Sermons from 2020 (Page 4)

Sermons from 2020 (Page 4)

Holiness | Acts 5:1-11 (Ananias & Sapphira)

Today we’re going back to our series in Acts. I actually wrote this sermon before the Coronavirus landed. Today I want us to start to get back into a rhythm. So today I’m preaching the story of Ananias and Sapphira and how their story tells us about the holiness of God.  When you think of holiness, what do you think of? Maybe you think of a big beautiful cathedral. There’s something sacred and awe-inspiring about a beautiful church or cathedral.…

Resurrection vs. Resuscitation | 1 Kings 17:8-24

Listen or watch this guest sermon on 1 Kings 17:8-24 from Joe Yu entitled “Resurrection vs. Resuscitation.” Joe Yu is a missionary with Ripe for Harvest World Outreach. He has served in different parts of the world including Southeast Asia, India, Europe, and the United States. His main work has been in helping to develop ministry visions for indigenous ministries. By God’s grace he has been able to help develop a Bible College in Myanmar and also to develop a satellite…

Easter Transforms Us | John 20:11-18

Easter is a happy day. It’s the happiest day in the church calendar. But it didn’t start the way. That first Easter morning Jesus’ followers were grieving and heartbroken because the one they loved died. Our story today starts with a grieving woman, Mary Magdalene, as she stands outside Jesus’ tomb crying. She is mourning his death and that someone has stolen his body. In the gospels this word for “weep” is a bitter, loud, wailing (Matt 26:75; Mark 6:38).…

Art & Beauty | Philippians 4:8

When Monica and I are on vacation we spot a contemporary art museum and I always say, “Hey, we should go check that out!” And then when we do go, I always hate it. I’m like, “What is this?!” So I’m preaching on art and beauty today… Let’s pray. I was sitting in one of my classes in seminary when a student raised his hand. I didn’t know this student very well. He was hipster; he wore a beanie to…

Life in the Shadow | Acts 5:12-16

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) put out a graph that’s been going around the internet. It’s called “flattening the curve” and it shows two trajectories. The first trajectory shows what will happen when people don’t take protective measures seriously—when we don’t practice social distancing and hand washing and self-quarantine. It shows a high number of cases overloading our healthcare system, which can lead to high loss of life. This curve is steep and sharp. It looks like a looming…

CHRIST OVER COVID | Matthew 8:14-17

A plague hit Rome from 249 to 262 AD. This plague lasted 13 years. Our pandemic has been a week and a half and we’re already going crazy. Can you imagine what that was like? Historians have studied this plague and it was bad, real bad. I don’t want to describe it to you but if you look up the Plague of Cyprian you can read all the details. It killed about 5,000 people a day. The city of Alexandria…

A Culture of Encouragement | Acts 4:32-37

Every church has a culture, no matter how big or how small. Our culture is who we are and how we do things. Some might call it our “ethos”—the character of our church community. Some churches have a culture of excellence. They have great preachers and their worship teams are cutting edge.  Some churches have a culture of evangelism. They’re constantly getting out into their towns and communities and sharing the love of Jesus with others.  Some churches have a…

Knowing God | Acts 4:23-31

I want to read you a quote from one pastor’s last sermon. He said… Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He has allowed me to…

Life Outside The Camp | Hebrews 13:10-16

Rev Brian Bethke, Canon for Leadership Development with the Anglican Diocese of New England preached on following Jesus outside of the camp from Hebrews 13:10-16. Check out his sermon here. We also got to celebrate Julia Pender’s baptism as part of the worship service.

Outward Courage | Acts 4:1-22

John and David are out back working on the AC Unit. John is a believer and begins to ask David, “Do you go to church?” David explains that he used to go to mass but hasn’t been in years. They talk a little bit about the differences between Catholicism and John’s church, but the details stay high-level. Catholics have priests. Protestants have pastors. Catholics baptize babies. John’s church doesn’t. They don’t talk about any real theological differences. They don’t speak…

Our True Need | Acts 3:1-26

As I was thinking about you this week, imagining you sitting in these chairs, I was thinking that we all have a need. Your need is that thing or issue that’s on your mind, and that’s weighing on you but you don’t know how to solve. If we were to each stop and publicly identify our need, we’d be here a while. Some of us would identify money as our need. We need a job, or a raise, or help…