2021 Various

2021 Various

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel | Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:78 (Christmas Eve Homily)

O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. I tried to lead our college and young adults group to sing this song last weekend, and while the words were beautiful, my rendition was pretty awful. Part of the reason for that is because there’s a bunch of different verses, and I wasn’t always sure which one to sing.…

Isaiah 66:7-13 Zion’s Birth Story (Labor & Delivery Sermon)

Monica Romig shared the following message at Gordon-Conwell’s chapel service on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021 (video link) from Isaiah 66:7-13. She talks about the biblical imagery of labor and delivery to describe how God is going to deliver and redeem his people. Enjoy the message. Since shops are already putting up Christmas lights and radio stations are playing Christmas music I thought it would be appropriate to consider this morning one of the prophetic birth passages of Isaiah. 7 “Before she…

Awkward Christmas | Matthew 1:18-25 (Shameful Christmas)

One of the annual traditions of the town I grew up in was to host a day-after-Thanksgiving Day parade, which was really a Christmas parade. Now they call it the “Catch the Glow” parade. There were lots of rides and floats, people marching, colorful Christmas decorations. But every year, at the end of the parade, Santa and his reindeer came parading down the main street. It was Santa, and presents, on a slay, on a semi, with fake reindeer. Rudolf…

A Message of Hope | Isaiah 40:1-5

Ethan Wormell was born and raised in Massachusetts. He is married to Catherine and has a son named Henry. He served for five and a half years in the U.S. Marine Corps and is a graduate of Westminster Seminary in California. He is pursuing pastoral ministry and church revitalization in New England. Please enjoy his Christmas message from Isaiah 40:1-5. A Message of Hope | Isaiah 40:1-5 At Christmas time we often reflect on the birth of Christ and the…

Life with God | John 15:1-8 (Jesus is the Vine, the Tree of Life)

The actual sermon on Sunday, September 26th, came out much differently than the one written below. Please watch the video of the service here to see how the Spirit moved. This summer I started reading (and am still reading) a book by Skye Jethani called With. In With Skye talks about the four different ways people generally relate to God (pp. 6-7, 169-170): Life Under God — You may relate to God this way if you feel like you never…

The Resurrection Promise | 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

It seems like in the last couple years many of us have lost ones we loved—parents, siblings, friends, to covid, to cancer, to sickness of all kinds. As I’ve been thinking about my dad’s death, and those of you who have lost someone, I wanted to preach a message that could encourage us, and remind us of some of the resurrection hope God has given believers.  But I also recognize that as I preach this, me sharing my personal story…

Paul R. Romig Memorial Service Message | Romans 12:1-2 & Galatians 2:20

Six months ago, my dad updated his testimony, the story of how he came to faith in Jesus Christ. Dad did this as part of becoming an Elder at Rocky, but I think one of the reasons God led him to update his testimony was to help me retell his testimony today. It seems so providential. Today I want to tell you my dad’s story with some of his favorite Scripture passages and a couple of personal memories. I hope…

The Mothers of Christ | Matthew 1:1-17

On Mother’s Day 2021, Pastor Jonathan and several Cornerstone moms, Monica Romig, Angela Christoffel, Ann Ralls, and Diana Walker-Moyer shared about the mothers and grandmothers of Jesus. You can find each one of their reflections here. Happy Mother’s Day to all the biological, adoptive, and spiritual moms of Cornerstone Congregational Church! 1. Mary by Jonathan Romig Happy Mother’s Day! A woman named Anna Jarvis started Mother’s Day all the way back in 1908, and it became an official U.S. holiday…

Homelessness: The Nightmare that can lead to Redemption | Mark 10:17-23

Listen to Pastor Brian Gearin preach on homelessness and what the Bible has to say in Mark 10:17-23, John 4:13-18, 5:1-9, Luke 19:1-10, and Matthew 18:1-5. Brian has served the homeless and trained those working with this population for many years. He has lots of stories and wisdom to share. You can review slides from our service below.

Homeless Lazarus | Luke 16:19-31 (the rich man and Lazarus)

I always feel conflicted when I drive up to an intersection, and someone is holding a sign asking for money. Most of the time, what do we do? We look straight ahead and try not to make eye contact. I guess I don’t know if that’s what you do, but I know I’ve done that many times. Sometimes I’ve given money, Bibles, snacks. Recently, I’ve started carrying snack packs with Bibles and pamphlets in my car. But if I hold…
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