Sermons on Fear
The Help God Gives | Exodus 4:18-31
Pastor Ron finishes his series on A New Start looking at the help God provides to Moses for his mission. The service was held remotely over Zoom and streamed to Facebook. Watch Here Discussion Questions 1. Can you share a time when you felt you “weren’t right for the part” and learned God wanted you to undertake it anyway? 2. What help did God provide?
Lord of the Storm | Mark 4:35-41
This Rembrandt painting is called “Christ in the Storm on the Lake of Galilee.” It depicts Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. While most of the painting is black and dark grays and blues, you can see golden-light and light blue skies in the distance. Two thieves disguised as police officers broke into the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum in Boston and stole it in 1990. If you know where it is, let the FBI know. Jesus has…
The Highest Court | Acts 25:1-22 (When we face injustice)
Have you ever faced injustice? Have you ever been treated unfairly? Maybe a boss mistreated you at work, or a family member or friend did not treat you right. Maybe you can think of a family member or friend who has experienced injustice. My dad told me the story of how he was let go from his job for something he had not done, and it was painful for him. Maybe you’ve faced something similar. As we look at the…
God’s Work in Emotions | Acts 22:22-23:11
Today is a big day for Cornerstone for two reasons. First, we finally made it back to Acts! I last preached Acts in Juneand, Lord willing, we’re going to finish it by Easter. Second, today is the first day of our new worship service format—which is 20 minutes of worship, 20-minute message, and 45 minutes of discussion. And this is terrifying for me because I normally preach 30-35 minutes. So this is going to be an experiment, for all of…
Able to Instruct | Romans 15:14
Listen to Andy Bradshaw preach on Romans 15:14. You can watch the full service here on Facebook or the sermon on our YouTube channel. SASHET stands for Sad, Angry, Scared, Happy, Excited, or Tender.
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.…
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…
Part 2. “F” – Faith, Not Fear | Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount)
Did you know that deep in the recesses of our brain is a grape-sized cluster of cells called the amygdala? Our amygdala is a little like the emergency response center of our brain. It is constantly searching for danger, and when it identifies it, it sounds the alarm. Our blood pressure rises, our heartbeat goes up, we go on high alert and get ready for action. The amygdala “activates the fight-or-flight response.”[1] Turn a corner and find a snarling dog;…
The Rhythms of Life: Stress and Solitude | Psalm 46
Dave Astolfi is a second career pastor, having earned an M.Div from Bethel Seminary of the East. He retired early from a 35 year career in science research to devote more time and energy to pastoral ministry. Dave was ordained at Grace Community Church in Chelmsford, while serving as Pastor of Care. He is enjoying semi-retirement, serving God through pulpit supply, interim ministry, mentoring and volunteering at a community pantry … Oh, and he also keeps busy playing with his…
No Fear November | Philippians 4:6-8
It seems like everyone is afraid this election year. In Philippians 4:6-8, an early Christian named Paul tells us we don’t have to be afraid of anything. The ruler in his time was an emperor named Nero who over the course of his reign murdered lots of people, but Paul was not afraid. Fear leads to two responses: 1) flight or 2) fight, neither of which is loving our neighbor as God intends. If you have a relationship with God,…