Sermons on Repentance
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…
A Service of Confession, Lament, Thanksgiving & Praise | Psalms 80, 12, 111, 145
Login Info Our last Sunday worship service of 2020 is at 10:30am on Zoom. Please join us online at 10:15am for a time of fellowship before the service. ID: 890 5472 7430 P: JesusGrace Introduction Welcome (pastor) Welcome to our worship service. On the last Sunday of the year, we take the opportunity to have a more interactive and participatory service at Cornerstone Congregational Church. This year we are expanding it from a time of thanksgiving and praise to also…
Complications & Restorations | Titus 3:10-11; Galatians 6:1-2
Sam loved going to the hospital. There was just something about it. The floors were always clean. The care and attention was always lovely. And you could get room service at almost any time. So Sam devised a plan. He would move into the hospital. One day he showed up at the emergency room and said he had a lot of pain in his side. They wheeled him in for an exam and battery of tests, but they couldn’t find…
5 Steps | Matthew 18:15-18 (Accountability & Church Discipline Sermon)
What do you do when someone you love has a runny nose? You shove a Q-tip up their nose! But before-covid, what would you do? You’d hand them a tissue. That’s it. Maybe you’d say, “Your nose is running. Here’s a tissue.” But what if they don’t want to wipe their nose? What if they don’t realize they’re sick? You could forcefully wipe their nose with a tissue, like I do with my son, who by the way, is getting…
But… Why? | Galatians 6:1-2
This summer my son started doing something that’s really cute. We’ll ask him to pick up his toys, or take a few more bites, or get his shoes on, and before he does any of those things he’ll ask us a question. Do you know what it is? “But… why?!” He throws his arms open wide and with the deepest look of sincerity a two-year old can muster he asks, “But… why?!” That’s probably the first question we are asking…
Barriers to Multiethnic Reconciliation | Acts 10:23b-43
Last week we talked about the Bible’s vision of churches working towards becoming diverse multiethnic congregations that reflects his church family in Revelation 7:9-10. Today I want to talk about the things that hinder us from doing that, barriers to unity in diversity. When we look at the New Testament, we find one of the most commonly reoccurring themes is racial tensions between Jew and Gentile. The church had to call a council in Acts 15 to deal with the…
The Least Likely Disciple | Acts 9:1-19a
Who is the least likely person you know who would ever become a Christian? Take a moment and think of them. Is it a family member, a friend, a coworker? Is it because they’re apathetic to Christianity? Or is it because they’re totally against Christianity? Maybe they identify as an atheist, or Buddhist, Muslim, or even Jewish. All you know, is they’ll never follow Jesus… Nabeel fit the description of someone who would never follow Jesus. His parents were from…
A Posture of Listening | Acts 7:54-60 (Stephen’s Martyrdom)
Today we are finishing the story of Stephen. I had written my sermon for today’s service a couple weeks ago, but when I read it this week, it just didn’t feel right. I sensed the Lord had a different sermon for me. Today, I’m sharing what the Lord is teaching me through the lens of Stephen’s story about the issue of racial justice. I’ve felt really drained this week. I’ve felt anger and grief, sadness, despair, as I know many…
Dirty People Meet a Holy God | Exodus 19
If you’ve ever been in a relationship, chances are you and your significant other at one point had to DTR—define the relationship. That’s the moment when you’ve been seeing each other for a while, maybe you’re friends and things seem to being getting serious, so you label it. Aka. “We’re a couple.” DTRs can go really well if you each like each other, or they can go really poorly if one person feels differently. In the case of Monica and…