusion and division. At Pentecost, the scattering of languages is an act of blessing in response to obedience, bringing new insight and unity of purpose. At Pentecost, God did not give us a new, perfect universal language. Instead, God […]

The word “power,” here, is not dunamis, but another Greek word, megaleios, which means something like the mighty or marvelous deeds of God. The Pentecost miracle that fulfills Christ’s promise of “power from on high” is very much an embodiment of that divine power. Promise made, promise fulfilled. We witness the continued fulfillment of that promise today […]

 How to Conquer the World. Christ, then, is the Son of God. He is our prophet, priest, and king. He was born in a manger, died on a cross, and rose to defeat sin and death. He came from nothing. He conquered everything. But remember this: most of our Lord’s victory is yet to be realized. […]

Because “God is love…those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them” (v. 16). To abide is to live or to dwell in something. To abide is to accept, observe and follow a particular path. For John, to prove that we love God means we love our brothers and sisters. To […]

The Good Shepherd brand is based on sacrifice, on a deep relationship with people and with God, on the power of community, on a desire to reach new people, and on complete self-giving. In a world of so many competing religions, we need to focus on speaking God’s truth to a bewildered world and to […]

The patience of God is a beckoning hand, an open door, a pathway home. The patience of God came to Jonah in the belly of a fish, calling him to get back on board with God’s plan to redeem the Ninevites. The patience of God came to Matthew at the tax booth with Jesus calling […]

Grace is a gift. You cannot be a follower of Jesus Christ if you do not set aside judgmental, rules-based thinking, and claim the joyful truth that you are never going to get what you deserve at the hand of God. Which is a good thing, because, if we got what we deserve, we would […]