SERIES SUMMARY
Vision Sunday | Week 1
What time is it? And what kind of Church produces the people that are called for by these times? This sermon we’ll introduce the series by suggesting that we live in a time of exile, and that the kind of
The Temptation of Power | Week 2
When we first hear of exile, we are tempted to complain, to resist, to try and regain control. We insist that we have rights, or that we are too powerful to ignore. And here we are faced with the choice
The Temptation of Relevance | Week 3
Once on the margins, we want to be relevant. We seek the approval of those in the center. We try to become what we think the host culture will value and sometimes forget that our first call is to the
The Temptation to Return | Week 4
Just as some are always changing there are others who get stuck. They bide their time on the margins, waiting for the day when things will return to normal. To them, the remnant is something left over from the past
The Commitment to Purity | Week 5
Our current trajectory of unrestrained pleasure, of freedom without responsibility will have tragic consequences for which we, as a culture, are unprepared. These consequences will threaten even our most stable institutions until the society begins to look for an alternative.
The Commitment to Civility | Week 6
Ours is a loud and angry culture in which words turn suddenly into threats, and then to violence. People are slow to listen and fast to speak, often in militant tones. We are more demanding and less patient. As our
The Commitment to Integrity | Week 7
cheating culture exists when “everyone does what is right in his own eyes.” In our day, there is a sense that everyone is cheating – and justifying it – so that cheating in return is thought a matter of
The Commitment to Generosity | Week 8
Over the past 40 years we have witnessed the migration of wealth toward a few who were already wealthy, and away from the masses who were already poor. The political answer is to change the laws, to stimulate the economy,
Speaking Truth to Power | Week 9
From Daniel we learn that there is a time to submit and a time to resist, but the best resistance is a counter-offer and the most persuasive argument is our loyalty to those in charge. This sermon will teach us
Seizing the Moment | Week 10
From Esther we learn that God has called some into places of power (like Esther), and others to stay and the gate (like Mordecai), and that we must accept the place that God has assigned and to wait for the
Working Together for the Common Good | Week 11
With Ezra and Nehemiah we see the cooperation between the church (Ezra: Temple) and the state (Nehemiah: Wall) and we are inspired to strive for similar arrangements with the leaders in our city. This message will call our church into