2025 November

An Incarnation of Hope

An Incarnation of Hope

This sermon is based on Isaiah 40:27-31. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: We always have Christmas to look forward to. No matter where we are in the calendar, Christmas is always just a few months away. But we are blessed. The people before Christmas came to earth didn’t have any such hope. Instead, their lives were filled with misery and pain, waiting and longing, anxiety and heaviness. But that first Christmas changed all of that. Not only because it inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Not only because it welcomed the king. Not only because it proclaimed that God was with us, but because it was an incarnation of hope. And hope changes everything.

Thanksgiving 2025

Thanksgiving 2025

Everyone loves beautiful things. We hang beautiful things on our walls. We go to art museums and let the art carry us away to beautiful and extraordinary places. We wear beautiful jewelry around our necks and fingers and wrists and hang it from our ears. We gravitate toward beautiful landscapes and scenic locations. Everyone loves beauty. We even love beautiful theology—truths that move us, words that grip us, concepts that free us and then carry us away. The Nicene Creed is beautiful theology. It is present from start to finish as it flows through the magnificence of our faith. But three lines, in particular, stand out as being composed with beauty and grace. Here, we see the composers of the Creed take a complex and once-contested doctrine—who is Jesus?—and make it absolutely beautiful. These eleven words have always captured my heart and my imagination. God from God, Light from Light,

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

This sermon is based on Luke 17:11-19. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A

“Be Like Jesus”

“Be Like Jesus”

“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (Luke 6:40) I’m sure you remember the old schoolyard scam. You tell someone they have discovered a magic lamp and the genie has offered to give them three wishes. “What do you wish for?” you ask innocently enough. They think for a minute and then respond with their best answers. “I would wish for 10 million dollars, a sexy new sportscar and the ability to get a date.” You smile. They have fallen into your trap. Now, it is your turn to show them just how much wiser and more astute you are than they could ever hope to be. You say, “What an idiot! I would ask for 20 million dollars, five sexy new sportscars and three more wishes!” Hilarity ensues as you walk away feeling so superior while they look

Stand Out and Stand Firm

Stand Out and Stand Firm

This sermon is based on Matthew 5:14-16. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”

“Mission”

“Mission”

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Even as a kid, it always struck me as odd. You have a super-spy organization, but they have a ridiculous name (the Impossible Mission Force). Worse, they are involved in top-, top-secret missions, but they don’t have a secure office. Instead, they meet in an apartment so that their neighbors can hear what they are up to. The agents are only part-time; and since their other careers are well-known (actors, athletes and models), you would think that someone might recognize them when they were on a job (but luckily, they never do!). And top-secret missions were delivered, not by a real person or even a secure FedEx envelope, but by audio-cassettes, phonograph

Standing Out with the Church

Standing Out with the Church

This sermon is based on Acts 2:42-47. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”

“Dogged Tenacity”

“Dogged Tenacity”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) It is one of Woody Allen’s most famous quotes. He said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Now, I guess you can dismiss that quote by questioning how wise Woody Allen is. After all, he is just a film maker. Worse, he hasn’t made a good movie in years. But be that as it may, there are many other people who have argued for a similar point, people like Stephen Hawking (“Half the battle is just showing up.”), business guru Harvey MacKay (“You can beat 80% of the competition just by showing up.”), American entrepreneur Paul Budnitz (“Success is an accident. Showing up, even if it is just for five minutes, makes us accident-prone.”) and the actor Peter Gallagher (“To stay on the map, you’ve

Standing Out with All Your Heart

Standing Out with All Your Heart

This sermon is based on Romans 10:9-13. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”