Sermon List

We cannot understand all that Jesus endured for us. Take the thorns, twisted into a crown by the hands of a Roman soldier, thrust down upon Jesus’ head with rough hands, driven deeper into the flesh of the skull with a rod, making the pain more extreme than we can ever know. But, as cruel as this treatment of the Lord must have been, the thing which is so illogical, is that He endured it all for a sinful creation.

We were a lost cause! We had been given chance after chance after chance, and yet we were wayward and sinful. But, it didn’t matter to our Lord, He endured the mocking, beatings, spikes and crown of thorns. And he did it because he loved us!

Second sermon in the series, Healed With His Stripes. This message centers on the precious feet of Jesus, what they meant to Him, and what they mean for us today. We can be healed by Jesus' stripes. We can be emboldened by His love. And, we can be empowered to enter into the world, using our feet for ministry!

A 7:00am traditional SONrise service, including carrying in the Light of Christ and Holy Communion.

An 11:00am Easter praise service, including moving and inspiring music, Easter message and Holy Communion.

CHRIST’S LAMENT FOR HIS FAITHLESS CHURCH: HE LOVED THEM TO THE END

In this Maundy Thursday service, we encountered the ten laments that Jesus had for His faithless church. We interspersed music which spoke to each one, and then ended the service with the stripping of the church, leaving it bare for Good Friday, and the time Jesus spent in the tomb.

Journey with us through Holy Week with scripture, teaching and song. Hear the chancel choir in the background as Mary anoints the feet of Jesus with nard and wipes His feet with her hair. Raise your palms high and wave them as Jesus approaches, and join the praise team in singing "He is Exalted."

Find yourself at the cross bewailing with those who loved Jesus "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?" or as the Praise Team sings, "Crucified laid behind the stone. You lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a Rose trampled on the ground You took the fall, and thought of me, Above All."

Finally find yourself grieving His loss as the congregation sings during the traditional service, "What Wondrous Love is This?" and the congregation at the Praise Service sings, "Everlasting God."

Jesus spent great amounts of time letting the disciples know that He would one day be taken from them. He told them in parable form. He told them through His actions. He even told them as clear as He could say it. But they did not understand. How could the Messiah, the Son of God, die?

Now the time is close and He wants them to be prepared. He tells them the Hour Has Come! Code words for, I am about to be crucified, the disciples did not understand. Do we?

The hour has come! Good Friday is almost here. Have we done the preparation that we need before we come to the foot of the cross? The Hour Has Come!

God so loved us that he sent His one and only Son to die for us on the cross. He gave His all for us...have we done the same for Him?

Love is a two-way street, between human and human, and between human and God. If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, as He asks of us, then we will love our neighbor as we love our self.

Who in the world does this carpenter from Nazareth think he is? This isn't the "gentle Jesus meek and mild" we’re accustomed to. What is it that has created such passion in him?

"The disciples", the gospel says, "Remembered that it was written, 'Passion for God’s house will consume me.' " [Ps. 69:9] Jesus says the center of Israel's worship life, the Temple, has become a marketplace. The religious leaders have turned the church into a department store. It is as though, when no one was looking, someone robbed the reverence of the people of God and displaced the worship of God with human desire.

The scene that confronts Jesus as he goes to the Temple is representative of the whole corruption of Israel. His conflict is with a system and with religious officials who are by their actions, breaking every one of the first four commandments!

Why was Jesus so enraged? Well, let's take a look . . . .

Who is Jesus for you?

Jesus is not a simple man. But this question is the same question that Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do you say I AM?" Make it personal for you by asking, "Who is Jesus for you?...personally...intimately?"

Are you meeting Jesus somewhere different this Lenten season, so you can actually answer this question honestly, "What does it mean to have Jesus as my Savior, as my Messiah, as the Great I AM?"

We are here today because we want to know this I AM, this Messiah, this Jesus, more. Imagine that day when you can, like Peter, proclaim, "You are the Messiah!" What an amazing day that will be!

As we set out on this Lenten journey, are we as focused as Jesus? As we grow weak and tired, will we remember the truth of our baptism: that WE are claimed…chosen as God's beloved. As we walk along life’s path, will we rest assured that Christ walks with us? The work is not easy in this wilderness called life, but it is important.

What trials and temptations are taking your focus off of the Lord? What sins are taking away your strength and leaving you weak and vulnerable to the devil? What brokenness is distracting you from the fact that you are a child of God, loved by Him? We know that siding with the world is tempting, but we also know that it is wrong and saddens our Lord.

Have you ever wondered what it will be like when Jesus comes in all of His Glory to set up His kingdom and bring the world as we know it to an end?

Today’s texts give us a glimpse of this yet… future… event.

Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for what lies ahead for Him, as well as for them. He speaks plainly to them in regards to His death and resurrection.

Jesus is preparing Peter, James and John through his teaching, his actions, and His Transfiguration, for what is to come. He wants them to know Him as the Messiah, who has come to fulfill prophecy. His Transfiguration, it yet another step in their education.

Healings happen all around us, every moment of every day. The problem is, we often don’t see them as miracles from God.

Have you had a miracle in your own life? Has God done something extra-ordinary for you, a spouse, a child, a friend?

Bring your brokenness and pain to the Lord. Let Him heal you -- body, mind and spirit -- today!

Jonah was given a call by God to go to Nineveh and to preach to them the need to repent of their sinful ways and worship the Lord. He does not want to go. He dislikes the Assyrians, he finds this all a waste of time, deep down, he doesn't want the people of Nineveh to receive God's love and mercy. So he runs the opposite direction, gets on a boat and sails away from all of his troubles. Or so he thinks!

Eventually God gets Jonah's attention and gets him back on the right path. Thanks to Jonah's willingness to finally go to Nineveh and preach repentance, all 200,000 Ninevites are saved.

How much like Jonah are you? Is God calling, but you are not listening?

If you were asked like Elizabeth to bear the forerunner, the Preparer, John
the Baptist...in your old age, would you, could you say “yes?” Or if you
were asked like Mary to bear the Savior, the Messiah the Christ Child...in
your young age, would you, could you say “yes?”

I am not so sure many women would, or could. But Elizabeth took the
time. She realized the honor. She understood the importance. And Mary,
likewise, also took the time. She had long awaited the coming of the
Messiah. How could she say no to bringing Him to the world?

Something amazing, something New was about to happen,and Joseph and
Mary were ready…..for whatever…..God had to offer!

Everywhere, everywhere Christmas tonight...what a beautiful Christmas Carol, which calls us to not forget that Christmas is not about the snow and the trees and the children, but rather about our Savior. He was born to us, in order to save us from our sins. He came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. We are blessed to have carols like this, which gently point us to the manger, when our sights might be focused on the lights, tree and festivities of Christmas.

"For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all,
No place too great and no cottage too small;
The Angels who welcome Him sing from the height,
'In the city of David, a King in His might.'
Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas to-night."
- Words: Bishop Phillips Brooks
- Music by Lewis Henry Redner

"It came without ribbons! It came without tags! "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzlers was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. "Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

Familiar words from a beloved holiday movie. But in the midst of this story from Dr. Seuss is an amazing truth. For, in the end, the Grinch got it right, Christmas Joy is not found in the outward happiness and celebration of the season, but instead with the anticipation of what is coming. -Christ Jesus, our King!

We’re beginning our Advent series today entitled Simply Christmas. Our goal is to simplify the busy Christmas season and to place our focus where it needs to be, on the babe born in the manger.

The insistent message of Advent is -- don't settle for less than the full power of God Immanuel, God always with us. Don't allow Advent to be only about picture-perfect scenes or sticky-sweet, candle-lit windows. Advent is about the desperate need for forgiveness and the restoration of HOPE through a loving relationship with God. Anything less than that is selling God short.

We need a God who is our HOPE -- wrapped in swaddling clothes, incarnate, a child, a ruler, a righteous judge, a shoot of the branch of Jesse, Alpha and Omega, Yeshua, Savior, the Blessed Hope.

"Come to save us!" we cry out to God. And God does. Defenseless as a baby, God reflects love, invites compassion and offers HOPE to a hurting and broken world.

When Christians speak of the work of the Holy Ghost, they are speaking about the operations of the Spirit of God in the world we live in, and within us. But the Spirit isn't here just to hang out. The Spirit is there to cause things to happen in peoples' lives that bring them more in tune with God's purposes. Words like 'result' or 'growth' help us little to envision this. When the Spirit starts changing someone, it shows as a growth in character, a change in their way of life that is good for everyone. This change in character and way of life is called a 'fruit of the Spirit'. Like the fruit grown on a tree or vine can feed people and wildlife, seen as cause for hope and celebration, abundant spiritual fruit also brings hope and is well worth celebrating.

Nearly 7 billion people live on this planet. Vast distances of land and ocean separate us one from the other. Our differences create a beautiful mosaic of appearances, beliefs, cultures and customs. Underneath, we are one in Spirit, members of the family of God.

We each have the spark of the Divine within that comprises our spirit. Today, let us celebrate our unity--our sisterhood and brotherhood--by affirming: I am one in Spirit with all people. I am a part of the Body of Christ!

Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who knows the reality of being filled with the Holy Ghost and who lives constantly, moment by moment, under His gracious direction!

Guest Speaker: Jim Sillery

We talk to God in order to constantly build and strengthen our relationship with Him, to get to know Him better, to learn what He expects of us, what we can expect from Him, and to find out how we can best accomplish the things that He wants us to do. We also talk to God in order to seek His advice and help, to show Him that we recognize His existence and awesome power, and of course to show Him that we have trust and confidence in Him.

When was the last time you sat down and connected with the Holy Ghost, spirit to Spirit? When was the last time your conversation with Him was more than just a "to do list" of wants and needs? Are you so in tune with the Holy Ghost, that you talk with Him daily, allow him to guide your life, and trust in him for your daily provisions? I hope that you are!

Do you know the origins of your name? Has your mother or father told you how they came to give you the blessed name that they did? Names are very important! We are named after family members and friends in order to honor them. We are named after passed relatives in order to memorialize them. Some of us are named after our parent's favorite actors or singers or TV personalities. But those names are a part of who we are. Just as in the Bible, the names of God's chosen, were descriptive of who they are and whose they are, so too are our names.

This week we will spend some time getting to know the many names of the Holy Ghost. There are 141 in total. They are attached here as well, so that you can read through them and begin to pray using them, that you might come to know the Holy Ghost in new and amazing ways.

This week was a holiday weekend, when attendance would be a little lower, so both services came together for a Praise Him / Hymn Sing. There wasn't a sermon, but rather 5 key movements (Creation, Music, Love, Christ and Doxology) during worship, opening with scripture to support them, and then offering up a time of reflection. These scriptures and reflections are posted here, just in case you missed them, or in case you want to go deeper. Enjoy!

Throughout the Bible we are challenged again and again to trust in the Lord. We are warned against trusting in princes, in riches, or in ourselves; for all such trust is in vain. Trusting in the Lord is represented as being safe, blessed, and as producing desirable results. In it is our hope, our strength, our safety, and our JOY. Do you trust in the Lord?

When was the last time that you spent some time in silence, listening for God's still small voice. Spend some time this week, stepping out of the boat like Peter, and on faith, walking on water. Take some time, like Elijah, pushing the noise of this world aside, that you might hear God speaking to you. Spend some time, calling upon the name of the Lord....for if you do, you shall surely be saved!

This week we being the second section of our JOY sermon series, as we spend the next three weeks focusing on the letter "O" for Others. This week I want you to ask yourself, "Do you know that NOTHING or NO ONE can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus?"

Last week we looked at Jesus as the Foundation of our Joy. This week we are going to talk about how Reckless Jesus is in sharing seeds of JOY with us. This message is based on the Parable of the Sower. What type of soil do you offer to Jesus? In you, is he sowing seeds in packed soil, rocky soil, weedy soil, or good soil?