Sermon Archives

There is an old story about a king, whose people had grown soft and entitled. Displeased, the king hoped to teach them a lesson. He placed a large boulder in the middle of the road, completely blocking entry into the city. Then he hid nearby to observe their reactions. Would they band together to remove […]

Jesus’ parables to help to us recognize the truth of who we are and who we might become with God’s help. That truth is revealed in the parable of a tenacious seed, scattered by a gardener, which grows to offer abundance. This process is a mystery to the gardener, but not to Jesus, who teaches […]

I don’t know if getting older gives you any wisdom. I probably had as much wisdom at your age as I do at mine. But there is one hard thing that I have learned, and I hope that you remember this if nothing else. You have more to fear from your inhibitions than you do […]

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 […]