Friend of God
“I no longer call you servants; I call you friends.” This sounds like a promotion; but is it always? Throughout Scripture, Abraham is a prototype of the “Friend of God.” By peeking into his life, and the disciples’ lives, we get a glimpse what it means to nourish, abide in, and live out this friendship. This sermon will explore the question: What does it really mean to be a friend of God… especially when life takes us places we wouldn’t pick for ourselves?
Making Room for Wisdom | Free at Last Week 6
“Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment with a promise. But even if this commandment is good advice, how is it good news? How are we expected to follow this one when relationships are frayed? This sermon will explore this commandment, Jesus’ redefinition of the “family,” and paint a picture of what it means for us to live into our own families (and the family of God) across generations.
The New Humanity | Easter People Week 8
On Pentecost, the Spirit forms the church as a people who confound the world’s categories of insider and outsider, near and far, clean and unclean. In Christ, those who were once far off are brought near, old hostilities are put to death, and strangers are made members of one household. This sermon invites us to see the church not merely as a place we attend, but as a Spirit-filled community of blessing, reconciliation, and belonging where God is building (and inviting us into) a new way of being human.
Lord Teach Us to Pray | Easter Week 3
Paul writes to the church in Ephesus connecting prayer with the power of the resurrection, leaving us to wonder: what does that mean for our prayers right now? What is the advantage of the resurrection (if any) for our everyday lives and experiences?
In this sermon, we’ll overhear Paul’s prayers, exploring how prayer joins us with God’s mission of bringing new life, and how Jesus’ resurrection changes what we can expect when we pray.
Made New | Follow the Lamb Week 6
Our world is broken (that’s no surprise to us). In Revelation, John writes of a world made new; and if Revelation isn’t just a prediction about the end of the world, but a window into God’s work now, how do we make sense of the brokenness going on in the world? In this sermon, we’ll talk about what it means for God to make the world new, and how we (even amidst our brokenness) can join God in the work of repair.
Mary had a Little Lamb
The Christmas story contains a lot of surprises: not the least of which is Jesus’ lowliness as a peasant announced to shepherds, born to a family with limited prospects, raised in an ancient near-Eastern backwater. Because the story has grown familiar to some of us, we can overlook the scandal of Jesus’ lowliness in his first coming, as we wait for a triumphant second-coming. But what if we’re in for yet another surprise? This sermon will explore John’s vision of Jesus as (simultaneously) the Lion of Judah and Lamb of God, giving us (in both Spirit and example) an invitation to see how power and gentleness can live together.
As The Spirit Empowered | The Church Week 4
Our cultural moment is determined either to keep faith “personal and private,” OR to militarize our faith, bludgeoning others with our arguments. The apostles give us a third way: refusing to compartmentalize or weaponize, they instead, “spoke as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2) This sermon will address what it means for us to speak as the Spirit enables us.
Blessed are the Meek | The Beatitudes Week 5
We’ve nearly discarded the word “meek” from our vocabulary: partly because we don’t understand what it means, and partly because it feels impractical, fragile… not fit for our moment. In every life, though, there comes a moment when we need a power that’s more than forcefulness, and a fortitude that’s based on more than blind optimism. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
A Table in the Community | The Table Week 4
Luke seems nearly obsessed with having us picture Christ’s life – and the church’s life – at the table. This sermon will explore how for the early church (and for us) the table can be a place that re-defines what it means to be family.
Some Condemnation | Lent Week 5
One of the core teachings of the Christian faith is that “in the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.” The problem is: we don’t believe it… at least not enough to release us from the crushing weight of shame. In this sermon, we’ll explore John 8 and Romans 8, seeing how Jesus demonstrates – and Paul codifies – a new posture toward the most vulnerable, unpresentable, unworthy versions of ourselves and each other.
Born Again | Signs Week 3
Nicodemus and being born from above. This exchange between Jesus and Nicodemus left the Pharisee confused, because he couldn’t understand what it meant to be born again. Do we understand it? Or have we just fooled ourselves into thinking we do? This sermon will talk about what Jesus meant when he talked about being “born again,” and how that differs from our expectations of “spiritual life,” and reframes our approach to life with God.
Adopting a Promise | Advent Week 3
An angel appeared to Joseph, because (though he didn’t carry the life of God within him) he had a load-bearing role to play in Jesus’ life. The angel’s call to Joseph – to adopt the promise of God – offers us countless gifts in the inheritance of faith: from the way we interpret Scripture, to the way we see our lives in light of other people’s callings. This sermon will explore some of the inheritance Joseph left us through Jesus, and make space for us to overhear Joseph’s invitation as one we might accept, too.
The Holy Economy | Restoring the Future Week 6
Nehemiah’s work is largely focused on rebuilding crumbling walls; but in this passage, he’s worried about a crumbling community. This sermon will walk through the forces that pulled Nehemiah’s community (and ours) apart – and the invitation of God to live in a new way that pulls us together.
Without Honor
Mark 6 is one of the most infamous “un-miracle” stories in the Bible. Jesus is back in his hometown, and instead of receiving a warm reception, he’s met with unbelief… so much so that he’s unable to do much of his best work; he later explains this to his hearers, saying that a “prophet is without honor in his hometown.” Why – on the heels of incredible miracles – is Jesus unable to do much ministry among the people who knew him best? This sermon will explore the relationship between God’s work and our belief, attention, and assumptions, and invite us to be part of God’s ministry to those who are unconvinced by Jesus.
A Conversion of Trust | Conversion Week 2
It’s tempting to read the story of Peter in the boat as a simple moral tale: don’t doubt, and God will enable you to participate in a miracle. That’s not good news; has anyone ever manufactured more faith on-command? The Good News is that in this passage, there’s a different invitation, one that helps us journey with the God who loves us enough to come find us in the storm, and then – amidst our unbelief – to walk as Jesus does. This sermon will explore Matthew 14’s fateful night in the boat, and help us learn how we can follow Jesus – walking, sinking, swimming, confessing – into a promise we can put weight on.
What’s in a List? | Advent Week 2
When we come to the “list” passages in the Bible, our eyes glaze over: measurements, records, genealogies – maybe these are part of historical record, but wouldn’t the Bible be better if we took them out? That’s probably true…. unless there’s something in the list that is (itself) a story. This sermon will walk through one of those infamous lists, helping us freshly imagine why these (even these!) verses of the Gospels can be truly Good News.
To the Interests of Others | Community of Faith Week 6
What does it mean (really) to be humble? Humility is an often-praised virtue throughout the Scriptures; but how do we cultivate it in our everyday lives? And what – despite our best efforts – gets in the way? This sermon will address the shape of humility, and the ways our current habits, attitudes, and practices may choke it out.
Wrestling with God
Christians typically talk about the importance of submitting to God as part of our discipleship. But what about wrestling with God? Not just the cliche, topical-level struggles to believe, but deep conflict with God… what could be the value of that? This sermon will unpack Jacob’s struggle with God, and our own – and discuss how conflict with God–real and brutal –can leave us with a blessing, even as it leaves us with a limp.
What We’re Building | The Prophets Week 5
Haggai is an often-overlooked prophet – his book has only 2 chapters, and his main focus is restarting a building project God’s people have long left dormant. Our time and place may demand a different “building project” than Haggai’s, but his central questions hold up: why is there so often a gap between God’s priorities and ours? And how do we faithfully say “yes” to God’s invitation in a way that’s sustainable and lifelong? This sermon will explore those questions, and invite us to experience the Gospel as we build what God’s called us to.
Risen Indeed | Easter Week 4
We talk often about the resurrection as a central event in Christian history, and it is. But what bearings does the resurrection have–not only on what we usually conceive of as our “spiritual life,” but our ordinary habits, dreams, relationships, and losses? If the resurrection isn’t Good News for that, we need another gospel… but if it is, our lives have real possibilities of reflecting Christ’s life. This sermon will talk about those new possibilities, and explore how new life in Christ is a real advantage for ordinary people living ordinary lives.